HR162: Commending Judith Smith Gary.
WHEREAS, Judith Smith Gary, a respected, admired, and beloved choral arts director, retired from her position as conductor and founding director of The Virginia Consort in 2020, completing a remarkable career spanning more than four decades, three of them holding the baton of The Virginia Consort; and
WHEREAS, a native of Virginia Beach, Judith Gary graduated from Boston University with a bachelor’s degree in music theory and composition and from the University of Virginia with a master’s degree in music history; she studied with the grand master of choral music, Robert Shaw, and for many years attended summer sessions at Westminster Choir College; and
WHEREAS, Judith Gary served as music director of the Charlottesville Peace Choir, The Oratorio Society of Charlottesville-Albemarle, and Church of Our Saviour Episcopal, before founding The Virginia Consort in 1990 and directing the Consort’s Chamber Ensemble, Festival Chorus, and Youth Chorale; and
WHEREAS, Judith Gary is well-known by audiences and musicians throughout Central Virginia for her creative concert programming and precise direction and is an inspiration to singers young and old for her commitment to excellence; and
WHEREAS, Judith Gary is likewise known for her joyful approach to learning, deep curiosity, enthusiasm for life, and her love for and dedication to her family; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That Judith Smith Gary hereby be commended on the occasion of her retirement as director of The Virginia Consort; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare copies of this resolution for presentation to Judith Smith Gary; her son, Hart Gary IV; and the president of The Virginia Consort, Matthew O’Driscoll, as an expression of the House of Delegates’ admiration for Judith Smith Gary’s legacy of contributions to the advancement and appreciation of choral music.