Photo Credit: Virginia Kemp
Bio
Music has played a significant role for most of Ted Babbitt’s life. In the first grade, he began singing in a Royal School of Church Music affiliated program at Saint John’s Episcopal Church, West Hartford. He now sings with the church’s adult choir as well as auditioned and non-auditioned groups in his high school. He was selected to Connecticut’s regional choral festival for each of his high school years, ranking first in the bass section auditions in his senior year. Ted also has been selected as a bass for the Connecticut All-State music festival. He is a founding member of a men’s acapella group in his school and has sung twice with the Litchfield County Choral Union at the Yale School of Music summer program.
After studying piano for four years, Ted began studying organ in his freshman year of high school with Scott Lamlein, and has taken lessons with Christa Rakich, Jonathan Moyer, and Christopher Houlihan. During his high school career, Ted has served as organ scholar at Saint John's Episcopal Church in West Hartford CT, a position in which he plays portions of the service, accompanies the choir, and performs solo masterworks.
For the past three years, Ted has served as the organist at Church of the Transfiguration, a lovely summer chapel in Norfolk, Connecticut. Ted looks forward to returning to that role this summer. Ted has also performed at Saint James Episcopal Church in West Hartford CT, the Roman Catholic Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Waterbury, CT and the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Saint Joseph in Hartford CT.
As a competitor, Ted placed first in the 2022 L. Cameron Johnson Organ Competition for High School Organists: sponsored by the Northeastern Connecticut Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, after having tied for second and winning the audience favorite prize the year prior. Additionally, in March of 2022, Ted placed second in the young organists competition sponsored by the Colombia South Carolina chapter of the American Guild of organists. He also won the prize for the best Bach performance, and the best Hymn performance. Ted looks forward to competing more in the future.
As an accompanist, Ted has accompanied groups ranging from solo vocalists, to full symphonic bands, on both piano and organ. Ted frequently accompanies the choirs of Canton High School, and recently has accompanied the symphonic band in their concert "Prisms of Our Lives". Ted served as the rehearsal accompanist for the Saint John's Episcopal Church Choir School and Adult Choir. In addition to general Sunday repertoire, Ted was the rehearsal accompanist for their concert of "Darkness into Light", featuring movements from the Mozart Requiem, works by Vaughn Williams, Lauridson, and more.
Ted has studied the art and skill of conducting with Rachel Antonucci, the CHS band director and K-12 music chair, and Brian Jones the 7-12 choral teacher. He has conducted the CHS freshman band, and the CHS Chamber Singers. Additionally, Ted has conducted the Saint John's Schola singers and the Saint John’s Adult Choir. Ted looks forward to studying conducting more with Dr. Stanley Roberts at Mercer University.
Outside of music, Ted loves theater and worked as a technical director in his school. He hopes to pursue this love in college and beyond. He is also a Boy Scout and is working towards his Eagle Scout badge. He has served as a leader in his troop for years and loves the outdoors, especially camping and hiking with his friends.
Following graduation, Ted will continue studying organ with Jack Mitchener and obtain a degree in music education from Mercer University, in Macon, Georgia. Excitingly, Ted was awarded the Josephine Phelps Fabian Distinguished Music Scholarship and looks forward to the many opportunities this scholarship affords him. His long-term goal is to teach and to continue making music.