For more than four decades Marvin Mills has performed throughout the United States, often at the invitation of chapters of the American Guild of Organists, having been featured at three of its National Conventions. Concerto appearances include the Jacksonville, Pittsburgh, and Peabody Symphonies in works by Handel, Rheinberger, Hindemith and Jongen. Having served as university organist at Howard University and music director of The National Spiritual Ensemble, he is organist at St. Paul’s UMC, Kensington, MD, and vocal coach at Morgan State University. His wide ranging activities include collaborations with The Ritz Chamber Players (Jacksonville, FL) MasterSingers of Wilmington (DE), Philadelphia Brass and Cashmore Marionettes.

PipeDreams (Minnesota Public Radio) featured Mills in a broadcast Music of Color, his Kennedy Center Millennium Stage Recital was webcast, and he was a recitalist for the inaugural weekend of the Dobson Pipe Organ in Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center Verizon Hall. A prize winning composer, his Four Spirituals for Denyce Graves have been performed throughout the country at colleges and universities by aspiring singers. A setting of a Phyllis Wheatley poem, On Virtue, was commissioned by the Cathedral of St. John the Divine for its Poets Corner. His theatrical conducting debut was in Joplin’s Treemonisha with Washington Savoyards. Mills has been keyboard artist and choral conductor for the Festival since 2000.