Conductor Charles E. Claiborne taught high school choral music at Druid Hills High School in Dekalb County, at Campbell High School, and North Cobb High School in Cobb County.  He has also served as Director of Choirs for the Knoxville Area Home School Coop and as Director of Music at Cumberland United Methodist Church in Smyrna, Kirkwood Presbyterian Church in Kennesaw, and Kodak United Methodist Church in Kodak,       Tennessee.  He has previously been conductor of the Smyrna Community Chorus and Assistant Conductor of the Choral Guild of Atlanta.  He has served two terms as Georgia  Music Educators Association State Choral Chair, is an active member of the American Choral Director’s Association, and has served as President of the Georgia Chapter.  He presently serves as Head Adjudicator for GMEA Large Group Performance Evaluations.  He holds degrees from the University of Georgia and Georgia State University and presently lives in Woodstock, Georgia with his wife Nancy.

Bruce Graham was the Director of Choral Arts for 13 years at Sandwich High School in Sandwich, Massachusetts on Cape Cod. He also worked part time in churches in both Hyannis and Sandwich as well as being the founding Artistic Director of the Cape Cod Chorale, (still performing after 40 years,)
His call for full time music ministry came in the early 1990’s when Bruce accepted the position of Music Director at First Presbyterian Church in Marietta, GA. In 2002, Mr. Graham accepted the call to be Director of Music and Worship at First Presbyterian Church in Boulder Colorado where he increased the size of the church’s high school youth choir, Salt & Light, to over 130 members. Bruce and Linda Came to
Roswell Presbyterian Church in 2007-2018. Most recently, he filled in as Director of Music at the Chapel in Big Canoe.

Susan Gooch, now in her sixth year as GACC accompanist, Susan is a native of Columbus, Ohio. She earned a Bachelor of Music degree in Choral Music Education and Piano from Miami University (Oxford, Ohio) and a Master’s degree in Educational Administration from Xavier University (Cincinnati, Ohio). She taught junior high school vocal and general music for twelve years and, for the next 18 years until her retirement, served as a high school assistant principal and principal in three Ohio public school districts. After moving to Jasper, Georgia in 2015, she joined the Cherokee Chorale in Canton, and is the piano accompanist for Jasper United Methodist Church, Gilmer High School, and Pickens High School. Susan is married to Mike; they have three adult children and two grandchildren. She is currently the Director of Music for the Ellijay First United Methodist Church. She is honored to be working with the Gilmer Arts Community Chorus again this season.