Wayne Earnest recently retired and moved to Washington, Pennsylvania, after 53 years as a church musician in nine denominations. At age ten he began piano study, later becoming an organ major at West Liberty State College (now West Liberty University), studying with Alfred de Jaager and Kenneth Axelson. His master’s degree work was with Robert Glasgow at the University of Michigan and his doctorate with Wayne Fisher at the College-Conservatory of Music of the University of Cincinnati.
During doctoral studies, Earnest taught part-time at Cincinnati Bible College and Seminary. Upon graduation, he worked at Newberry College in Newberry, South Carolina (1979–86), followed by St. David Lutheran Church, West Columbia, South Carolina (1986–95), the Old Presbyterian Meeting House, Alexandria, Virginia (1995–2007), and First United Methodist Church, Ocala, Florida (2007–15). During his tenure in Ocala, he was also conductor of the Marion Civic Chorale. In Alexandria and Ocala, he developed the “Concerts with a Cause” benefit concert series, which over the years raised thousands of dollars to help those in need. As a recitalist, he performed in the United States, Germany, and the Ukraine. He has authored a number of articles for church music magazines on a variety of topics.
Related News
