A few times a week, organist Marissa Hall quietly slips into the empty First Presbyterian Church of Tallahassee. She washes her hands, sanitizes the keys and lets the music flow freely. She’s grateful for Michael Corzine, her first organ teacher and the church’s choirmaster, for allowing her to use the space during these quarantined months. 

Hall records offerings for churches in Boston; she works as the director of music and organist at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Cambridge and the music and worship administrator for Trinity Church in Copley Square. She left the city back in March after the pandemic struck to be with her parents in Tallahassee. 

Although she misses the feeling of surrender she gets from a live service, she’s grateful for virtual opportunities and the ability to return to St. John’s Episcopal Church where she attended services as a Florida State University student and was an intern under long-time mentor and director of music, Betsy Calhoun.

Hall and Calhoun are the co-organizers for St. John’s Summer Choir Camp which starts June 15 via Zoom, an online meeting platform. 

 “When we envisioned this camp a few years ago, we wanted to recruit more children who wanted an outlet for music,” says Hall. “Our hope is this camp might start to blossom into a program that is year-round and be able to serve even more children who want the opportunity to sing.” 

Hall’s musical inclinations on the piano were nurtured at a young age, though she lost interest around age 10. She started at FSU as a film student, but after meeting Calhoun, she was inspired once again to return to the keys. Hall studied intensively with Corzine, and eventually graduated from the FSU College of Music where she trained under organ professor Dr. Iain Quinn. 

She went on to earn her master’s in sacred music from Boston University before starting her career as a music administrator and organist. The highlight of her week was working with the children’s choir program and leading them through worship services every Sunday morning. 

“It was the power of music in worship that drew me in,” reflects Hall. “It has this power to change people and inspire them to live beyond their normal lives. Having that combination of beautiful music in a sacred space and a service-oriented environment is amazing.” 

Hall is an avid lover and writer of hymns. She looks to Church of England composers like Charles Stanford and Herbert Howells for inspiration when she writes, and often revisits recognizable tunes and anthems on the organ to set the prose. 

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