Beginning on June 1st, Julie Crooks will step into the role of Acting Music Director for RVUUF. A fairly recent newcomer to Oregon, Julie comes from Southern California where she sang with a number of choral organizations including the Selah Gospel Choir, Vox Femina, Los Robles Master Choral and the Los Angeles Master Chorale on occasion. Julie started her musical journey as a child in Northern California playing a number of instruments, and ended up pursuing a degree in Voice and Choral Conducting, where she was lucky to study under the direction of the eminent choral conductor Dr. Charlene Archibeque. Ultimately deciding to go into another career field, Julie eventually returned to music much later in life.

Before moving to Oregon to join her daughter, Julie conducted the choir at Chalice Unitarian (then CVUUF) in Thousand Oaks, CA for almost 15 years, building a choir and the overall music program from a small group about the size of RVUUF’s choir to a large choir performing World music to an enthusiastic and participatory congregation. CVUUF was well known in the Pacific Southwest District for its excellent music program and was considered a great example of a “Singing Congregation”. The choir was often accompanied by the pickup band and/or the African drumming ensemble created within the congregation. In the words of Rev. Bill Sinkford, who attended a service as guest, “Wow! Now that’s what I call doing Church”.

During this time, Julie also contributed to the UU Musician’s Network (now Association for Unitarian Universalist Music Ministries) as a clinician at their annual conferences, and on the UUMN Board. It was during this period that Singing the Journey (the Teal Hymnal) was created with much participation by UUMN, and where Julie met many of her friends who are composers or arrangers of the hymns contained in that booklet.

Following her departure from Thousand Oaks, Julie joined the large Neighborhood Church congregation in Pasadena, CA, where shortly after her arrival she co-chaired the Search Committee to find the new Music Director for that congregation. Although the search was extensive, they successfully hired the fabulous Zanaida Robles who still leads that program.

Feel free to reach out to Julie with your questions. Her contact information is in our Breeze online directory, you can find her at Coffee Hour on Sunday mornings, or contact our Office Administrator to be put in touch. Although Julie will be much different than Shaun, we do believe that we are in good hands.