Gretchen Dekker

Thank you for inviting me to join the staff at St. John! I am looking forward to working with my friend Rodney Barnett as we explore new ways to celebrate and share our faith through music. “Stirring music in a sacred space” isn’t just the tagline for our Concert Series – it’s what we experience every week here at St. John Episcopal. I am honored to join you in making it happen.

Although I’ve been a member of St. John for several years, I haven’t had the chance to meet everyone yet, so I’d like to share a little about myself.

I was born and raised in York, and like many kids, I started playing piano in 3rd grade. My family was musical, but not professionally: we listened to, played, and enjoyed music at home, and we always sang it in the car (because our radio never worked!)

 By high school, my parents recognized that I was serious about piano. They enrolled me in a pre-conservatory course at the Peabody Prep and, after graduating, I continued my studies at Peabody and New England Conservatories. I was on the path toward a professional music career, but a funny thing happened on my way to becoming a concert pianist…

Raised “lightly Lutheran”, I encountered the sacred music of J.S. Bach at a young age. In conservatory, I crushed on Bach’s keyboard and chamber works, a passion that led me to Amsterdam for two years of post-grad work in early music. While there, I fell in love again – this time with a handsome Dutchman who would become my husband.

Another passion of mine is teaching. Blessed with extraordinary teachers at every stage of my musical journey, I am determined to solve the “pedagogy puzzle” for every student I encounter. It remains one of my greatest joys to watch and hear students experience their own musical “Aha!” moment in my studio and classroom.

Since returning to Central Pennsylvania, I have built a career performing and teaching. I’ve played recitals, soloed with regional orchestras, and continue to enjoy performing collaboratively. I currently serve on several non-profit committees and boards in York, and I am active at every level of our local community music scene, from preparing young performers to managing large-scale events. I’ve also worked consistently as a church musician, most recently for the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of York as their Director of Music.

My spiritual “tree” has many branches: I was baptized Lutheran, renewed my baptismal vows in the Presbyterian church as a young adult and then, after attending the midweek service at St. John’s for many years, joined the Episcopal Church. Being invited into a faith/music position here feels like a beautiful full circle moment: music is both the root and the fruit of my faith journey.

As I step into my new position here, I will continue to teach, perform, and enjoy my other, non-musical hobbies: adventurous cooking, voracious reading, and aerobic ornamental gardening – and our grandson! Defining and developing this role is a bit like building the airplane while flying it… but I am excited to see where the journey takes us, in community through music!