Meet the Directors
Brandon Hollihan
Brandon has been involved in church music in one way or another ever since he came to Columbus in 2006. Prior to joining Northwest UMC at the end of 2009, he was the choir director and later the interim music director at Resurrection Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hilliard. Brandon came to Columbus to study as a graduate student at Ohio State, where he earned Master’s degrees in vocal pedagogy and choral conducting, studying with teachers such as Robin Rice (voice) and Hilary Apfelstadt (conducting). Prior to this, Brandon earned his Bachelor’s in voice performance at the University of Notre Dame. He also studied at the Kodaly Institute at Capital University in 2009 and recently earned his teaching license for music education in the state of Ohio.
Having played piano since he was five years old, he has grown into a proficient keyboardist and along with his organ/piano duties at Northwest, accompanies for soloists and choral ensembles regularly and also gives recitals on occasion. His young conducting career has started to grow into a regular profession, and recent conducting credits include Faure’s Requiem (RELC 2009) and Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance (Little Theatre in Grove City 2008). As a singer, Brandon appears regularly with the Opera Columbus chorus, and has been in such shows as Turandot, Il Paggliaci, Romeo and Juliet and La Boheme.
In addition to his life as a musician and a teacher, Brandon enjoys running and recreational sports, seeing movies and concerts with his wife Junghwa (whom he met at OSU and is also a brilliant pianist!), reading books and writing for fun, and waiting for the Cubs to finally win a World Series title. (Notre Dame and Ohio State already have national titles within his lifetime, although he can’t remember the ND one as he was five years old in 1988.)
Rebecca Sutton
Rebecca began playing piano when she was 4 years old, taking lessons from her mother, a church pianist and organist. She did not take music too seriously, however, until she began playing the flute in the 4th grade. She competed heavily as a flutist throughout high school and continued taking lessons at the University of Michigan while perusing degrees in English and Graphic Design.
Rebecca often jokes that while her left brain was learning flute, her right brain was learning piano. In middle school she learned how to read chord charts, and fell in love with this less disciplined style of piano playing. She, along with one or two guitar players often led the music in chapel services in her high school. While at U of M she served as a worship leader, playing flute, keyboard, piano or singing, in a blended style service at Campus Chapel. After graduation she and her husband, Jeff, attended Ann Arbor Christian Reformed Church where she served as worship leader and planner for their contemporary service, as well as a volunteer small group youth leader, while beginning her career as a graphic designer. Rebecca and Jeff moved to Alexandria, Virginia in 2005 where they continued to volunteer as youth leaders at Aldersgate UMC. While members there, Rebecca frequently played flute with traditional hymns, Taize chants, and choir anthems. Rebecca, Jeff, and their daughter, Hannah, moved to Central Ohio in 2008 and began attending Northwest UMC that summer. Rebecca has served as the praise band leader in the Gathering @ the Center since April of 2009.
In May of 2010 the Sutton family welcomed their second baby girl, Clara, to this world. In addition to her role at Northwest, Rebecca continues to work part time as a graphic designer, while caring for their two daughters.
Rebecca’s experiences have taught her to not simply give her gifts and talent to the Lord for his work, but to give her entire self over to him, so that he may use every aspect of her life for his purpose. God is creative, and the finest of artists.
Mary Gardner
Mary Gardner is the church pianist and choir accompanist for worship in the sanctuary at 9:30 and 11 AM.
