August 16: Noted Soloist To Be Featured During Covenant Presbyterian’s Men’s Day

NORFOLK

The Men of Covenant Presbyterian Church will host their annual Men’s Day at 4 p.m. on August 16. 

The guest speaker is Rev. Dr. Toney L. McNair, Jr., the Associate Pastor for Worship at the Historic First Baptist Church of Norfolk. The featured musician is Gregory Gardner, choir soloist at The Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd in Norfolk and a music instructor at Norfolk State University.

 Gardner is a native of Norfolk and a graduate of Granby High School. He lived in New York City and New Rochelle, New York for many years before relocating to Portsmouth, Virginia in 2007. 

Much of his time is spent performing locally and nationally in opera, oratorio, and musical theater, creating such roles as Tom in Gershwin’s mini-opera Blue Monday with The New York Pops at Carnegie Hall; Belcore in the Metropolitan Opera Guild’s The Elixir of Love (Donizetti); and Jim and Jake in the Virginia Opera’s production of Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess.

He has worked with notable singers, coaches, and teachers and has taught music at Hampton University and the International Summer Music Institute in Forio d’Ischia, Italy. 

Gardner earned his Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees in voice from Howard University (Washington, DC). He has done post-graduate study domestically and abroad.  

Covenant is located at 913 Covenant Street in Norfolk where Rev. Dr. Helen Bessent Byrd is the pastor.