Dr. Ardrey-Graves holds degrees in musicology/historical performance practice and divinity from Duke University, as well as a doctor of musical arts in conducting with a choral emphasis from James Madison University. His doctoral thesis, More Divine than Human: Early Tudor Plainchant and Polyphony of the Lenten Compline Office in the Use of Salisbury, 1485-1558, won the university’s Outstanding Dissertation Award.
Prior to accepting his appointment at the School of Theology, Dr. Ardrey-Graves served as an organist and choir director at a number of Episcopal parishes in Virginia and North Carolina, with a particular focus on building vibrant choral programs for children and youth. He has also taught courses in jazz and music appreciation at Guilford Tech Community College in High Point, NC, and guest lectured at Wake Forest Divinity School.
His research interests include liturgical music, particularly in the Daily Offices; theological aesthetics; the performance of chant; the worship contexts of medieval, Tudor, and restoration-era sacred music; and choral pedagogy.
Mark served as a member of the Task Force for Prayer Book and Liturgical Revision of the Episcopal Church during the 2018 – 2020 triennium, and he is active in the Association of Anglican Musicians and Royal School of Church Music in America.
