Maury A. Castro
Director
Maury A. Castro has conducted the Festival Celebration Choir since the autumn of 2010. Before that, beginning in the autumn of 2008, he served as accompanist under the great Charles Jones. Mr. Castro also serves as Minister of Music at First United Presbyterian Church in Troy, and is the conductor of the Troy Children’s Chorus. He holds the Master of Sacred Music in Organ Performance from Boston University (2008). While there, he studied organ with Peter Sykes and choral conducting with Miguel Felipe. Mr. Castro also holds a Master of Divinity from Andrews University. Maury is a member of the American Guild of Organists, holding the Colleague Certificate of the Guild as well as serving as the Corresponding Secretary for the Eastern New York Chapter. He is also an active member of the The American Choral Directors Association and The Hymn Society in the United States and Canada.
Maury is ecstatically married to his wife, Kerén, an elementary school language arts teacher. They have three lovely daughters, Delia, Chiara and Gabrielle.
Maury is ecstatically married to his wife, Kerén, an elementary school language arts teacher. They have three lovely daughters, Delia, Chiara and Gabrielle.
Andrew Krystopolski
Accompanist and Assistant Director
A native of Wilmington, Delaware, Andrew began his musical studies on the violin at age 5 and a year later, he began to study piano at the Wilmington Music School. He holds a bachelors degree in Church Music from Marywood University in Scranton, Pennsylvania, where he studied organ with Canon Mark Laubach and conducting with Robert Herrema and Jack Warren Burnam. Andrew is a member of The American Guild of Organists, Association of Anglican Musicians, and the Royal School of Church Music. He has lived in the Capitol District since June of 2010 and currently works as the Organist & Director of Music at Historic St. George's Episcopal Church in Schenectady's Stockade District. He is a regular organist on "Goldie" the Wurlitzer organ at Proctors Theater. When not playing the organ, he enjoys playing the accordion and concertina and singing polka music.
