MARY BIDDLECOMBE is the choral director at Tallahassee’s Lawton Chiles High School, where she directs a vocal program encompassing over 250 enrolled students. She directs five curricular ensembles including a beginning women’s choir, a large men's chorus, two mixed ensembles, and the award-winning women's choir Belle Chantique. Mrs. Biddlecombe has taught music at every grade level, most recently as the choral director at Swift Creek Middle School. She holds degrees from the Crane School of Music in New York State, and Florida State University. Her choirs have performed for conventions of ACDA, as well as with the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra and Community Chorus under the direction of Miriam Burns and Dr. André Thomas, respectively. Mrs. Biddlecombe is an active member of MENC, ACDA, FVA and FMEA, and is in-demand as an adjudicator and clinician in the state of Florida. A native of Syracuse, NY, Mary makes her home in Tallahassee with her husband Tucker and their dog Maggie.
The Lawton Chiles High School Choral Program opened under the direction of José Rivera in 1999, joining a rich tradition of choral music in Tallahassee. From 2003 - 2009, under the direction of Tucker Biddlecombe, Chiles High School became one of the premier choral programs in Florida. In 2009, Mary Biddlecombe took over as choral director to continue this tradition of excellence.
The choral program at Chiles consists of five performing ensembles. Curricular choir offerings include an entry-level women's chorus; a men's chorus that performs for many campus events; an auditioned large mixed ensemble (80 voices this year!) Chiles Singers; an auditioned a cappella choir called Pardon our Dust, and the award-winning advanced choir Belle Chantique. Belle Chantique has performed for conventions of ACDA at the state and division level, most recently in Louisville, Kentucky during March of 2008. Extracurricular choirs are led by student conductors as part of the mentorship portion of their honors credit in advanced music classes.
The music program at Lawton Chiles High School is comprehensive and offers multiple classes in Chorus, Orchestra, Band, Guitar, and AP Music Theory. The drama department offers a full technical theater program as well as a full sequence of dramatic and stagecraft classes. The chorus and orchestra began an annual Masterworks concert series in 2007, which has entailed performances of large choral works such as Bach Cantata 150, Rutter's Requiem, Schubert's Mass in G, Vaughan Williams' Five Mystival Songs, Britten's Missa Brevis in D, and the Pergolesi Stabat Mater.
Lawton Chiles High School also has become widely known for its musical theater productions. In 2004, the Chiles Choral department presented a fully-staged student production of Gian-Carlo Menotti's opera Amahl and the Night Visitors. In 2007, the Chiles Choral department presented The Taffetas, a production in which students were the actors, musicians and conductors of the show. The combined performing arts department has recently presented productions of Pirates of Penzance, 42nd Street, Oklahoma, Swing, Seussical, Pippin, and Guys and Dolls. Next year, Chiles Performing Arts will present the classic musical: Bye Bye Birdie.