Marilyn Austin - Festival Co-Artistic Director

What is true of all arts is supremely true of music.  Music accesses the highest levels of thinking while passionately touching the most basic emotions.  Mrs. Austin feels that she has been truly blessed and fortunate to teach every level of student in Mount Pleasant for twenty eight years.  Her teaching experiences began with First Baptist School of Mount Pleasant, then Whitesides Elementary, James B. Edwards Elementary, Laing Middle School, and Wando High School.

During her years of teaching she also served as chairperson and member on committees for local and state music groups.   Titles held was Spoleto Education liaison for the Charleston County School District, The Young Artist Series Director for Piccolo Spoleto, Solo-Ensemble Chairperson for the South Carolina Music Educators, Lower State Chairperson for the Middle School Choral Clinics, and All State Committee member for the High School Division of SCMEA.

Her fifteen years of service at Wando High School brought local, state, and international music opportunities for the students.  The Wando High School Choir under the direction of Marilyn Austin performed in England, Austria, Italy, New York, San Francisco, Boston, and Bill Clinton’s inauguration in Washington D. C.  Austin’s last concert was held at the St. Nicholas Cathedral in Prague, Czech Republic June 2006.  

Now retired she serves as gallery director for the Gaye Sanders Fisher Gallery in Charleston, has a private piano and voice studio, and serves as a music consultant for Charleston and Berkeley County Schools.