PASTYME was formed in 1999.  The original eight members were previously a part of Mountain Madrigals/ Ara Coeli , an  ancient music a cappella ensemble begun in 1990 by Anne Rhymer.  Ara Coeli performed in Asheville and other venues in Western North Carolina and Atlanta, and in 1995, was the summer Choir-in-Residence at Birmingham Cathedral (UK). 

The members of PASTYME set out to create a musical group that could not only continue to perform the repertoire of Ara Coeli / Mountain Madrigals, but add different styles and periods of music as well.  Six of the group performed a Christmas show in 1998 under the joking name TJ and the Tinseltones.  It included modern, secular music, some accompanied pieces and a production number.  It was so popular the group made several appearances that season.  When Ara Coeli dissolved, that group decided to keep singing together in some fashion. The result is the eight-member PASTYME, with one foot in the ancient music tradition, the other in the 21st Century. 

The new group takes its name from a madrigal written by Henry VIII, Pastyme with Goode Companye, which extols the virtues of “all goodly sport” in passing away the hours.  In keeping with this theme, Pastyme enjoys performing a wide variety of repertoire – Renaissance to rock, Bach to Broadway, sacred to secular.  They are frequent performers at The Biltmore Estate, St. Lawrence Basilica and Trinity Episcopal Church in Asheville, and have appeared in numerous venues in North and South Carolina.  The group made their Piccolo Spoleto debut in Charleston in May 2000 to a rave review.

The individual members of Pastyme are seasoned performers in their own right, and bring to the group an impressive background of musical experience in theater, concert stage, and church.  The group has no one director; instead, all contribute to the selection, artistic interpretation, and development of each piece.  Through their association, they have evolved into a band of friends as well as performers.  Making music together is a delightful pastime for all of them.

The members of  PASTYME are:

  Wendy Myers – Soprano.   Wendy is the Administrative Assistant to the President of Blossman Gas, Inc.  She sings in the choir at Trinity Episcopal Church, is a regular performer with Midday Musicals, and also sings with The DT Strutters, a Waynesville jazz sextet.   
 

  Pamela Miller – Soprano.   Pam is a Print Marketing Coordinator for North Park Marketing, a N.C. company based in her home.  She is a member, and General Manager, of the Asheville Choral Society.  She is also a soloist and member of the United Unitarian Church choir and recently sang in the Terpsicorps Theatre of Dance production of The Scarlet Letter.  Before moving to Asheville, she sang in the Washington, DC area with The Oratorio Society of Washington (now the Washington Chorus) and the Cantate Chamber Singers.  Pam's husband, Ron Killian, is the artist that created the cover art for the Pastyme CD es ist ein Rose.  He also does all the cooking.

  Julie Williams – Alto.  Julie has a long history of musical theater experience including roles in Into the Woods, Hansel & Gretel, and a whip-wielding dominatrix in Lysistrata. She sings with the Carolina Concert Choir and directs the Jubilee Handbell Choir in Hendersonville. She previously performed with Duke University’s Chapel Choir, Schola Cantorum, and Vesper Ensemble, and also toured and performed at Carnegie Hall with Duke’s Out of the Blue, and all female a cappella group. She has presented Mr. Wizard Science Shows for school kids throughout the northeast, and currently takes it easy as Customer Service Manager at GE Lighting Systems. She lives in Mills River with her husband, Charles, and son, Ben.

  Faye Burner – Alto.   Faye practices law in Asheville.  She also sings with Trinity, Midday Musicals and DT Strutters.  An aspiring thespian, Faye has also appeared in musical theatre productions with Haywood Arts Repertory Theatre (HART).
 

  Jeff Konz – Tenor.  Jeff is an Associate Professor of Economics at UNC Asheville.  He sings in the choir at All Souls Cathedral, where he is a very active member.  An avid gardener, Jeff spends his spare time working outside and enjoying his family and his 1938 John Deere tractor, in the family for over fifty years.  He and his wife, Louly, have two children, Nicholas and Flora.

Lee Thomas – Tenor.  Lee is the High School Music Teacher at Carolina Day School and the Director of Music at Trinity United Methodist Church in West Asheville. He holds a BA in Vocal Performance from Western Carolina University. In his free time, Lee is a busy performer. He has appeared in leading musical theater roles with Haywood Arts Repertory Theatre (HART), Parkway Playhouse, Kudzu Players, Mockingbird Theatre, and Southern Appalachian Repertory Theatre (SART). He has also sung the roles of Monostatos in The Magic Flute, Captain Richard Warrington in Naughty Marietta, Frederic in The Pirates of Penzance, Don Curzio in The Marriage of Figaro, and Ezekiel Cheever in The Crucible and soloed with the Hendersonville Symphony Orchestra, Asheville Choral Society, and Midday Musicals.

 Roberto Flores – Baritone.  Roberto, a newcomer to Asheville, has years of performance experience, performing Musical Theatre and Opera in Florida, New Jersey and Virginia. Roberto has sung the roles of Masetto in Don Giovanni, Baron Duphol in La Traviata, Cascada in The Merry Widow, and Balthazar in Amahl and the Night Visitors for the Asheville Lyric Opera. Roberto currently sings with the Chancel Choir at Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church of North Asheville. Flores has studied with the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, Germany, and holds a Bachelor’s degree from James Madison University in Virginia. He has enjoyed work as a speaker, vocal clinician, percussionist and the producer of two independent CD projects. Roberto thoroughly enjoys knitting, and vacuuming.

  Ken Wilson – Bass.  Ken is an Applications Programmer in the Office of Institutional Research at UNC-Asheville.  He holds a BA in music from Mars Hill College, has served as musical director for SART and the Buncombe County Summer Children’s Theatre, and currently sings with the Trinity Episcopal Church Choir.