Staff – Sara Burden-McClure

SARA BURDEN-MCCLURE

DIRECTOR OF MUSIC

A cradle Episcopalian originally from Havre de Grace, MD, Sara has been a professional church musician for 50 years, and has served churches in Maryland, Ohio, New Jersey and Texas as director of music. As an organ recitalist, she has concertized widely in the US and abroad. She may be best known as the Artistic Director of the renowned Austin Girls’ Choir, which she founded in 1990. Under her leadership, the group tours annually in the US or abroad, has sung at Carnegie Hall and the White House, and has been featured on BBC Radio and CNN. She leads choral workshops and camps, and occasionally serves as a clinician or festival choir director.  

Sara has a wide range of interests, with degrees in organ (Oberlin), communications (Indiana State) and hydrogeology (UT Austin). Beyond music, she’s been a television producer/director and radio personality, worked in public relations and advertising, and served as religion editor for the Austin American-Statesman. When time permits, she’s into photography, gardening, following F1 racing, and playwriting. And she LOVES bad puns!

Sara’s husband, Kevin McClure, is Director of Chapel Music and teaches at the Seminary of the Southwest. You won’t see him Sundays since he’s also Director of Music and Arts at Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church! Kevin and Sara are the proud parents of Ian, age 21, who marches euphonium and baritone with The Guardians Drum & Bugle Corps (DCI) and is in his junior year at Emerson College in Boston.

You can reach Sara at sara@saintrichards.org