About Martha Graber
Director Martha Coventry Graber is a native of Eureka, Illinois. Her father is a musician and directed high school choirs for 20 years as well as community and church choirs and musicals. Martha received her Bachelor of Music Education in voice from Illinois Wesleyan University and her Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting from the University of Minnesota, studying conducting with Dr. Thomas Lancaster and voice with Lawrence Weller and Emma Small. She has been a performing member of Thursday Musical and has been an active soloist in a variety of recitals and solo performances in the Twin Cities, including solo appearances with Minnetonka Choral Society, Oratorio Society, Macalester Festival Chorale and Minnesota Chorale. While she was raising daughters at home she directed the choir at Macalester Plymouth United Church while also free-lance singing. Ms. Graber is in her 18th year as the choir director at Central High School. She is a member of MENC and ACDA and served on the Cantus board of directors. She is married to Dale Graber, also a musician, and they have performed frequently together. For three years, they sang in Kantorei under the direction of Axel Theimer and both have sung for Minnesota Chorale under the direction of Kathy Romey. Their three daughters – Amelia Graber Jacobs, Rachel Graber, Rosalie Graber – have all been her students at Central. Currently the girls have formed a band called Spinster and are living, rehearsing and performing in the Chattanooga Tennessee area. (Over the holiday break Spinster performed at Can Can Wonderland in St. Paul to a crowd of friends and family). Martha and Dale are grandparents of their first grandson, Amos Tandy Jacobs, born June 24 this past summer.