Marilyn Perkins Biery

Biography

Marilyn Perkins Biery is an organist, conductor, composer, hymn writer, and keyboard acquisitions editor for Augsburg Fortress of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Her hymn texts, choral works, and organ compositions are published by GIA, MorningStar, Augsburg Fortress, and Concordia. She has served as interim music director for several downtown Detroit churches, including Fort Street Presbyterian Church. Before moving to Michigan with her husband, James Biery, in 2010, Marilyn was Associate Director of Music at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul, Minnesota. The Bierys also lived in Connecticut, where Marilyn was Director of Music Ministries at First Church of Christ (Center Church) in downtown Hartford.

Marilyn holds Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in organ performance from Northwestern University—she entered the doctoral program in choral conducting at the University of Connecticut before moving to Minnesota, and she finished her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in organ performance from the University of Minnesota. Her organ performances have been broadcast numerous times over Pipedreams. She and Jim live in Grosse Pointe Farms—Jim is Minister of Music and Organist at Grosse Pointe Memorial Church. Marilyn is currently serving as the Bridge Director of Music Ministry at Kirk in the Hills in Bloomfield Hills, MI. Their daughter, Laura, is a litigation attorney at Honigman in Detroit.