Music Director
I'm Beau Surratt and I serve as Music Director at St. Simon's where I direct the choir, play organ and piano for liturgies, cultivate congregational song, and assist the Rector in planning music and liturgy. In addition, my hope is to help St. Simon's discern how we might bless our community and the world with the music that is cultivated in this place.
Though I grew up in the Southern Baptist Church, my roots and home are the Episcopal Church, and I have served in Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, and Episcopal congregations across the Midwest and in the Southeast during my 25+ years as an organist and church musician. I earned my undergraduate degree in Theology and Religion,with additional studies in Church Music, from Elmhurst University, then went on to do graduate work in Liturgy, Theology, Scripture, and Non-profit management at Bexley-Seabury and Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminaries.
In addition to my work at St. Simon's I serve as a Community Association Manager at NS Management, based in Skokie, where I manage condo complexes on the north side of Chicago. My husband Steve and I live in Evanston with our young tuxedo cat Thor. When I'm not at work you're likely to find me listening to a podcast about fountain pens, engaging in the continual quest to find the best Carolina-style barbecue in the area, or planning our next trip to Walt Disney World.