Mt. Zion’s musicians and choir members has always been at the top of AME churches in South Carolina. Since its establishment in 1882, it has always perpetuated a high standard of musical excellence. Mt. Zion stage has hosted some of America’s best black musicians from all genre of religious and secular music. Presently, research has been unsuccessful in determining the first organist/choirmaster from the 1882 congregation. Professor Johnny Moore was the second organist and is still remembered by many of Mt. Zion’s elderly members. Professor Moore taught at Avery and was a member of the Black Professional Music Society. The great musician/composer, Edmund T. Jenkins was also a member of this prestigious society. Miss. B. O. Knox from Sumter, South Carolina was the 3rd organist, with Saxton Wilson serving as choir director. Miss. Knox was said to have large feet and was a wonder of how she so eloquently executed the pedal pedagogy. The 4th organist was Mr. J. Michael Graves, with Moses Moultrie as choir director.
The choir still participates in many community events in the Southeast including the Piccolo Spoleto Festival of Churches doing an all Negro Spiritual Concert. In addition to their annual concerts, every other year the Choir performs the Dubois’ “Seven Last Words of Christ and at Christmas for their Candlelight Service they perform several selections from Handel’s Messiah. For the Mt. Zion family and other hymn lovers, the choir has recorded a CD entitle “Favorite Hymns of Zion.” During the year, the choir sponsors events such as organ concerts, solo vocalist concerts, and instrumental concerts.
Mr. Brown organized the Mt Zion Spiritual Singers which has been dubbed by Spoleto as their “Annual Premier Performance” for their renditions of the old unarranged Negro Spirituals in their production of “Camp Meeting.”