Bowie Senior Center

Craig Leland Sparks, Artistic Director of the Bowie Senior Chorale, is a talented composer, vocalist, pianist, and conductor.  He is the Director of Music at Ark and Dove Presbyterian Church and Program Director for the Ark and Dove School of Music. He composes choral music, and has had his works performed by the Baltimore Choral Arts Society, Towson University Chamber Singers, Towson University Chorale, and the New Dimension Singers. 

 Mr. Sparks holds a B.M. from Towson University and an M.A. from the University of Pittsburgh, both in composition/theory. He privately studied voice for 8 years and piano for 15 years.  For the past 4 years, he has studied yoga, incorporating the principles of alignment, body-awareness, and breathing into his musical education.  Recently, he co-founded Yoga di Musica, developing curriculum and presenting seminars that demonstrate the benefits of Yoga for musicians.

 Despite his years of training, Mr. Sparks is still deeply in touch with his musical roots.  His musical career began at the age of 2 when he began performing for his family on the fireplace hearth in the living room.  He grew up with music always around him, from the family’s Christmas Sing-a-Longs to church and school choirs.  This constant presence of music in his community has inspired him to adopt the African saying, “If you can walk you can dance, if you can talk you can sing.”  For Craig, music is an everyday affair for everyone to participate in.  It is this joy, passion, and love which he instills in all his musical endeavors. 

The following article appeared in the February 27, 2005
Washington Post.