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Katherine Price
Katherine Menefee Price, in addition to being a highly accomplished flutist with solo and concert credits at major New York venues, is also a skilled and experienced collaborative pianist. She began to study piano when she was five years old, flute at age ten, and in high school was active as a pianist and flutist, and accompanist for choirs.
Educated at Stetson University, the Brevard Music Center, the Juilliard School,and the Dalcroze School of Music, Ms. Price has had many accompanying opportunities. These included playing for flute juries during her years at Juilliard, Music Director for the Triangle Theatre Company in Durham, NC; accompanist for the 92nd Street YMHA Professional Children's Theater Company; choral accompanying at schools in Long Beach, NY; Blair Academy, and the Kent Place School in NJ, and extensive experience as a pianist and flutist for instrumental and chamber music recitals. She also worked on the artistic and administrative staff of the NJ Youth Symphony, and the NJ Youth Orchestra.
Ms. Price is the pianist, choir director, and Director of Music at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Hendersonville, the pianist for the Carolina Concert Choir, and maintains a private teaching studio.
Vicki Benavides
I am a northerner by birth but a southerner in my heart. My family spent their annual summer vacations in Bat Cave beginning before I was even a year old. When I married my husband, Daniel, 33 years ago, we spent our honeymoon in our family’s cabin on the mountain side in Bat Cave and loved it so much we moved there less than a year later.
Children have always held a special place in my world. My first job was as a babysitter and in college I worked as a nanny for a professor’s family. I studied Interior Design and Textiles at Michigan State University and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Textiles. After trying my hand at retailing for a few years, I realized that the work was not personal enough for me.
It took several long years for our children to come in to our lives. And as each year passed with no babies, children became more and more important to me. We were blessed with twin boys 24 years ago. Both have completed their undergraduate studies, one is a teacher and the other is a geology grad student.
I found my bliss when I began working with children in a local after school program and later as I worked with the boys in scouting. When we joined the UU Fellowship of Hendersonville, I knew that I had found my spiritual home. I was pleased to be offered the position of Director of Religious Education in 1997 and accepted happily. My work here has truly changed my life. I see things differently. I am clearer about what I believe, value, and what matters most to me. I feel that we give the children and youth of this congregation a gift. We give them the gift of welcome and acceptance.
Laura Jump
Greetings!
I consider myself very fortunate to be serving in a support capacity for the UU Fellowship of Hendersonville. A liberal religious outlook has been always been central to my personal growth and development as a human being. One of my life goals is to integrate and expand my understanding of spiritual principles within a day-to-day context. My job at UUFH gives me the opportunity to work on that goal while working with a group of diverse but like-minded individuals. It challenges me to communicate clearly and organize information so it is user-friendly. In so doing, I hope my work better facilitates the UU Fellowship mission and congregational life.
When possible, I like to envision the work of the Fellowship as a cooperative matrix of activities and intentions in which goals are set and progress is made. When there are “breathing places” in our yearly schedule, I enjoy trying to track the goals and progress so that we have a map of where we’ve been and where we’re going. There are many gifted volunteer leaders and staff contributing to that process. Together, we create a timeline for the pathways of change, growth and community.
Though my college years were cut short, I have always found significant teachers appearing in my path – exactly when needed! Learning never stops. I was privileged to provide office support in previous work experience while serving as Administrator for a UCC (United Church of Christ, Congregational) church for 12 years. Music is a favorite area of interest, a key creative outlet and the focus of much of my training. As a musician, I have served as a soloist, choir director, writer (of musicals and concert productions) and composer at various times through my life. Growing up in a family of musicians probably rubbed off just a bit!
My three adult children and my grandson are people I feel honored to know. My husband and I and our three cats love living in Hendersonville. We look forward to many more years in this community.
