Jay Wilcox was encouraged by Sir David Willcocks to make the transition from tenor to countertenor.  He was a lay clerk and countertenor soloist with the Washington Cathedral Choir of Men and Boys for four years, and a member of the Washington Bach Consort for fourteen seasons, including their tour of Germany in 2000.  In 1994, he became the first countertenor to sing the alto solos in the annual Messiah sing-along at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts; he was a free-lance soloist on the East Coast for a number of years.  Jay currently serves as the Director of Music at the Church of the Epiphany in Oak Park, having served in similar positions in Northern Virginia prior to his move to California in 2014.  His Christmas anthem, Welcome all Wonders, and a motet, O sacrum convivium, are published by Paraclete Press, and he has two Advent anthems forthcoming.  He is delighted to be singing with Areté.