Skinner Chávez-Melo › Hymnals

Skinner Chavez-Melo, an organist, conductor and composer who was music director at the St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church in Manhattan, died on Saturday at New York Downtown Hospital. He was 47 years old and lived in Manhattan.

He died of spinal cancer, said his brother, Juan Francisco.

Mr. Chavez-Melo was born in Mexico City, but completed his musical studies in the United States, receiving degrees at Eastern Nazarene College and the Union Theological Seminary, and pursuing further studies at the Juilliard School and the Manhattan School.

He toured internationally as an organist and conducted orchestras in Mexico, Brazil and the United States. As a composer, he wrote works for organ, choir and orchestra, and contributed hymn settings to several published hymnals, including those of the United Church of Christ and Yale University. He also lectured and presented workshops on Hispanic church music.

Besides directing music at St. Rose, Mr. Chavez-Melo conducted the annual Singing Christmas Tree concerts at the South Street Seaport.

http://www.nytimes.com/1992/01/28