Selma native Valerie Reese Harris serves as Grand Marshall for Christmas parade

Selma native Valerie Reese Harris returned to the Queen City to serve as Grand Marshall of the annual Christmas parade on Saturday.

Harris is the second of five children of Civil Rights activist and Pastor Frederick D. & Alline C. Reese and now lives in Trussville.

Harris pursued higher education and excelled as a classical pianist at the prestigious University of Montevallo, where she was quickly recognized and was offered an accompanist position after graduation.  Increasing lineages of musical partnerships have been formed in the area of instruction and accompaniment with the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, Tuskegee University, Alabama A & M University, Birmingham-Southern College, University of Alabama at Birmingham and a host of other professional music forums.  Valerie has also worked with renowned arranger and conductor Henry Panion III by serving as Choral director for many projects that he has authored. In April 2017, Valerie partnered with composer Stacey V. Gibbs and that alliance produced a composition that had its world premiere at Carnegie Hall in NY of which she was the featured pianist.  Most recently, Valerie was the Choral Director for The World Games  2022 which was held in Birmingham.

After serving many years in the music arenas, Valerie made the decision to further her education by attending Liberty University and receiving the Master of Arts with Distinction in Music and Worship.  Having served in churches for many years, Valerie is now bringing her expertise to academia by serving as Director of Choirs at Miles College. Since her tenure, Miles has embarked on historic moments by being chosen from choirs across the state to sing at the Professional Conference of the Alabama Music Educators Association in January 2019 and 2023, performing at the ACDA Southern Regional Collegiate Festival 2019 and 2022, the Alabama Bicentennial Celebration and the Choir that performed in the award winning Dreams of Hope documentary which was premiered on Public Broadcasting Service(PBS) and has won numerous awards throughout the world.

Her passion, though, has been the 30 years spent cultivating the Body of Christ in Intimacy and a Worship Lifestyle to the Lord.  Her distinct sound and teaching methods became evident & appealing to record labels and several employed her services in the area of Choir Vocalization/Band Direction for Recordings. Requests poured in for her from Judy Jacobs, Juanita Bynum & Jonathan Butler, Joseph Garlington, Joe Pace and a host of Contemporary Christian music artists.  Few musicians have the ability to cross genres with such ease but even fewer are able to maintain a place in Classical, Gospel & Contemporary Christian music successfully.

 As an ordained Elder and affectionately declared “The Pastor of Worship” by Bishop, Dr. Mark Chironna of Church on the Living Edge, Valerie is also a woman of the word of God.  Valerie has been given an even wider assignment to minister the preached word of the Lord as well as sing.  Her ministerial commission is overseen by a Board of Apostolic Ecclesia including Bishop Joseph Garlington and Apostle John Stevenson. She travels to South Africa and also within the United States sounding a trumpet in Zion that, “There is a shift and a new sound being birthed.  Just Listen!” 

Her business, Levitical Vessels, Inc., is a prolific tool being utilized to cultivate spirituality and promote musical excellence. Whether through providing administrative, musical or lifestyle training, Valerie utilizes years of academic knowledge and spiritual revelation to develop musicians, vocalists and Fine Art departments into “Kingdom Quality Levites.” Her mission is to move the nations to its knees in total surrender to God in adoration, creating devotion and intimacy like never before.  

Valerie is married to Ed Harris and they reside in Trussville.