Organist performs noontime Lenten recital March 7 at Barrington church

The Presbyterian Church of Barrington, 6 Brinker Road, will host a Lenten Organ Recital at 12:10 p.m. Thursday, March 7.

The organist is Richard Leasure and this is the seventh recital being offered this year in memory of Phyllis A. Lange-Connelly who started this annual Lenten Recital series 19 years ago.

Wonderful music, Lenten reflection, and interfaith fellowship are all hallmarks of the Phyllis A. Lange-Connelly Memorial Lenten Recital series. Eleven area churches sponsor these recitals. Everyone is invited to listen, reflect, and enjoy music presented by outstanding musicians.

Following the 40-minute program will be a time of fellowship and hospitality and a chance to meet Richard.

Phyllis invited Richard to play recitals in the series previously. In 2011, he played a recital at the First Congregational Church in West Dundee. This year he was asked by the recital committee to offer a recital at the church where he plays, Barrington Presbyterian Church. The church has a very fine M.P. 1968 Möller pipe organ. The organ has been enlarged and improved over the last 40 years. The present organ consists of 2-61 note manual keyboards, a 32-note pedal keyboard, 23 ranks (sets) of pipes, 34 stops (tonal colors) and a total of 1159 pipes.

Richard Leasure began his duties as organist at the Presbyterian Church of Barrington in September of 2007. Immediately prior to this position, he served for six years as organist and assistant director of music at Trinity United Methodist Church in Mount Prospect. Richard received his undergraduate degree in Church Music and Organ from Westminster College, New Wilmington, Pennsylvania, where he was an organ student of Raymond Ocock. He also holds a Master of Music degree in Church Music from Northwestern University where he studied organ with Wolfgang Rubsam. During the past 30 years, he has served as organist / director at churches in Chicago and the northwestern suburbs, as well as guest organist for 25 churches in the Chicago area. Richard is a member of the Fox Valley chapter of the American Guild of Organists and is employed as a manager in the computer department of the American Agricultural Insurance Company in Schaumburg.