Dear Friends,
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Dr. Jason Roberts |
I write to let you know that Dr. Jason Roberts has accepted a call to be Director of Music for
Church of the Blessed Sacrament Roman Catholic Church,
on Manhattan's Upper West Side, beginning in January.
Though this is bittersweet news for us at St. Bart's, this call is a clear affirmation of Jason's considerable talent, offering a significant increase in responsibilities and opportunities for continued professional growth.
We welcomed Jason to St. Bart's in May, 2014 as Associate Director of Music and Director of the Boy and Girl Choristers. We knew Jason was a talented organist and a personable, seasoned director of choristers. What we also quickly learned was how extraordinarily gifted he is at improvisation. Jason's abilities have enriched our worship wonderfully, with his improvisations during liturgies often received with delight. Jason's improvised accompaniments to silent films here at St. Bart's (offered through the Mid-Manhattan Performing Arts Foundation) have been wildly successful and great fun.
Under Jason's leadership, and with the dedicated efforts of chorister parents and other supporters, St. Bartholomew's Boy and Girl Choristers made a pilgrimage in August, 2018 to England, where they were in residence for a week at Exeter Cathedral, offering and growing in their own choral leadership. Jason has been instrumental in initiating St. Bart's current series of Chorister-led Choral Evensong services.
Bishop Dean Wolfe says, "We take pride in Jason and his many accomplishments at St. Bart's. He is an exceptional instrumentalist and improvisationalist and we wish him continued success as he moves on to lead a significant church music program in Manhattan."
For the near term, the Choristers will be directed by Dr. Kathleen Hayes, who has served as Assistant Director of the Choristers since the start of the program. Kathleen led in the interim period before Jason's calling, she travelled with the Choristers to Exeter this summer, and she is well-known to us also as a member of St. Bartholomew's Choir.
Happily, Jason will be with us at St. Bart's through Christmas. We'll celebrate Jason's ministry with us on
Sunday, December 16 during services and with a festive coffee hour following the 11am service that day. I hope you can join us.
Please join me in congratulating Jason on his new call, thanking him for his ministry at St. Bart's, and sending him forth with our love and very best wishes.
