The inaugural recital of a new pipe organ built by Leek Pipe Organ Company for St. Joseph Catholic Church in Strongsville, Ohio
On Sunday, November 17, 2019, the parish community of St. Joseph Catholic Church gathered to bless and celebrate their newly built pipe organ — a instrument crafted by Leek Pipe Organ Company. The evening combined liturgical solemnity with musical celebration, marking the beginning of a new chapter in the parish’s worship life.
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Event Details
- Event: Blessing & Inaugural Recital
- Date: Sunday, November 17, 2019
- Time: 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM
- Location: St. Joseph Catholic Church, 12700 Pearl Rd., Strongsville, OH 44136
- Presiding: Bishop of Cleveland The Most Reverend Nelson J. Pérez.
- Performers: Luke Massery, Director of Music & Organist, with members of the St. Joseph Music Ministry
The blessing was presided over by the Most Reverend Nelson J. Pérez, then Bishop of Cleveland, who led the parish community in consecrating the new instrument for worship. The recital that followed showcased the organ’s range and character through a program that paired the timeless structure of Bach with a more unexpected selection: transcriptions from Howard Shore’s score for The Lord of the Rings.
Leading the performance was Luke Massery, St. Joseph’s Director of Music & Organist, joined by members of the parish’s music ministry. The pairing of sacred classical repertoire with cinematic orchestral transcriptions gave the congregation a full sense of the organ’s versatility — from the intimate and prayerful to the sweeping and dramatic.
For Leek Pipe Organ Company, the evening represented the culmination of the build process: seeing — and hearing — the instrument fully at home in the space it was designed for, and in the hands of the musicians who will play it for years of worship and celebration to come.
