Organist/Accompanist (Eagleville, PA)

Date Posted: 
July 30, 2022
Organization Name: 
Lower Providence Presbyterian Church
Contact Email: 
Salary Range: 
14,500-17,500
Job Description: 

Organist/Accompanist Job Description

The Organist/Accompanist position at LPPC is a part-time position. The position requires weekly playing in worship, including organ and piano accompaniment for hymns, praise songs, and choral/special music throughout the year. This collaborative artist role requires approximately 6-8 hours of in-person contact/playing hours, and about the same allotted in personal practice time, either on or offsite, for a total of 12-15 hours/week, with extra hours for special services/holidays that include Ash Wednesday, Holy Week services, Christmas Eve, etc. This position reports directly to the Choir & Worship Director.

About Lower Providence Presbyterian Church

LPPC is a congregation of the Presbyterian Church (USA) located in the greater Norristown, PA area. We are a congregation seeking to intentionally live into our newly revised mission and vision:
MISSION: We are an intergenerational church seeking Jesus together and shining His light from this hill.
VISION: We aspire to be Welcoming, Growing, and Serving. (a more detailed Vision statement can be found on our website homepage – www.lppcmin.org)

Our Sunday worship follows a traditional service outline, and we incorporate a variety of styles of music in our service. We aim to continue to expand the breadth of our musical offerings in worship. Our church is in a season of thoughtful change and growth, having recently adopted a new Mission & Vision for our future. We are excited about the possibilities this brings as move forward in our Vision together!

Primary responsibilities:

· Hymn/praise songs – lead from the organ/piano

· Planning & preparing preludes/postludes for weekly Sunday morning worship, in coordination with the Choir & Worship Director

· Accompanying choir rehearsals and Sunday anthems

· Working with occasional soloists for special music offerings

· Accompany occasional rehearsals for children’s/youth choirs as needed (approximately 3-4 times/year)

· Funeral and wedding services (first right of refusal)

· Bi-weekly meeting with Choir & Worship Director at mutually convenient time

Required Skills/Education:

· 2+ years relevant experience in a church setting (Bachelor’s Degree or higher in an area of music or equivalent skills)

· Excellent piano skills and ability to play the organ required, formal classical organ training highly desired

· Ability to read and play from chord charts

· Improvisational skills on organ/piano and ability to play/develop introductions and reharmonizations to hymns highly desired

· Willingness, flexibility, and ability to play various styles of music, from Bach to spirituals to jazz to modern praise songs is essential.

Desired Qualities:

· A collegial attitude/team player

· A strong desire/call to serve in a church setting

· Growth-minded, and able to foster that growth (not just in ensemble numbers, but spiritually as well)

· A basic understanding of Reformed/Presbyterian worship

Instruments:

Sanctuary Organ – 1937 MP Möller Company Opus 6555, two manuals, 34 registers, refurbished by Kerner & Merchant in the year 2000, with some funds designated for future expansion.

Sanctuary Piano – Kawai K-5 49” upright

The Organist/Accompanist will also have access to the historic 1850 Krauss pump organ, located at the nearby Old Norriton Presbyterian Church, which has one manual with 53 notes, five ranks, a 13 note pedal board, and 175 pipes. Historically, LPPC has hosted a holiday hymn sing at this location.

Compensation:

Salary range is $14,500-$17,500/yr, commensurate with skills and experience. Wedding and Funeral fees are paid directly to the Organist/Accompanist and are in addition to the position’s stated salary. This position offers 4 Sundays off per year. Interested candidates should submit a resume, cover letter, and a 3-5 minute video that highlights both the organ and keyboard skills of the Applicant to Mary Ann Rutkowski, Choir & Worship Director (mrutkowski@lppcmin.org). Applicants will be considered on a rolling basis as inquiries are received.