Barker church hosting free organ concert for community on Saturday

Aaron Grabowski will be featured performer at Faith United Methodist Church

Photos by Ginny Kropf: Organist Aaron Grabowski of Medina plays a few selections on the organ at Faith United Methodist Church in Barker, where he will perform a free concert for the community on Saturday. The church’s pastor is the Rev. Tom Gardner of Knowlesville.

BARKER – An organ concert for the community will be a first for Faith United Methodist Church.

The concert, featuring Medina organist Aaron Grabowski, is scheduled at 7 p.m. Saturday (Sept. 13) at the church, 1449 Quaker Rd.

Sunday afternoon, the Rev. Tom Gardner of Knowlesville met with Grabowski; Jim Hoffman, a member of the board since 1970; Jim Trinder, church organist who joined Faith United Methodist Church when they merged with Somerset in 1970; and the Rev. Allyn Foster, the church’s original pastor.

The Rev. Gardner said the concert is a gift to the community and celebrates the fact some much needed repairs have been done to their historic organ to keep it in good maintenance and reliable.

A gifted organist and builder of organs for Parsons Organ Company of Canandaigua, Grabowski said he was humbled when the Rev. Gardner asked him to perform. Grabowski had only officially resumed his performance career at a concert in 2024 at his home parish of St. Mary’s in Medina. An accomplished musician and organ restorer, Grabowski also did a soft start to his career in July 2024 at Old Fort Niagara during their annual French and Indian War Encampment.

Grabowski’s program on Saturday will be relatively eclectic – everything from German Baroque to French Romantic, he said.

“It will show off the organ and demonstrate its tonal color,” he said. “I’m used to playing on a large instrument and having a lot of tonal colors at my disposal. Here, I wind up being very careful to pick the appropriate tonal colors. Every piece I play will feature some aspect of the organ here.”

Grabowski said in spite of the organ’s size, it has good tonal selection and is perfect for church worship.

Faith United Methodist Church’s organ was originally purchased from the David Marr Organ Company of Warsaw for the Somerset Union Methodist Church. The organ was used at the Somerset church until the last service there in the summer of 1969. Then it was rebuilt and installed at Faith United Methodist Church, a complicated and costly task, according to church records.

The Rev. Foster had written a very informative letter illustrating his involvement in the design and construction of the organ. He is, himself, an organist and his expert input helped to create this outstanding organ.

Gathered to discuss an upcoming community organ concert on Saturday at Faith United Methodist Church in Barker are from left, the Rev. Allyn Foster, also an organist and first pastor of the church; Jim Hoffman, an original board member; the Rev. Tom Gardner of Knowlesville; Jim Trinder, current church organist; and guest organist Aaron Grabowski. Standing is Trinder’s wife Pat.

In recent years, repairs have been made and with completion of significant jobs, the focus is on careful and detailed tunings. A complete tuning is scheduled the day before Grabowski’s concert.

The Rev. Foster, who was involved in the designing of Faith United Methodist Church, said part of the construction was to make sure there was space for the organ to “speak.”

The Rev. Gardner said when he came in the summer of 2024, he heard this church had a strong musical history, with a choir, bell choir and organ.

Grabowski’s performance will include selections by Bach/Vivaldi, Leon Boellmann, Louis-Nicolas Cierambault, Gaspard Conette, Jean-Adam Guillain, Charles-Marie Widor and Claude Balbastre.

Admission is free, however, a free-will offering will be received.