Greensburg man to introduce new organ at 150th celebration of Connellsville church

A Greensburg man will debut a new organ at a Connellsville church next month as part of the parish’s 150th anniversary celebration.

J. Christopher Pardini, director of music and liturgy at Blessed Sacrament Cathedral in Greensburg and cathedral organist for the Diocese of Greensburg, will perform a recital on the new three-manual Walker organ at the Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church Nov. 17.

Pardini previously worked as the organist and director of music at Shadyside Presbyterian Church and as a senior organist at the Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove, Calif. As an active composer of liturgical music, he has pieces published by G.I.A. Publications in Chicago, Ill.; Fred Bock Music, which represents gospel composers; and MorningStar Music, a non-denominational publishing house based in St. Louis, Mo.

The New Jersey native’s music recently was featured during an organ concert series at Greensburg’s First Presbyterian Church. Performed by John Salveson and Jeffrey Patry in February on the church’s recently renovated Austin pipe organ, Pardini was included with Pennsylvania composers James Callahan, John Weaver and Gordon Balch Nevins, who was organist at First Presbyterian Church a century ago. Composers from Minnesota also were featured during the concert.

This is not the first time Pardini introduced a new organ at a local church. At Blessed Sacrament Cathedral in Greensburg in 2017, Pardini introduced a 1972 Moeller organ that was renovated for $230,000. During a blessing service, Pardini played classics including Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, among others.

The Connellsville event starts at 3 p.m. The Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church is located at 148 East Crawford Ave.