Welcome, Patrick Merrill

We welcome Patrick as Interim Director of Music and Technical Ministry. Patrick is a harpsichordist, pianist and organist on the faculty of music at both George Washington University and the Baltimore School of the Arts, as well as an alumnus currently pursuing a Doctorate in Musical Arts at the Peabody Institute. 

He brings extensive experience as a choral accompanist and church musician. Patrick served most recently as a summer substitute music director at Geneva Presbyterian Church in Rockville, as they developed their hybrid worship service. As we develop our own worship, Patrick also brings experience with videography, livestreaming, and audio mixing and editing.

Patrick is currently getting in touch with the choir’s section leaders and looks forward to meeting with the choir in the next few weeks. We hope you’ll share a warm Western welcome; you may contact him using his first name and @westernpresbyterian.org.

 A few other notes of interest:

• If Patrick seems familiar to you, it’s because he was our last substitute organist before we began Zoom worship in 2020!

• The interim director position is part-time and lasts for six months. If a permanent director has not been secured at the end of that time, the position may be renewed for up to another six months. Should the interim choose, he may submit his name as a candidate for the permanent position.

• Wondering how Patrick could manage the tech and live music at the same time in worship? We’ll continue to have a tech assistant serving on Sunday mornings, so that Patrick can be at a musical keyboard.

• At Western on Sunday mornings, Patrick will serve a few blocks away from his spouse, soprano Grace Srinavasan, cantor at St. Stephen Martyr Catholic Church.

• We expect that Patrick will be playing live on Sunday mornings!  If you are interested in getting to know his music better, check out his youtube channel.