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OSA Staff
Pastor JOHN
BARRIE LAWLESS was born in Widnes (near Liverpool) in England. Most of his life spent in science education
in High Schools and, most recently, with post-graduates at Liverpool university. HIs "other love" of church music brought him
to Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus Ohio in 1998. The call to a Lutheran pastor came to him at the seminary studying
liturgy and theology, and the Bishop of the ELCA Lutheran Metropolitan New York invited him to the city in 2000. After
serving two parishes in Queens and being the SW Queens Dean, he moved to become the pastor of OSA in 2005.
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| Dr. Paul F. Mueller, Minister of Music |
Conductor PAUL F. MUELLER is a versatile musician
who has excelled in operatic, orchestral and choral repertoire. Recent European appearances include performances of Haydn’s
Theresienmesse in Vienna, Austria and Mozart’s Requiem
in London and Oxford
with the English Chamber Orchestra. Other engagements include performances of works by Brahms, Monteverdi, Mozart, Rossini
and Vivaldi in the Czech Republic, Italy, France,
Spain and Hungary. He has also appeared as guest conductor of the New Haven Symphony Orchestra’s
Holiday Pops and the New York Pops at Carnegie Hall. In addition, Mueller conducted the New
York City and New Haven, CT
premiere of Szymanowski’s Veni Creator, a performance which featured the choral and orchestral works of the Polish
composers Gorecki, Panufnik and Szymanowski.
The 2006-2007 season marks Maestro Mueller’s eleventh season
as Music Director of the Greenwich Choral Society. Recent performances with the Greenwich
ensemble include masterpieces by Britten, Beethoven, Handel, Mozart, Orff and Rossini. Paul is the former Music Director of
the New Haven Chorale and Chamber Singers and has also served as Music Director of the Blue Hill Troupe, a philanthropic organization
specializing in staged performances of works by Gilbert & Sullivan. Mueller’s work with the Troupe was featured
on a segment of CBS Sunday Morning.
In addition to the standard choral and orchestral repertoire,
Mueller has conducted performances of Barber of Seville, La Traviata, and La Bohéme. As an advocate of
new music, he has conducted numerous premieres in New York, Connecticut and Europe including the recent New England premiere of the Yizkor Requiem by Thomas Beveridge.
Currently, a Professor of Music in the Music Department at Hunter College in Manhattan
and Music Director at Our Saviour’s Atonement Church
in New York City, Paul has also taught at the Yale University Institute of Sacred Music, State
University of New York at Oswego and Hofstra
University. He is an accomplished organist, having earned an Artist’s Diploma
at the Hochschule für Musik in Vienna under the auspices of a Fulbright grant and holds master’s
and doctoral degrees in choral conducting from the Indiana University School of Music.
JIM MILLER
Sexton
Jim Miller
is a professional musician who teaches brass privately in Westchester county. Also, as a specialist in early music,
he is a section leader in the choir of the Immanuel Lutheran Church, where he is a section leader, plays cornetto most Sundays,
and is co-director of the children's choir. He married long-time OSA member and musician Holly Mentzer at a lovely ceremony
at OSA in 2005.
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| Joshua Schoenfelder, Building Administrator |
JOSHUA
SCHOENFELDER, the OSA Building Administrator, is a June 2008 graduate (summa cum
laude) from Augustana College in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Josh majored in Communications/Public Relations and minored in
Theatre. Taking full advantage of the opportunities open to him, in addition
to his studies he kept busy as an admissions ambassador, a student activities chairperson and he took part in several musical
productions, including Pirates of Penzance,
Honk! The Musical, A Chorus Line (Black Hills Playhouse), Augustana Viking Varieties and several musical revues.
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