Rauch to play noon recital on restored organ

JOHNSTOWN ― Kim Rauch, who founded the Tuesday Noon Recital Series 35 years ago, will return this Tuesday with a program on the restored 1922 Skinner organ at First Lutheran Church, 415 Vine St., Johnstown.

His program comprises music from the Renaissance through the 21 ^st century. A light lunch will follow the recital. There is no charge, thanks to donations and a grant from the Pennsylvania Rural Arts Alliance of funds from the 1889 Foundation.

Rauch will play works by Bach, William Byrd and the Swiss composer Gael Laerdon. Also on tap are an energetic toccata on "In the Cross of Christ I Glory" and a modern arrangement of the spiritual "Go Down, Moses." Rauch, now minister of music at First Lutheran, devotes much of his time to promoting the city’s arts organizations.

More: Appalachia songs in next Tuesday noon recital

“Music and all the arts are what make our lives better,” he said. “The arts make us an expressive people, a civilized people, a sensitive people.”

Rauch is the program director of the Grand Halle, a venue for concerts and receptions. He directs the Greater Johnstown Community Chorus. Rauch was founder of the Johnstown Symphony’s youth chorus, "Inclined to Sing." For 22 years, he taught music in the Richland School District. Rauch is an adjunct professor at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown. He has conducted church, community, school, college and festival choirs and has degrees in music education from Pennsylvania State University and in church music from the Westminster Choir College. While working on a doctorate at Pitt, Rauch conducted the university’s men’s glee club and played the organ at Heinz Chapel.

This article originally appeared on The Daily American: Rauch to play noon recital on restored organ