Garletts to perform on organ at St. Paul’s
Gary P. Garletts will return to Uniontown to present an organ recital at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 20 at St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church. The recital is open to the public, and a free-will offering will be accepted.
On the program will be a number of hymn preludes in addition to best-loved organ classic. The recital will be performed on St. Paul’s 22-rank, two-manual Schantz pipe organ.
Garletts has worked as a professional musician for more than 25 years. Active as an organist, conductor, accompanist, teacher and administrator, he is director of music and organist at Ardmore Presbyterian Church near Philadelphia, artistic director of the Chester County Choral Society and staff accompanist at West Chester University.
A native of Fayette County, he served Trinity United Presbyterian Church in Uniontown as director of music/organist for 11 years. He also did extensive studio teaching and directed the Greater Uniontown Chorale for four years.
Garletts earned a bachelor of music degree at Oberlin College and a master’s degree at Duquesne University, where he studied organ with Haskell Thomson and Ann Labounsky.
An associated of the American Guild of Organists, he has served the guild in various capacities, including coordinator for the Philadelphia Regional Exams Center and co-director of a “Pipe Organ Encounter,” a music camp for teenagers.
Garletts plays recitals periodically in the northeastern states. Recent venues have included Millersville University of Pennsylvania, Trinity Church in Boston, Bruton Parish Church in Williamsburg, Doylestown Presbyterian Church, St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Wilkes-Barre and First Presbyterian Church in Greensburg.
Earlier this year, he gave performances of Bach’s monumental cycle of chorale preludes, “Klavierubung III,” for the Lancaster Chapter of the AGO and at the Zion Lutheran Church in Indiana.
Garletts resides in Havertown with his wife, Twila, and 16-year-old son, Nathan.
A reception in the church social hall will follow the concert. St. Paul’s Lutheran is located at 71 N. Gallatin Ave., Uniontown. The church is handicapped accessible.