Dr. Bryan Holten Joins Old Presbyterian Meeting House

Dr. Bryan Holten Joins Old Presbyterian Meeting House as Director of Music & Organist

Dr. Bryan Holten has joined the Old Presbyterian Meeting House in Old Town Alexandria as Director of Music & Organist.

After an extensive search, Dr. Bryan Holten was invited to join the staff of the Old Presbyterian Meeting House in August 2024. He has a Doctorate in Musical Arts as well as a Masters in Music from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. He has served many congregations, most recently Mount Olivet United Methodist Church in Arlington.

In accepting the call to join the Meeting House ministry, Dr. Holten shared, “Through my conversations with Rev. Dr. Shelly Wood and the search team, I learned about {the Meeting House's} passion for worship and liturgy, for choral music and hymnody. I have long felt that my greatest gifts center on those aspects of church life, and I am excited to serve a congregation for whom worship is so central to their identity.”

Bryan’s musical experience ranges from high church to folk, gospel, and jazz music. In addition to being an accomplished conductor and arranger, he is a well-trained tenor.

The Meeting House has a strong reputation for providing community music programs and is widely known by professional organists for its historic Erben organ as well as its world-renowned Lively-Fulcher organ. Bryan is looking forward to taking advantage of these gifts.

The Meeting House is alive with music! With a nod to Job in the Old Testament, “How can we keep from singing?”

Presbyterians trace their history to the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century. Today, the Presbyterian Church remains true to its early roots while being relevant to today’s world. The Old Presbyterian Meeting House is a theologically progressive Reformed Protestant congregation affiliated with the Presbyterian Church USA. All are welcome.

For more information, please visit https://opmh.org/.

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