The Bloomfield Presbyterian Church on the Green has hired a new music director. His name is Jesse Gray and he started at the church in the fall.<\/p>\n
Born in Connecticut, Gray attended Andrews University, in Berrien Springs, Mich. He has two bachelor of science degrees, one in music and one in biochemistry.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo be honest, I don\u2019t do that much chemistry anymore,\u201d he said at the church last week. \u201cI currently work for a start-up company and the church fulfills my music side,\u201d<\/p>\n
The start-up, he said, is called Metal Light. It is located in Newark and is focused on battery technology. At Metal Light he is the chief operating officer.<\/p>\n
\u201cI handle a lot of different things,\u201d he said, \u201cfrom technology to operations. It\u2019s a very small team.\u201d<\/p>\n
He previously worked, for four years, as a music director in South Bend, Ind., at Memorial Presbyterian. The church has since closed. He was employed there with his sister, Rachel, who plays the cello and piano. Gray plays the viola, piano and organ.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy parents are not musicians,\u201d he said, \u201cbut they wanted us to pursue music and enrolled us into lessons at the age of four. They saw that music could open up opportunities education-wise and socially, and we could use our talents in the church. Even at an early age, we were playing in churches.\u201d<\/p>\n
His sister now lives in Nashville, closer to their parents who live in southern Tenn., in Fayetteville, about 15 minutes from Ala. She is in marketing for an AI tech company and teaches piano at a community school, but is planning a trip to Bloomfield. When she does come, Gray said it will be like the \u201cold days.\u201d<\/p>\n
As music director, he will organize the music to be heard on Sunday. He is also the choir director, with Thursday night rehearsals, and is in charge of the Glockenspiel Kids. These are children who will play the percussive instrument on church holidays. The choir typically sings an anthem which is a music selection that fits the theme for a Sunday. The theme is chosen by the pastor, the Rev. Ruth Boling. Gray will select an appropriate composition from the church\u2019s extensive library.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am not a composer, but I do like organizing music,\u201d he said, adding that could mean changing the order of the melody or adding a melody or harmony. \u201cAlmost everything I play is really more of a style. I wouldn\u2019t call it an arrangement. I have a style that blends with a lot of different things I\u2019ve heard \u2014 a blend of classical, jazz and gospel, which doesn\u2019t make sense.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nonetheless, he said his music tries to convey a spiritual message.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a form of communication you can\u2019t express with words,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s what I\u2019m trying to get across. I don\u2019t think that\u2019s true for all musicians. They don\u2019t interpret the music. They just play what\u2019s on the page.\u201d<\/p>\n
People, he said, react in two different ways to his music. Some may think, oh, that\u2019s different. But others listen to it and contemplate what they heard and may ask themselves, what\u2019s the message of this music?<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s what I\u2019m trying to get to,\u201d Gray said. \u201cThere\u2019s two parts to that. One part is what I\u2019m trying to relay. But that\u2019s my own experience. The other part is what the words mean to the listener. People hear it and contemplate their past and their memories. That\u2019s something out of my control.\u201d
He would like to see more community engagement in the church in the form of recitals and plays \u2014entertainment.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a great space here,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you have a talent you\u2019d like to demonstrate please reach out to me.<\/p>\n
Gray can be contacted at: jmichael1050@gmail.com.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1714ba25eff104739b34c4f2a2d4af96f9a1a3424ad69e753bcd3258ba08949e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\")