Meet the Members

Guild Administrative Officer

HonFGGRM, FRSA, FGMS, FFSC, AFNCollM, MCertNMSM 

Owen is a keen classical musician and enjoys playing the piano and singing. Previously a Chorister at St. James Church in New Malden under Mr Jason Edge and Senior Chorister at St. Luke’s Church Kingston upon Thames, Owen has sung with the Thames Youth Choir, London Youth Choir and has been Musical Director for Brooklands Collegiate Choir and Musical Director for Sanctus Community Choir. Owen has also recorded with the BBC and been broadcasted live for services with cathedrals in London. Other recordings include CD recording with the National Youth Choir of Great Britain.

Owen is currently a member of the London Philharmonic Choir, with whom he records at the Abbey Road Studios and works alongside the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

Some of the many exciting places Owen has performed at include Westminster Abbey, Ely Cathedral, St Paul’s Cathedral, The Royal Albert Hall, Queens College Oxford, Glastonbury music festival, the National Theatre, the Rose Theatre, the Wigmore Concert Hall and he has been on tours to Spain, France and the UK. Furthermore our Master has had the wonderful opportunity to have worked and sung for John Rutter CBE, Gareth Malone OBE, Suzi Digby OBE, The Rolling Stones, Ralph Allwood MBE and many more. 

In 2015-2016 Owen directed The London Octet, at the Royal Academy of Music in London, with members from Royal Holloway Girls Choir, Kings College Choir London, Cambridge, Genesis Sixteen and NYCGB. Having been a Choirmaster since the age of 17, Owen was one of the UK’s Youngest Musical Director whilst still studying at college. Through directing he has had lots of experience in managing people, concerts and other events.

In his work life Owen teaches at Kingston & St. George's University of London in the Faculty of Health, Social Care & Education, Department of Social Work on both BA and Masters courses. 

Owen has been awarded the RSCM Silver Bishop's Award medal at it's highest grade- Highly Commended.  Owen is a Fellow of The Royal Society of Arts, The Guild of Musicians and Singers and the Fraternity of Saint Cecilia, he is also an Associate Fellow of the National College of Music and Arts and a Member of the North and Midlands School of Music.

The Rev. Dr. Lawrence F. Gabriel Keiser II

President of the Guild

HonFGGRM

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Rev. Dr. Lawrence F. Gabriel Keiser II serves as the Associate Pastor and Director of Music & Theatre Ministry and Administrator at MCC of the Spirit in Harrisburg, PA. Dr. Keiser has studied and served in music positions in Philadelphia, New Jersey, New York, Texas, Massachusetts, and North Carolina, as well as in the greater Harrisburg area. As a pastor, vocalist, pianist and conductor, he is committed to serving the local church and LGBT community, of which he is proudly a part, by facilitating corporate worship that is Christ-exalting and transformational, and which displays the unity of the Spirit and the love of Christ for all, regardless of their orientation and sexual identity.

Rev. Lawrence has received multiple undergrad and graduate degrees in music and religion including from the London College of Music, United Kingdom where he graduated with honours, the Academy of Music & Sound, and coursework through Berklee College of Music. Dr. Keiser has been active as a musician for 36 + years and has been serving as a church musician and teaching music for over 22 years. He has served in a wide variety of Christian denominations as Organist, Choir Director, Conductor, Minister of Music, Soloist, etc. Dr. Keiser has received several awards and honors for his work in music and theater. He has been the guest conductor and Tenor soloist for a variety of ensembles and has been music director for numerous musicals in both the sacred and the secular field. Rev. Keiser has trained extensively through multidenominational work and is a member of the Mayor’s Interfaith Advisory Council for the city of Harrisburg. Dr. Keiser is a proud member of the American Choral Directors Association, has been inducted to and received the honor of Fellow from the Guild of Musicians & Singers in the United Kingdom, and Honorable Fellow from the Guild of Gay Religious Musicians.

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Some highlights of his career include being the Tenor soloist for the premier of the Theodore Presser Foundation Award Concert, Calling Out In Joy, Crying Out In Sadness; Music Director and Consultant for Camden County College Theater Department; Conducting Vivaldi’s Gloria Mass, John Rutter’s Gloria, the Christmas Section of Handle’s Messiah, Benjamin Britten’s A Ceremony of Carols, and Daniel Pinkham’s Christmas Cantata; Music Director for Scrooge, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Yard Sale, The Secret Garden & served as the musical consultant for Rag Time, just to name a few. At the age of 17 Dr. Keiser was a guest conductor of the United States Air Force Presidential Choir, The Singing Sergeants. He also won awards for his roles as, Nicely Nicely Johnson in Guys & Dolls and as Vernon Heins in The Pajama Game. He also was the recipient of the National School Choral Directors Award.

Tim Harvey

HonFGGRM
Tim started learning the piano from the age of 9 and continued his studies at Christchurch Cathedral Choir School in Oxford. He studied the organ under David Reynolds and Ursula Dommett and received vocal coaching from Jean Austin-Dobson and completed his studies at Kingston University.

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In his working life Tim has been a Teacher, Head Teacher, Education Consultant, Bus Station Supervisor and now runs his own property management business in Cheshire. He is currently Director of Music at Wilmslow Parish and sings with the choir of St. Peter's Prestbury. Tim lives in Macclesfield in Chester. 

The Rev. Dr. James J. Olson

AS, BS, M.Div, S.T.M., D.Min, OCC, HonFGGRM 
Jim Olson is a life-long church musician, having joined the Children's Choir at First
Congregational Church in Randolph, MA at the tender age of 5. He has sung in
numerous church, primary- and secondary-school, college, amateur, community and
semi-professional choirs. He has inflicted his directing on choirs in Minneapolis and
Connecticut. He currently sings with the DePaul Community Choir, in Chicago. He has
studied voice and organ privately with a number of teachers. He is also an amateur
trombone player, and an enthusiastic, but terrible organist.

Professionally, Dr. Olson has served as a United Church of Christ pastor since 1999.
He has served pastorates in Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Illinois. He was
the Director of Liturgy and Worship at Marsh Chapel at Boston University for several
years. He has taught at the Boston University School of Theology, and in the UCC lay-
training schools in Vermont, Connecticut and Illinois. His doctoral work is in liberal
contemporary American funeral practices, and why those practices are terrible.
Currently, Dr. Olson is on leave-of-absence from the UCC, while he pursues Holy
Orders in the Episcopal Church, USA. He lives in Chicago with his husband, the Rev.
Darrick D. Jackson, two very spoiled rescued cats, and shelves full of dusty old books
and music.

Fredrick Bahr 

Guild Organ Specialist

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BMus, CAIO, HonFGGRM, HonFGGRM
Fredrick began playing services when he was thirteen, and has been actively involved in church music
ever since. He is currently Organist of Emmanuel Memorial Episcopal Church in Champaign, Illinois. His
music ministry has spanned a wide range of denominations and worship styles from Seventh-day
Adventist to Roman Catholic, with many variations in between. An active member of the American Guild
of Organists, he has reached out to the larger music community through programs of “Pedals, Pipes &
Pizza,” “Pipe Organ Encounters” and “Pipe Organ Encounters, Technical.” He has performed recitals
across the United States.

A full-time organbuilder, Fredrick has played a significant role in the creation of more than 60 new pipe
organs, and has been involved in the restoration, tuning and maintenance of instruments from a variety
of eras and styles. He is currently Tonal Director for Buzard Pipe Organs in Champaign, Illinois. A
longtime member of the American Institute of Organbuilders, Fredrick has served that organization in
many capacities, including President. He has lectured and demonstrated organs at several national
conventions, and has participated behind the scenes in shaping the general direction of the industry.
At this point in his career, Fredrick has become passionate about encouraging younger people who are
interested in church music or organbuilding as a career. With his personal motto of “Building bridges
and opening doors,” he pays special attention to those who may be marginalized because of their
gender, orientation or cultural heritage.