Spotlight on Bruce Barber, Director of Cathedral Music

Bruce Barber, Director of Cathedral Music at St. James Cathedral, has been associated with Rush Hour since coming to the Cathedral in 2004. Part of the Cathedral's mission is to build a solid bridge between the Cathedral and the surrounding community through radical, outrageous hospitality, and Rush Hour Concerts serves as one of these bridges.

Although Bruce has been involved in both the building and running of major music programs (in both parish and cathedral) around the country, never had he encountered a series of concerts that took place in the summer, every week, during the busy time of rush hour! While he was truly amazed upon first hearing of Rush Hour Concerts, Bruce has been even more amazed with the series' growth just during the few short years he has been involved.

Bruce is responsible for overssing all of the music making requirements of both the Cathedral and the Diocese which include such things as conducting the Cathedral Choir, arranging the Cathedral Concert Series, and the Choral Services Series. He give recitals, both on solo organ and on organ and violin, with violinist Bernard Zinck, who has performed at Rush Hour numberous times. He also teaches private organ lessons, leads choral workshops, and performs with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra on occasion -- both making music and planning the making of music keeps him quite busy!

A chamber music lover at heart, the only thing that could keep Bruce from attending Rush Hour is “Vacation! And nothing else!”