The Rev. Norm Freeman, Jr. earned Bachelor’s and Master’s of music degrees from the Juilliard School as well as his M.Div. from General Theological Seminary. After graduation he began a Jazz Vespers while curate at St. Paul’s in Riverside, CT. This led to New York Times press coverage of “Where Music and the Ministry Merge”, and Freeman has continued his career blending the special language of jazz with liturgy. He served as music director and spiritual advisor for the National Church’s “Music in Christ” project.

His musical career includes performances with the New York Philharmonic, Barbra Streisand, Jessye Norman and Kathleen Battle, and the New York Pops, as well as numerous Broadway shows. He served for eleven years as Percussion Dept. chair at Mannes College of Music, and has performed on four Grammy nominated projects.

Freeman’s service in TEC includes Episcopal Chaplain for the University of California at Santa Barbara, Vicar of St. Michael and All Angels in Isla Vista, CA. He is a former rector at St. George’s, Laguna Hills, and Artist in Residence at St. John’s Cathedral, Los Angeles, St. Alban’s at UCLA and St. James, Newport Beach.

Learn more at his website https://www.jazzministry.org/