Asbury to be featured in concert June 12

Former Putnam County resident Jason Asbury will perform on the J. Stanford Smith Concert Organ in Kresge Auditorium on Saturday, June 12 at 9:30 a.m.

The concert will feature Maggie McElwain Kemper '60 and Jason Asbury '95. The program will feature music by composers from South Africa, Nigeria and Mexico along with more traditional European and American composers.

The son of Norma and Allen Asbury, Jason Asbury '95 showed interest in music, particularly piano and organ, as a young child. He began regularly playing piano at the age of seven, and started taking organ lessons with Professor Carla Edwards at DePauw University during high school.

While attending South Putnam High School, he played piano and was drum major in the marching band. He was also active with the Putnam County Playhouse and the Putnam County Foundation, where he started the Asbury Endowment for the Arts of Putnam County.

In addition, Asbury served as organist for the First Christian Church and St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church in Greencastle.

He attended DePauw University and received his bachelor of music degree in organ performance from the School of Music in 1995. He also received a master of music degree from Westminster Choir College and a doctor of sacred music degree from the Graduate Theological Foundation.

Asbury is now an active concert organist, conductor and choral accompanist in the New York City metropolitan area. He is a member of the faculty at St. Ann's School in Brooklyn Heights, N.Y. and is also director of music at Prospect Presbyterian Church in Maplewood, N.J.

He recently debuted as a choral accompanist at Lincoln Center with the National Chorale at Avery Fischer Hall and has also performed with the American Boychoir, Westminster Choir College Schola Cantorum, the DePauw University Concert Choir, Rutgers University Concert Choir, Brooklyn Youth Chorus and the Children's Aid Society Chorus of New York City. Asbury is the co-founder and conductor of Voices in Harmony, a 150-member choral ensemble based in New Jersey. He received the Young Alumni Award in 2009 and is currently serving on the Alumni Association Board of Directors.