What do you make of a church musician who hangs out with a guy named Sinbad?
Plenty, if you are the Bethel AME Church, which is thrilled to welcome saxophonist Brian Cunningham to Morristown on March 4 as its new musical director.
“He’s got a real passion for music and teaching. He sings, he directs choirs, and he’s young,” said Pastor Sidney Williams Jr., who has been searching for the right person to fill a vacancy that predates his arrival at the church more than a year ago.
The public is invited to hear Brian play at 4 pm Sunday at Bethel, on Spring Street. As a bonus, the Presbyterian Church is sending over singing sensation Hanna Neil, a sixth-grader who gave a stunning performance of Adele’s One and Only this week at Morristown’s Got Talent!
“I’m beyond excited,” Brian, 23, said of his new gig.
Morristown got a glimpse of Brian’s sax skills on Martin Luther King Day, when he played a soulful interpretation of the national anthem during a service at the Hyatt Morristown.
He is moving here from Maryland to direct Bethel’s choirs and worship services and perform concerts in the community.
MorristownGreen.com is delighted to present Brian’s jazz combo next month in an Earth Day concert atop the DeHart Street parking garage, in conjunction with Sustainable Morristown.
Brian’s deal with the church also will allow him to continue touring in bands backing the comedian Sinbad and the singer Ginuwine, and to keep performing with Rhapsody Blues and his own Brian Cunningham Project.
He also aims to do some substitute teaching in the Morris School District, with an eye towards becoming a full-time math teacher.
Teaching runs in the family.
His mother was a substitute teacher for the young Brian, and she taught Brian’s brother Richard, now 25 and an aspiring novelist, for nearly a year in Glenarden, Md.
“That was interesting,” Brian recalled with the hint of a chuckle.
Brian became a sax player by coincidence. He was 11 years old and wanted to play drums, but his mom said they were too loud.
Then Brian happened to notice a magazine on the family coffee table.
“It had a saxophone on it. That was it!” said Brian, who might be playing tuba or bagpipes today if an editor somewhere had chosen a different cover story. As a teenager he also learned to play piano.
Pastor Sidney said he is especially excited about the prospect of Brian linking music and math for kids at Bethel. How important are church music directors nowadays?
“It’s important if you have a pastor who can’t sing!” the Pastor replied. “It’s extremely important. I sing very low.”
