Minister of Music

Larry Biser

Larry G. Biser, Minister of Music, began his ministry at East Church in 1969. He oversees the eight choirs of the East Church School of Choirs; directing the Chancel, Voices of East, Pilgrim, Boys' and Girls', l and Chapel Bell Choirs. He is also the organist for the many worship experiences at East.

Mr. Biser is a graduate of Westminster Choir College of Rider University in Princeton, New Jersey. While a student there, he sang under notable conductors of the day and toured with the world famous Westminster Choir. Although his major degree is in organ, his minor was in voice. Mr. Biser also holds a Master of Church Music Degree from Concordia University, Chicago.  At Concordia, Mr. Biser concentrated in choral conducting.

His vocal study began while in high school and continued while in college. Since that time, he has studied privately with Stanley Kolk in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  As a Associate Professor of Music at Aquinas, he also teaches choral conducting, music history, music appreciation, organ and conducts their Chamber Choir.

Mr. Biser's conducting studies were with Paul Boepple, Elaine Brown, and George Lynn at Westminster College and Kirsten Hedegaard at Concordia University. His organ studies have been with Eugene Roan and Joan Lippincott at Westminster College and Dr. Steven Wente at Concordia University. He served churches in Arlington and Norfolk, Virginia before coming to East Church.

Since 1981, Mr. Biser has been Music Director and Conductor of the Chamber Choir of Grand Rapids. In 1990, the choir toured Austria and Hungary. In 1995, he was invited to take the choir to Salt Lake City, where they performed with the world famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Mr. Biser was afforded the unique privilege of conducting the combined choirs for their national Sunday morning broadcast. In 1999, Mr. Biser and The Chamber Choir of Grand Rapids toured and presented concerts in St. Petersburg, Noogarod, and Pushkin, Russia as well as in Helsinki, Finland.  Mr. Biser has also lead choral tours of Great Britain, The Netherlands and Belgium with the East Church Chancel Choir.

Mr. Biser is listed in the International Edition of Who's Who in Music.