Chaz Bowers is an accomplished organist, educator, and a respected composer of sacred music. He currently serves as Director of Music at Saint Michael the Archangel Parish (incorporating St. Bernard and Our Lady of Grace church) in the South Hills of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he instituted a multiple-choir and orchestral program for the newly formed parish, developed an acclaimed concert series, and managed a semi-professional music program of nearly 150 musicians.
Bowers started in this role in 2014, after serving for five years as Director of Music at the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Irwin, Pennsylvania, and Assistant Organist at the Blessed Sacrament Cathedral in Greensburg.
Bowers holds a Master’s Degree in Sacred Music from Duquesne University and a Bachelor of Music from Seton Hill University, where he formerly served as an Adjunct Professor, taught courses in organ and sacred music, coordinated the sacred music degree and certificate programs, and worked as the University Organist. He is currently an adjunct professor of Sacred Music at Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio, and a past Dean of the Pittsburgh Chapter of the American Guild of Organists.
As an active performer, he has played recitals in Bermuda, Florida and West Virginia, and he has dedicated numerous organs in the Western Pennsylvania region. Bowers has been featured on Pittsburgh’s WQED radio, serving as accompanist for major choral works performed by local professional choirs. A budding composer, his compositions are noted by their lush harmonies, rich textures, and accessible writing. Chaz has pieces in print with GIA Publications, Augsburg Fortress, and the Denver Brass Publications.