Nicholas Andrew Barber: Healing Troubadour

This Lent I’ve had the privilege of doing music ministry with my good friend Nicholas Andrew Barber during a brief mini-tour featuring a prayerful performance (for lack of a better word) of his Stations of the Cross: A Musical Pilgrimage. These are personal musical reflections on the Catholic devotion of Jesus’ journey to Calvary, composed by Nick in a compelling contemporary folk music style. 

Nick and I first shared his Stations at my parish, Holy Trinity in Beaverton, Oregon, on Holy Week of 2018. Our church was dedicated in the year 2000 so our walls are lined with the Scriptural Stations of Pope John Paul II, and that is what we performed. But Nick realized that he also needed to set the traditional Stations to music, which we performed at his parish, St. Peter’s in Newberg, Oregon, and on Palm Sunday at Lady Hill Winery in St. Paul, Oregon. 

You can hear a preview of Nick’s Stations in this video: 

I first met Nick at Holy Trinity when he and his wife Erika were in our RCIA. We joyfully celebrated their reception into the Catholic Church in 2017 at the Easter Vigil. Hailing from Nebraska, Nick is a Christian artist with a couple of CD albums that he shared with me. I was immediately impressed with both his beautiful voice and his original music, and I invited him to sing one of his compositions, “Clear Intentions,” at our Good Friday liturgy on the night before he and his family were received into the Church. 

Parishioners were deeply moved by Nick’s heartfelt singing. Our choir sang another song of his, “All Things Bright and Beautiful,” at our annual International Festival in May. Nick and I have since performed his music together for concerts at Holy Trinity and at the Grotto’s Festival of Lights in December. In fact, we’re already booked at the Grotto for this coming Advent on December 1, 2019 at 5:15pm. Join us! 

Nick had a promising career as a Christian artist but he gave that up for several years, and that’s another compelling part of his story.  Nick felt called to a career in medicine, a long road with many years of study and internship. Along the way, he met his future wife Erika who was also a medical student. They married, had four beautiful children, and relocated to the Pacific Northwest. Dr. Nicholas A. Barber, MD, specializes in hematology and medical oncology, and is now affiliated with Providence Health Care. He serves his cancer patients and their families with compassion in a warm and welcoming environment. 

Nick is a dedicated medical professional but he has always hoped to return someday to composing and performing his Christian music. Along the way, he felt called to inquire about the Church and he explored the possibility of becoming Catholic. As our friendship has grown, I have been inspired by Nick’s sincere spirituality and his quest to deepen his relationship with God. We have spent many an evening talking about Jesus and liturgical music and the challenging issues that Catholics face today in the 21^st century. Nick’s strong faith is a bulwark for his family and an inspiration to his friends, and this comes across in his music. 

Somehow, in the midst of his busy medical career and his being a loving husband and father, Nick finds time to nurture his ministry as a Catholic Christian artist. He is currently recording his Stations of the Cross (both Traditional and Scriptural) as an independent project and hopes to have a CD ready in time for Lent 2020. He loves performing and gets out on the road as often as his schedule permits. Lastly, Nick and I are starting to compose songs together. God is good! 

Nicholas Andrew Barber is definitely an artist to watch in the years ahead! 

Nick’s website: 

NicholasAndrewBarber.com 

  

Nicholas Barber interview on Mater Dei Radio