Staff
Rev. Aaron Houghton
Pastor
Aaron Houghton is a native of Richmond, VA. Baptized and confirmed at Bon Air Presbyterian Church and a graduate of the Maggie Walker Governor’s School. Following a jazz performance degree from the University of North Carolina (and many summers of counseling at Camp Hanover) Aaron responded to the call to "make a joyful noise to the Lord”, returning to Richmond to pursue theological education at Union Presbyterian Seminary. Upon graduation in 2014, he took up a 2 year residency with UKirk RVA, the newly full-time campus ministry position at VCU. He brings great creativity, passion, and music to his ministry.
While working part-time with Forest Hill, he also works for True Timber Backyard, installing tree-swings and zip-lines, and designing and installing disc golf courses. In lieu of holding office hours in the church building, you can find him out in the community most mornings, reading, writing, and responding to e-mails from one of our neighborhood’s many wonderful coffee shops (WPA Bakery, Blanchard’s). Don’t let the open laptop fool you, he’d happily close it and welcome you for a pop-in coffee shop visit! He also welcomes texts and e-mails with mission and ministry ideas, or requests for prayer or pastoral visit, though like most in this day and age, tends to screen most phone calls so as to not be constantly reminded of warranties running out on cars he doesn’t own (just leave a voice message or send a text and he’ll get back to you!).
Dr. Patrick Carlin
Director of Music
DR. PATRICK CARLIN is the Director of Music at Forest Hill Presbyterian Church in Richmond, Virginia. In addition, Pat is the recipient of several grants, including a very generous grant from The E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation, to perform free public concerts as well as intentional concerts for smaller groups and audiences in venues throughout the City of Richmond, Virginia, especially for the underserved and marginalized, including many for the LGBTQ+ Communities. These latter intentional concerts usually feature current Juilliard School students from New York City or recent Juilliard graduates. Pat has been a guest voice teacher at The Juilliard School and Manhattan School of Music in New York. Pat maintains a large private studio of voice and piano students. Pat’s voice and piano students have been admitted to major music schools, including The Juilliard School, Manhattan School of Music, Yale, and Indiana.
Pat is a graduate of The Juilliard School (piano and voice), University of Dubuque (piano and voice), New York University (M.A. in college teaching/conducting; Ph.D. in college teaching/keyboard performance), University of Notre Dame (M.A. in theology/liturgical studies), and Virginia Commonwealth University (M.P.A. in public administration). In addition, he studied music at Columbia University and theology at the Aquinas Institute of Theology. Pat’s vocal teachers have included Eleanor Steber, Bernard Taylor, and William Toole; his piano and organ teachers have included Roger Boardman, Robert Harris, Rosina Lhevinne, Virginia Rice, Ruth Mahmoud, Ethel Lehrer, Robert Pace, John Ferguson, and Else Burtness; and his conducting teachers have included Rebecca Scott, John Gilbert, and Jon de Revere.
For over 30 years, Pat served as Director of Music and Liturgy at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Richmond, Virginia. For over 20 years, Pat served on the Music Faculty of Virginia Commonwealth University where he taught graduate and undergraduate courses in music history and literature. Prior to moving to Richmond, Pat served churches and cathedrals in New York and Minnesota and taught music on the college and elementary school levels. His articles and reviews appear in several liturgical music journals. As a pianist, conductor, and organist, Pat has performed in innumerable concerts and recitals. As a conductor, Pat has conducted choirs, soloists, and orchestras, including The Richmond Symphony, in major works, including Mahler’s RESURRECTION SYMPHONY, Bruckner’s REQUIEM, Handel’s MESSIAH, and Beethoven’s MASS IN C MAJOR, among many others. Pat is the proud father and father-in-law of Stephanie & Andrew and Sean & Carrie, and the proud Grandpa of JP (John Patrick) and Sophia Morgan!
