Kaarin Record has spent 32 years as a professional pianist, vocalist, and choral director. She holds both an undergraduate degree in music education and a master’s degree in collaborative piano/vocal coaching from Westminster Choir College (both partially completed through Princeton University). In addition to being a public school music director for 15 years, she has appeared onstage as a rehearsal pianist and singer under the direction of Leonard Bernstein, Riccardo Muti, and Yannick Nézet-Séguin at halls including Juilliard, Carnegie, and Lincoln Center. She currently contracts with Charlotte-based venues such as Blumenthal Performing Arts, Carolina Voices, and Northwest School of the Arts. If you happened to peek down into the orchestra pit at Ovens Auditorium during the latest run of the Broadway National Tour of Wicked, you would have seen her there, too. She also holds a second master’s degree in science.

With decades of experience as a church music director (including many years within Presbyterianism), Kaarin believes that music has the power to connect people to God through service to one another. She is passionate about creating a worship environment that is inclusive, uplifting, and authentic, and is wholeheartedly committed to serving Steele Creek Presbyterian Church at Pleasant Hill with a grateful heart.

Kaarin and her husband of 17 years, Don Leach, moved to Charlotte from the northeast in 2006. Within their blended family, they have 3 adult children and 3 grandchildren. They love to travel and have spent time on 6 continents. Kaarin is a passionate birder, sewist, and musicology hobbyist, while Don is an avid golfer and snowboarder. They live in the Palisades, where they are frequently bossed around by their two cats, Nola and Finley.