As an organist and a black man, Lucius R. Weathersby follows the advice of a teacher: Don’t strive to be the best black organist because there are so few of them. Strive to be the best organist.

The New Orleans musician and composer adopts the same attitude in his research of black composers for organ. He doesn’t want them just to be known as black composers, but composers who should be known along with the Bachs and Brahms of the standard classical repertoire.

"What I want to do is let people know in a non-invasive manner that we Africans and African-Americans have contributed much to the classical music world," he said, reached at home. "We are here. We have been here. Notice us."

Weathersby, professor of music and chairman of the Music Department at Dillard University, New Orleans, will perform works from a host of African and African-American composers at 7:30 p.m. Friday at First United Methodist Church, Sharon.

He plays a different program of works by many of the same writers at 4 p.m. Sunday at Third United Presbyterian Church, New Castle.

Both concerts are free.

Many black composers impart their works with spiritual themes and borrow from African music sources. The Sharon concert will have a fair share of pieces by these composers, but also selections by black composers who follow European classical tradition and modern approaches.

Noel De Costa’s "Spiritual Set" is spiritually inspired and uses call-and-response, which has its roots in slave field hollers.

"It depicts what takes place on a Sunday morning in an African-American church," Weathersby said.

Fela Sowandee’s "Yoruba Lament" brings Africa and Europe together by using a melody from his homeland of Nigeria and traditional choral harmony.

In "Tocatta," Wallace Cheatham mixed black and white spiritual traditions.

In two works by Violet Bowers, "Prelude and Fugato" and "Joie," Weathersby will show a black composer who is concerned with more modern approaches.

Other black composers on the program include Kevin George, William Grant Still and the organist himself, who will perform "Spiritual Fantasy," which also will be the title work of a compact disc that is supposed to be released later this month on Albany Recordings.

Two works of local note also will be performed, a piece by Ferruccio Germani, instructor of music at Pennsylvania State University -- Shenango Campus, Sharon, and a Weathersby improvisation based on a theme that will be presented to him at the concert.

Germani’s "Praeludium super O Fillii et Filiae" -- which translates to "Oh sons and daughters let us sing" -- is based on an Easter plain chant.

"He utilizes the melody unchanged," Weathersby said. "The melody is always present but there is so much other material over it that it is sometimes covered."

The melody is not explicitly played until the end, when Weathersby’s hands and feet will be "barreling so loud" on fast notes.

"It’s very, very difficult. Anyone who can pull it off will be a miracle worker. I hope I can pull off a miracle."

The work will be performed at both shows, with the Sharon concert marking its premiere.