"Zurich is charming, Barbra sounds fantastic," said Freeman, after the legendary diva debuted June 18 to standing ovations at Zurich's 13,000-seat Hallenstadion. Freeman, who serves at St. George's Episcopal Church and Academy in Laguna Hills, California, is also a percussionist and timpanist in Streisand's 58-member orchestra.

Integrating parish life and his musical world are all in a day's ministry, says the Juilliard-trained Freeman. He has been known to load his vibraphones into the St. George's Academy van and secure them with "bungee" elastic cord for use at jazz vespers at neighboring Southern California congregations.

He considers it evangelism, "allowing me to engage a large number of people who might not normally find their way to our church," said Freeman. "They come because of the music."

"He's phenomenal," said the Rev. Diane Bruce, rector of St. Clement's Episcopal Church in nearby San Clemente. "Norm has done several jazz masses for us and he's absolutely incredible. It gets better every time we have him. He's a hot ticket."

As part of his St. George's ministry, Freeman also accompanies preschool students' songs at academy chapels, and regularly performs musical meditations during Sunday worship.

"I feel like my whole self is present when I perform, where I might not have felt as integrated during some of years when solely a musician on a spiritual path," he said. "I wanted to develop a reputation as a fine and faithful priest, the music's just always there," says the Grammy-award winning Freeman, 55.

But he sees no contradictions in his multidimensional life, whether traveling as part of Streisand's musical entourage or engaging "the sacred privilege of being allowed in a person's life in a critical moment."

Both are times when one is "so focused that time seems to expand. Where seconds seem to have so much more space than one intellectually knows one could have," said Freeman.

He considers himself just a parish priest, with rhythm. "I'm very, very happy here at St. George's, especially with the combination of the community and the people; the challenge of the position. There might have been a time when I was concerned about striking a balance between the two worlds, but I have almost no anxiety about it now," he added. "I turn all of that over to God and sort through what opportunities might come along and how it might mix with a life of community serving. Sometimes, the pieces fall into place."

Accepting Streisand's invitation for the June 18-July 25 European tour was an opportunity for a repeat performance accompanying the "consummate performer" as well as an early 25th wedding anniversary celebration. "For Lori and me, it was the trip of a lifetime; an appropriate way to look forward to our 25th anniversary next year," he said.

Next year, he will also celebrate his 25th anniversary with the New York Pops. He also performed for the New York Philharmonic, under the direction of Leonard Bernstein, Zubin Mehta and Kurt Mazur and numerous Broadway productions while attending the General Theological Seminary in New York.

He has taught at the Mannes College of Music in New York and performed on a New York Pops recording to be aired on NBC during the July 4 Macy's fireworks.

The current tour is a repeat engagement with Streisand, with whom Freeman performed in November, 2006, before he arrived at St. George's. Prior to that, he served as vicar at St. Michael's University Church and as Episcopal chaplain at the University of California at Santa Barbara. He has also served at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Greenwich, Connecticut.

The Streisand tour opens in Vienna on June 21, and includes performances in Paris, Dublin, Berlin, Stockholm, and Manchester, concluding in London on July 25.

Further information about Freeman's Jazz Ministry is available here.