Nathaniel Gumbs is appointed director of music at The Riverside Church, New York, New York. A native of the Bronx, Gumbs has performed throughout the United States and internationally, including in Antigua, St. Thomas, Ghana, Paris, and Munich. He currently serves as director of chapel music at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, where he works with students, faculty, and guests to coordinate music for three worshiping communities: University Church in Battell Chapel, Yale Divinity School community, and Berkeley Divinity School community, the latter two both worshiping in Marquand Chapel. He earned his undergraduate degree from Shenandoah Conservatory, Winchester, Virginia, his Master of Music degree from Yale University, and his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the Eastman School of Music, Rochester, New York. His principal teachers include Steven Cooksey, David Higgs, and Martin Jean.
Prior to his position at Yale, Gumbs served as director of music and arts and organist at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he led several hundred volunteer musicians and staff in four choirs and other ensembles. He most recently served as interim minister of music and fine arts at Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, New York.
In addition to his work at Yale, Gumbs maintains a career as a concert organist managed by Karen McFarlane Artists, Inc. He is also featured on various recording projects through GIA Publications with James Abbington, choral projects with Jason Max Ferdinand, and recordings of revised choral works by Margaret Bonds with New York Philharmonic’s Chorus Director, Malcolm Merriweather. Gumbs is a contributing composer in Pulling Out the Stops, Volume 3, Congregational Song Accompaniments for Organ, published by Augsburg Fortress. Most recently, he released his first organ solo project entitled King of Kings: Organ Music of Black Composers, Past and Present.
Gumbs is a member of The Diapason’s 20 under 30 Class of 2017.
For information: concertorganists.com and trcnyc.org.
Other recent appointments:
David McIntyre to Saint James Catholic Cathedral, Orlando, Florida
Nicholas Halbert to the Episcopal Cathedral of the Nativity, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
