Organist and Director of Music

Nigel Potts

The Anglican Church music tradition has been an important and enduring part of Nigel Potts’ life.

Born into a musical family, (his grandmother being a student of Herbert Howells in London), Nigel’s church music career began as a boy chorister at Wellington Cathedral of St. Paul in New Zealand. Upon completing his undergraduate music degree in New Zealand, Nigel moved to England, as Organ Scholar of Blackburn and later Lichfield Cathedral, where he accompanied the choirs for daily Evensongs, recordings and tours. Whilst in London, he studied Church Music at the Royal Academy of Music, organ with Jeremy Filsell and the late John Scott, and also worked as a freelance organist, frequently playing services and recitals in Westminster Abbey, St. Paul’s Cathedral and various other London churches.

In 2002, Nigel graduated with his Master of Music degree from Yale University where he studied with Prof. Thomas Murray. He has since held Organist & Director of Music positions at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Bay Shore, NY; the Lincoln Center Parish Church of Christ & Saint Stephen’s Episcopal in New York City; and until moving to Boston in 2021, Nigel was Canon Organist & Master of the Music at Grace Church Cathedral in Charleston, SC, where he directed the music in one of the largest Episcopal parishes of the South East.

In New York City, Nigel founded the Music at Christ & Saint Stephen’s concert series which hosts nationally and internationally acclaimed musicians. Nigel has overseen the design and installation of two Schoenstein & Co. pipe organs (in NYC & SC) and immensely enjoys the Redeemer Schoenstein! A conductor of both professional and semi-professional choirs, Nigel has commissioned music for his choirs from prominent American and British composers such as Jeremy Filsell, James Kennerley, Robert Lehman, Bruce Neswick, Paul Spicer and Richard Webster.

As an organ recitalist, Nigel has performed recitals across four continents and extensively across the United States, including distinguished venues in London, Cambridge (UK), Paris, Toronto, New York City, Washington DC, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, Hong Kong, Singapore and Sydney, as well as in Austria, Iceland, Taiwan, New Zealand and the Bahamas.

As an exponent of orchestral transcriptions, Nigel has recorded an all-transcription program on the Wanamaker Organ in Philadelphia for WRTI-FM and has performed his orchestral reductions of Rachmaninov’s Piano Concertos No.1 & No.2 with pianist Jeremy Filsell. Nigel’s latest CD includes his transcriptions of Wagner’s Prelude to Act I from Tristan und Isolde, Wagner’s Wesendonck-Lieder & Elgar’s Sea Pictures with mezzo-soprano, Sarah Rose Taylor. Many of Nigel’s transcriptions are published by Morning-Star Music, and his recitals and recordings have been broadcast on radio/web stations in various countries including Pipedreams in the USA, and can be heard on-line/YouTube.

Nigel has been on the Jury for two Asian International Organ Competitions, has presented workshops and masterclasses to various AGO Chapters across the USA and in Asia, has served on the NYC AGO Board. As a past Rotarian, he has given benefit concerts to raise funds for children from developing countries to have critical heart surgeries in New York.

Nigel is married to Sarah Rose Taylor and they have three young children. 

Director of Choristers

Sarah Rose Taylor

Sarah grew up in a rich choral tradition, starting her musical education with the Royal School of Church Music. As a teenager she sang with the Southern Cathedral Singers in England and sang on many BBC Radio and TV broadcasts. After obtaining her Maîtrise in French Language Teaching from La Sorbonne in Paris, Sarah earned a Master’s degree and Artist Diploma in Vocal Performance from The Aaron Copland School of Music in New York. She has sung in professional choirs in Paris, New York and Boston and has performed opera and oratorio roles and solo recitals across the USA and in Europe. An experienced chorister trainer, private voice teacher and clinician, her students have won scholarships to Performing Arts Schools and seats in All-State choirs. Sarah is a member of the Boston Lyric Opera chorus and continues private study with Metropolitan Opera singer, Jennifer Rowley.