The Church of Saint Mary the Virgin

 Feast Day Organ Recitals at Saint Mary’s
2025-2026

The recital on November 1 is at 3:30 PM. Evensong & Benediction follows.
All other recitals begin at 5:30 PM and are followed by Solemn Mass.

Bruce Neswick
Sunday, November 2, All Saints’ Sunday – 3:30 PM
Saint James by the Sea, La Jolla, CA

Bruce Neswick is Artist-in-Residence at Saint James’ Episcopal Church, La Jolla, CA, having retired in 2022 as the Canon for Music at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, Portland, OR. Prior to his time in Portland, he served as Associate Professor of Music in Organ and Sacred Music at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University and Assistant Organist of Saint Francis in the Fields Episcopal Church, Louisville, KY. Before moving to Indiana, he was the Director of Music at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in New York City, where he directed the choirs and had oversight of the musical life of that historic church. Earlier in his career, he served as the first director of the Washington Cathedral Girl Choristers. Active in the field of church music, Mr. Neswick holds the Fellowship degree from the Royal School of Church Music, for whom he has conducted several courses for boy and girl choristers. In the summer of 2024, he was the Guest Director of the annual Saint Thomas Course for Girl Choristers, in NYC. He has served on the faculties of and performed for several church music conferences, among them, Master Schola, the Mississippi Conference, the Association of Anglican Musicians, Westminster Choir College Summer Session, the Montreat and Westminster Conferences of the Presbyterian Association of Musicians, the Conference of Lutheran Church Musicians and the Sewanee Church Music Conference. In recent years, he has performed at Saint Florian Abbey, in Austria, as part of the annual BrucknerFest; at the Eastman Rochester Organ Initiative conference; and in May 2024 he performed at a hymn festival celebrating the 50th anniversary of Yale University’s Institute of Sacred Music. Mr. Neswick has been commissioned to compose for dozens of performers, churches, and special occasions throughout the United States, and his organ and choral music is published by Paraclete, Augsburg-Fortress, Selah, Vivace, Hope, Plymouth, and Saint James’ presses. Mr. Neswick’s skill at improvisation garnered him three first competition prizes: the 1989 San Anselmo Organ Festival; the 1990 American Guild of Organists' national convention in Boston; and the 1992 Rochette Concours at the Conservatoire de Musique in Geneva, Switzerland. A graduate of Pacific Lutheran University and of the Yale School of Music and Institute of Sacred Music, Mr. Neswick’s teachers have included Robert Baker, David Dahl, Gerre Hancock, Margaret Irwin-Brandon, and Lionel Rogg. A Fellow of the American Guild of Organists, Mr. Neswick has served the Guild in many capacities, including chapter dean, regional convention chair, regional education coordinator, member of the national nominating committee, and member of the national improvisation competition committee. He was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of the South, Sewanee, Tennessee and in 2024 was named Honorary Canon at Grace Church Cathedral in Charleston, SC. As a recitalist, Mr. Neswick has performed extensively throughout the United States and Europe and has been a frequent performer at national and regional conventions of the American Guild of Organists. In 1994, he played the opening convocation for the national AGO convention held in Dallas, Texas, and he was a featured artist at the national AGO conventions in Seattle (2000), Washington, DC (2010) and Boston (2014). Mr. Neswick is exclusively represented in North America by Phillip Truckenbrod Concert Artists. His program on November 2 will include works by David Schack, Charles Ore, Olivier Messiaen, and Bruce Neswick.

Robert McCormick
Monday, December 8, Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary – 5:30 PM
Church of the Good Shepherd, Rosemont, PA

Described by Choir & Organ as “indomitable and immensely gifted” and by The Macon Telegraph as “an artist of rare sensitivity and passion,” Robert McCormick is widely heralded by his colleagues as one of the finest concert and church musicians of this era. Known for his creative and unique abilities in organ improvisation, Mr. McCormick was named a semi-finalist in the 2005 Saint Albans International Organ Festival Improvisation Competition, the only American to merit that distinction. Concert appearances across the United States include Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, the Summer Organ Festival at the Riverside Church (New York), the Pittsburgh Organ Artists Series, the East Texas Organ Festival, Basically Bach Festival at Saint Peter’s Lutheran (New York), the Great Organists series at St. John’s Cathedral in Albuquerque (New Mexico), the Atlanta Summer Organ Festival, and recent recitals and workshops for Harrisburg, PA, Little Rock, AR, and Tulsa, OK, American Guild of Organists chapters, among many others. He presented workshops in organ improvisation at the 2024 National Convention of the AGO in San Francisco. His concerto appearances with orchestra include Samuel Barber’s Toccata Festiva, Camille Saint-Saëns’ “Organ” Symphony, and Joseph Jongen’s Symphonie Concertante. He has been a featured artist and clinician at numerous conventions and conferences of the Association of Anglican Musicians and the Royal School of Church Music in America, playing recitals and services, and leading workshops in choir training, service playing, and organ improvisation. He is an adjunct Assistant Professor of Organ at Westminster Choir College of Rider University in New Jersey, where he has taught both repertoire and improvisation, and was recently featured as organist on Westminster’s commercially released 30th Anniversary Recording of An Evening of Readings and Carols on the GIA label. As a composer, his choral and organ works are published by Encore (UK) and Selah and have been performed throughout the U.S. and in Europe. His recording from St. Paul’s, K Street, We Sing of God, was released in June 2010 on the Pro Organo label. Choir & Organ’s review of the disc describes the choir as “one of the most responsive and adaptable choirs on the Eastern seaboard” and further states that “[McCormick] also shines at the organ.” Mr. McCormick is Organist and Director of Music at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Rosemont (Bryn Mawr), PA. This follows nearly eight years as Organist and Choirmaster of Saint Mark’s Episcopal Church, Locust Street, Philadelphia, a parish deeply rooted in the Anglo-Catholic tradition. From 2008 to 2016, he was Director of Music at Saint Paul’s Parish, K Street, Washington, D.C. Under his direction, the Saint Paul's choirs performed at conventions of the AGO, the Organ Historical Society, and the Association of Anglican Musicians, and were heard nationally on the radio programs Pipedreams and With Heart and Voice. From 2001 to 2008 he served as Organist and Music Director at the Church of Saint Mary the Virgin, New York. He served for two years as sub-dean of the New York City chapter of the AGO and was co-chairperson of the 2014 National Conference of the Association of Anglican Musicians. He holds the Bachelor of Music degree in organ performance, summa cum laude, from Westminster Choir College, studying with Robert Carwithen. During his time at Westminster, he was also Assistant Organist at Trinity Church, Princeton. Further study in repertoire and improvisation was with McNeil Robinson. Robert McCormick is represented in North America exclusively by Phillip Truckenbrod Concert Artists, LLC.

Buck McDaniel & Derrick Meador
Tuesday, January 6, The Epiphany – 5:30 PM
Church of Our Saviour, New York City & Saint Mark’s Cathedral, Shreveport, LA

Composer Buck McDaniel and organist Derrick Meador have built distinguished careers shaped by a shared commitment to new music and collaboration. McDaniel, based in New York City, creates works that blend the American Minimalist tradition with personal storytelling, heard internationally on NBC’s Saturday Night Live, BBC Radio 3, WQXR, and NPR, and featured in Oliver Hermanus’s film The History of Sound at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. His projects have included collaborations with Sam Smith, Nico Muhly, and Sam Amidon. Meador, based in Shreveport, Louisiana, has performed across North America and Europe at venues including the Swinoujscie International Music Festival in Poland, National City Christian Church in Washington, and Saint James Cathedral in Toronto. He currently serves as Organist and Choirmaster at Saint Mark’s Cathedral, Shreveport, and teaches at the Mississippi Conference on Church Music and Liturgy. Over many years, McDaniel and Meador have developed a close artistic partnership, with Meador commissioning, premiering, and shaping new works that reflect their shared curiosity and trust. This program celebrates that collaboration with two major compositions written for Meador: Five Meditations on the Nativity (2021) for solo organ and Epiphany Service (2017) for organ four hands. The recital highlights the fiery character of Saint Mary's celebrated organ and offers a vivid portrait of music created through friendship and long-standing artistic dialogue.

Victoria Shields
Monday, February 2, The Presentation – 5:30 PM
Church of Saint James the Less, Scarsdale, NY

Victoria Shields is the Director of Music and Organist at Saint James the Less in Scarsdale, NY (www.stjamesscarsdale.org). At Saint James the Less, she directs a semi-professional choir for adults and has recently established a chorister program for ages PreK through high school. In addition, she is the Artistic Director of the Concerts at Saint James the Less concert series. The series has include a Service of Choral Evensong for All Saints, Composers of St James with Historic Sermons, Jazz Mass, The Academy of Sacred Music, Brandenburg Concertos on New Year’s Eve, Thrills and Chills at the Organ, and Organ and Brass Fireworks. Prior to coming to Saint James the Less in Scarsdale, Victoria was the Director of Music at Christ & Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Westport, CT. There she directed an active choral program for children and adults, and was the artistic director of the Music & Arts concert series. She has also served in other notable positions as Director of Music and Arts at First Presbyterian Church of New Canaan, CT, Saint Paul’s Episcopal, Rock Creek Parish in Washington, D.C., George Washington’s Church, Pohick Episcopal Church, and Episcopal High School, both in Virginia. Victoria has been a featured soloist at Saint Paul’s Chapel in New York City, West Point Chapel, Saint Mark's Cathedral, Seattle, Washington, Princeton University Chapel, the Washington Bach Consort and the Bach Society of Houston. Victoria is under representation with the Concert Artist Cooperative (www.concertartistcooperative.com). As an educator, she has served on faculty for the American Guild of Organists (AGO) Pipe Organ Encounter programs (POE), has served on the Royal School of Church Music (RSCM) summer courses at Washington National Cathedral, and was the coordinator and teacher for the Potomac Organ Institute in the Washington, D.C. area. Victoria is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music with concentrations in Music Education and Organ Performance. Her primary teachers include organ with Michael Farris and Robert Oehme, piano with Vincent Lenti and Mary Ann Nilsson, and harpsichord with James Bobb. She is a member of the American Guild of Organists, Association of Anglican Musicians, the Royal School of Church Music, Saint Wilfred’s Club, and the professional women’s music fraternity, Sigma Alpha Iota. Her program on February 2 will include works by Maurice Duruflé, Charles Wood, César Franck, and Jiří Ropek.

Eva Sze
Wednesday, March 25, The Annunciation – 5:30 PM
Church of Saint Agnus, New York University, New York City

Eva Sze teaches music theory at New York University and is the Director of Music at the Church of Saint Agnes in Midtown. She studied composition at the University of Toronto, music theory and analysis at the CUNY Graduate Center, and organ with Dr. William Entriken. She has presented compositions and research papers at local, national, as well as international conferences. A holder of the Fellowship Certificate from the American Guild of Organists, she served on the national Committee for Professional Certification from 2016 until 2024 and is on the Board of Examiners.

David Hurd
Thursday, May 14, Ascension Day – 5:30 PM
Church of Saint Mary the Virgin, New York City

David Hurd is widely recognized as one of the foremost church musicians and concert organists in the United States, with a long list of awards, prizes, honors, and achievements, and immeasurable expertise in organ performance, improvisation, and composition. From 1976 until 2015, David Hurd was a faculty member at The General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church in New York City, as Director of Chapel Music, Organist, and Professor of Church Music. For his work at General Theological Seminary and for his substantial contribution to church music, four other seminaries awarded him honorary doctorates. Dr. Hurd has also taught at Duke University, Yale University, Manhattan School of Music, and Westminster Choir College. He is the composer of dozens of hymns, choral works, settings of the liturgy, and organ works published by a number of major houses. He was one of the major contributors of new hymnody and liturgical settings for the Episcopal Church’s Hymnal 1982 and his music is seen in hymnals and choir libraries in churches of all religious denominations. In 2010 he became the fifteenth recipient of The American Guild of Organists’ Distinguished Composer award. From 1998-2013 he was Music Director and Organist at Church of the Holy Apostles (Episcopal) in New York City. Dr. Hurd is now Organist/Choirmaster of the famed Church of Saint Mary the Virgin at Times Square. As a concert organist David Hurd enjoys instant recognition both at home and abroad. Since winning both first prizes (in performance and improvisation) of the 1977 International Congress of Organists, he has performed throughout North America and Europe, has been a featured artist at numerous national and regional conventions of the American Guild of Organists He was invited to perform at the Internationaal Orgelfestival Haarlem, during which he received a diploma for improvisation at the Stitchting Internationaal Orgelconcours. He studied at the Juilliard School, Preparatory Division, and the High School of Music and Art in New York City before undergraduate study at Oberlin College and Conservatory and graduate study at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. His organ teachers have included Bronson Ragan, Garth Peacock, Arthur Poister, and Rudolph Kremer. David Hurd is represented in North America exclusively by Phillip Truckenbrod Concert Artists, LLC. His program on May 14 will include nineteenth century French and German music.