Nathaniel Gumbs ’09 Named Director of Westminster Organ Program at Rider University
Shenandoah Conservatory alumnus Dr. Nathaniel Gumbs ’09 has been appointed director of Westminster’s Organ Program at Rider University in Lawrence Township, New Jersey. A native of the Bronx, New York, and an internationally acclaimed concert organist, Gumbs earned his Bachelor of Music in organ performance (with a minor in piano) from Shenandoah Conservatory in 2009, where he was also honored with the Excellence in Organ Award. Over the course of his distinguished career, he has performed widely across the United States and internationally in locations such as Antigua, St. Thomas, Ghana, Paris, and Munich. The New York Times praised his playing as “mature, lyrical, accurate and energetic.”
SU prepared me in many ways. It was there that I was introduced to organ literature and liturgical/sacred music under the direction of the late Dr. Steven Cooksey. I was exposed to so much while there!”
Gumbs also holds a Master of Music in organ performance and a certificate in sacred music from Yale University, as well as a Doctor of Musical Arts in organ performance and literature from the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester. He currently serves as director of music at The Riverside Church in New York City, having previously served as director of chapel music at Yale University, where he oversaw musical life across three distinct worshiping communities.
Gumbs’s vast contributions to the field include serving as conference organist for the Hampton University Ministers’ Conference and Choir Directors’ & Organists’ Guild Workshop, performing with ensembles such as the Jason Max Ferdinand Singers, releasing his debut solo recording project “King of Kings: Organ Music of Black Composers, Past and Present,” and contributing compositions to published collections such as Augsburg Fortress’s “Pulling Out The Stops.” His achievements have been recognized with honors including selection as one of The Diapason’s “20 under 30” organists and receiving the 2025 Shenandoah University Distinguished Alumni Professional Achievement Award.
