Dear Friends,
After about a year and a half of discernment and conversation — including one of the first in-person choir gatherings since the pandemic began — the UPC Director of Music Search Committee is delighted to introduce UPC's next Director of Music, Nathan Nagir. While Nathan will take some time over the summer to prepare and familiarize himself with UPC, his work will begin in earnest on August 1.
Nathan comes to us originally from the twin isles Republic of Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean, where he served the Presbyterian Church of Trinidad and Tobago both at the local and national levels, including as National Music Director in 2012 for the National Convention of the Presbyterian Church. Outside of the church, Nathan worked with multiple competitive ensembles in various age groups, including the St. Augustine Girls’ High School Choir and the Student-Staff/Faculty choir at Hillview College.
One of the things that the Search Committee values about Nathan is his heart for church music in particular. Most recently, Nathan has been serving as Director of Music at Northwest Hills United Methodist Church, but has been longing to return to his Presbyterian roots. As he told the committee, the hymnal of the Presbyterian Church of Trinidad and Tobago, inherited from the Presbyterian Church of Canada who primarily evangelized the island, is never far from his reach.
Currently, Nathan is pursuing the Doctor of Musical Arts in Choral Conducting at The University of Texas at Austin, studying with Dr. James Morrow and Dr. Suzanne Pence. Previously, he completed the Master of Music in Choral Conducting at Texas State University, where he studied alongside Conspirare Artistic Director Craig Hella Johnson, among others. He also holds a Certificate of Music and a Bachelor of Musical Arts from the University of West Indies in St. Augustine, Trinidad.
Nathan is excited to be planted here in Austin and hopes to be in this community for a long time yet to come. This Sunday in worship, we’ll take just a moment to welcome him, but you may also reach out and offer your own words of welcome at Nathan@upcaustin.org.
Finally, we want to thank all the other members of the Search Committee: Jon Eddison, Marilla King, and Julie Miller, alongside Marcus Corley and Caleb Jackson, who started with the committee before life commitments got in the way.
We also want to make sure and thank the various staff members at UPC who helped provide input, especially Kim Vitray, Eric Wall, and Keith Womer, and members of the UPC choir who gave of their time to come meet and sing with Nathan already! Thank you friends!
Welcome, Nathan! We are so excited for the music we will make together!
Sincerely,
Byron French and Jessie Hsu
Director of Music Search Committee Co-Chairs
