Dear St. Paul’s,

While staff departures are a normal aspect of any interim time, that fact doesn’t make staff departures any easier. I am writing to announce that our Associate Director of Music, Dr. Jacob Taylor, has accepted a position as Music Director in a Presbyterian Church in Montgomery, Alabama. His last Sunday with us will be September 28, 2025. The St. Paul’s Choir will fete Jacob at an already scheduled choir party in late September, and we as a parish will celebrate him on his last Sunday. 

Please join me in expressing your thanks to Jacob, who has served St. Paul’s faithfully for seven years. In my short time here at St. Paul’s I have experienced Jacob as a kind and thoughtful man, with mad skills, and both a subtle and a sharp sense of humor. He has been a steady member of the St. Paul’s staff team and he will be dearly and deeply missed. 

Please see below letters from Brad Hughley and Dr. Jacob Taylor. 

Peace,

Devon Anderson, Interim Rector

Dear Friends,

At St. Paul’s, the music program requires a team of leaders to assemble the complex parts of Sunday worship and weekly rehearsals. Dr. Taylor has been at the core of the parish’s music leadership for the past seven years, establishing a remarkable tenure here. His departure is sad for us, but exciting for his own personal journey as a musician and a faithful disciple of Jesus. He is much more than the “glue” that holds us together in anthems, hymns, and service music; his excellence and strong work ethic make us all better, whether or not we realize it. His rapport with the choir and the way he has grown as a teacher is remarkable. The standards he sets for himself enlarges our awareness and confidence. As a colleague, I find him unmatched in professionalism and musicianship; as a friend, I will truly miss him. Dr. Taylor’s last Sunday with us is September 28, and we will celebrate his next adventure with our best wishes and prayers of thanksgiving.

Blessings,

Brad Hughley, Organist & Director of Music

Dear St. Paul’s Church,

I am excited to have the opportunity to pursue another organist position. And while that means saying goodbye to you, I am incredibly grateful for the past seven years. Your church has been my first experience with an intergenerational choir program, and your support was instrumental in helping me finish my doctorate degree from Eastman.

Some of my favorite musical highlights at St. Paul’s include working with guest artist Martin Neary, preparing and performing the Bach St. John Passion and witnessing just what incredible musical talents the choristers are capable of (singing in German a Baroque work nearly two hours long!), hosting top notch professional groups such as Voces8, The Gesualdo Six, and New York Polyphony, traveling on choir tour to Cambridge, England and Ely Cathedral, seeing the choristers grow as musicians during choir school recitals, sharing in interesting conversations during choir dinner, and of course, enjoying what I call a steady diet of good music — week in and week out learning and presenting choir anthems and hymns with Brad and the choir. We definitely stay busy: seven rehearsals a week, two or more services a week, three choral-led services a month (Evensong and Sung Morning Prayer), and of course, all of the fantastic Christmas and holiday music, special services, and choir and orchestra concerts. In case you ever wondered what goes on behind the organ console, on a given Sunday morning we prepare five hymns, three choir anthems, a Psalm, service music, two voluntaries, and two improvisations, and that’s just one service! I am very thankful for Brad and his leadership. I am thankful for our dedicated staff singers, choir parents, music librarians, adult volunteers, choristers, and everyone else who tirelessly contributes to the music ministry year after year, week after week, often without thanks or special recognition. I have enjoyed getting to know the choir members and am grateful for the community of this group.

I hope you will continue to be curious about the music ministry. I hope you will continue to tell your neighbors, friends, and family about it and that you will continue to support it with your time, resources, and yes, even your participation! I wish you all the success in the future.

Best regards,

Dr. Jacob Taylor, Associate Director of Music