Music Ministry
Meet Bradley Naylor, Minister of Music
I’m very pleased and excited to serve the congregation of Duke Memorial as its new Minister of Music. These past few years have been a time of transitions and new beginnings for me and my family: the birth of our daughter Abby last March, our family’s relocation to Durham last July, and substantial professional travel for me this past year. I’m so happy to have found in Duke Memorial a place that I can call home, musically and spiritually.
I graduated from Brown University in 2003 with a B.A. in music; not only did I get a great education there, I also met my lovely wife, Elizabeth, who studied history. After her graduation, she continued there as a medical student, earning her M.D. in 2008. She is now a dermatology resident at Duke Hospital. After my graduation, I attended Indiana University for my master of music degree in choral conducting, and then served for two years as Co-head of the music department at the Middlesex School in Concord, Massachusetts. In 2007 I enrolled at the Institute of Sacred Music at Yale University, where I completed my doctoral coursework in choral conducting in May of 2009. Last year I was an assistant professor in the school of music at the University of Georgia, where I taught conducting and directed the Men’s and Women’s Glee Clubs. It was a very rewarding job, but was also a great physical distance from my family. After so much moving around, I am excited to work at Duke Memorial and spend time with my family every day.
Throughout my life, a principal means of musical expression for me has been serving in churches: as a section leader in choirs, as an assistant director, a cantor, and (occasionally) as an organist. One memory that has remained strongly with me is my participation in the church choir of St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Houston, Texas, where I grew up. That choir worshipped with music of the highest quality and greatest variety. Not content to sing God’s praise solely inside their church’s walls, they brought it joyfully to the world around them, on tours to Washington, D.C., New York City, and England. I remember singing Olivier Messiaen’s O Sacrum Convivium (“O sacred feast”) during communion in the National Cathedral and knowing very clearly at that moment that sacred music was and would always be essential to my being. I look forward to meeting you, getting to know you and your inner music, and to helping you to make a joyful noise unto the Lord.
Rehearsal Schedule
| Sanctuary Choir (adults and youth) |
Wednesday | 7:00-8:30 pm | ||
| Bethany Bells (youth and adults) |
Wednesday | 6:30-7:30 pm | ||
| Rainbow Ringers (grades 3-5) |
Sunday | 4:30-5:30 pm | ||
| Wesley Singers (grades 1 - 5) |
Sunday | 5:30-6:30 pm | ||
| Carol Choir (age 3 - 5 year) |
Sunday | 9:45-10:00 am | ||
Angels of the Dance - Liturgical Dance |
Sunday (in 3 to 4 week cycles) |
6:45-7:30 pm | ||
| Angels of the Dance - Liturgical Dance "tween" Group (grades 5-8) |
Sunday (in 3 to 4 week cycles |
9:00 - 9:45 am | ||
Angels of the Dance - Liturgical Dance |
Sunday (in 3 to 4 week cycles) |
4:30 - 5:15 pm | ||
| Tower Bells | ||||
