Steve Pilkington

Steve Pilkington serves as Associate Professor of Sacred Music and Director of Chapel at Westminster Choir College, Rider University, where he has taught all aspects of the church music curriculum for twenty-five years within the Department of Choral Studies, Music Education and Sacred Music. He holds the William Scheide Endowed Chair in Church Music and maintains an active dual career in academia and church music ministry.

His educational background includes a BA from St. Olaf College, an MM from the University of Illinois, and a Ph.D. from Drew University. Dr. Pilkington's internationally recognized expertise spans sacred music in the American Protestant tradition, with notable lecturing engagements from Korea to Oxford University.

Specializing in postmodern sacred music creation, his research integrates choral conducting, organ performance, and composition within evolving liturgical contexts. His innovative approach addresses contemporary challenges in church music while maintaining deep connections to historical traditions ranging from Gregorian chant to classical canon and contemporary commissions.

As Director of Music and Organist at Christ Church, United Methodist in New York City for over twenty years, he developed a comprehensive graded choral and handbell program culminating in a professional-level mixed choir. His mentorship has produced organ scholars now leading at prestigious institutions including Harvard Memorial Chapel and Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church.

Dr. Pilkington's creative output includes published arrangements like 'I Wonder As I Wander,' performed globally hundreds of times, demonstrating his significant contribution to sacred music repertoire through both scholarly and practical applications.