THE SAINT GREGORY INSTITUTE OF SACRED MUSIC
AT THE PITTSBURGH ORATORY OF SAINT PHILIP NERI
Our People
Meet the talented musicians of the Saint Gregory Institute of Sacred Music at the Pittbsurgh Oratory.
Nicholas J. Will
Director of Sacred Music, The Pittsburgh Oratory
Founder and Director, Saint Gregory Institute of Sacred Music
Nicholas Will is the Director of Sacred Music at The Pittsburgh Oratory and the Founder and Director of the Saint Gregory Institute of Sacred Music, At the Oratory, he oversees a comprehensive and rapidly expanding sacred music program focused on excellence in repertoire, execution, and pedagogy, serving as primary organist and director of the Oratory Choir. From 2020 to 2024 he served as Director of Liturgical Music and Lecturer at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary, overseeing a robust music program and teaching a comprehensive sacred music curriculum at America’s largest seminary. Similarly, he served as Director of Liturgical Music at the Pontifical North American College, Vatican City State, from 2018 to 2020. From 2013 to 2018, he was an Assistant Professor of Music at Franciscan University of Steubenville, where he also served as Coordinator of the Sacred Music Program from 2016 to 2018. Other previous positions include directorships at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, Carnegie, PA and the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, Altoona, PA. A graduate of Duquesne University and the Peabody Conservatory of Music with additional study in improvisation with Dom Theo Flury, O.S.B. at the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music, Rome, Nicholas is a past winner of the André Marchal Award for Excellence in Organ Performance (Duquesne), the Dorothy DeCourt Prize in Organ (Peabody), the Young Organists’ Audition sponsored by the Pittsburgh Concert Society, and the Duquesne University Concerto Competition. He has performed as an organist, accompanist, and conductor throughout the United States and in Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Croatia, and Austria, including national gatherings of the National Association of Pastoral Musicians (2012 and 2018) and the Church Music Association of America (2018). His recordings as an organist and conductor have been released by Navona Records and Jade Music, and he is a published composer with CanticaNOVA Publications. Nicholas's extensive experience as a university professor and director of parish, cathedral, and seminary music programs has given him a thorough knowledge of the Church's tradition of sacred music, an intimate familiarity with the issues facing parishes and church musicians today, and the desire and skills to improve the state of Catholic sacred music in the United States.
The Professional Vocal Core Members
The 2024-2025 Student Fellows
THE SAINT GREGORY THE GREAT VOCAL FELLOWSHIP
Soprano
Jenna Toth
Jenna Toth is a senior at the University of Pittsburgh studying Natural Sciences on the Pre-Physician Assistant track with a minor in Music. She is a classically trained soprano and is excited to be singing with the Oratory Choir for another year. Jenna enjoys singing in her acapella group, playing sports with friends, and being involved in the Pitt Newman Club.
Rebecca Martin
Rebecca is a PhD student at Carnegie Mellon University studying Robotics. Originally from Arizona, she enjoys swimming and playing the piano in her free time.
Alto
Mary Jeffries
Mary Jeffries is pleased to join the Pittsburgh Oratory for her second year as a vocal fellow. She sings in the four-part women’s ensemble Halcyon Voices, bringing early sacred polyphony to churches in and around the Diocese of Pittsburgh. She is also a member of the Bach Choir of Pittsburgh (Carmina Burana April 2024), where she is looking forward to their 2024-2025 season of antiphonal masterworks, Adolphus Hailstork, and Motown. When she is not singing, Mary works as a health unit coordinator for UPMC.
Julia Tully
Julia Tully is an alto who has sung in Catholic liturgical choirs since her Childhood in Southern California. She and her husband, Daniel Tully, met during their undergraduate years at Brown University three years ago and got married this July.
Tenor
Morgan Gillis
Morgan serves in the Newman Center as a FOCUS missionary for Carnegie Mellon University. Originally from California, he converted to Catholicism while completing his master’s degree in electrical & computer engineering at Brown University. While at Brown, he was a member of the liturgical choir for the Catholic community.
Matthew Ayers
Matthew is a second-year FOCUS missionary at Carnegie Mellon University, having previously served at Coastal Carolina University. He learned how to sing sacred music under the guidance of Dr. Nicole Simental through the Buckeye Catholic mission during his senior year of college at The Ohio State University. When he is not singing as a tenor in the Oratory choir, he can often be found talking about faith, software engineering, or puns, often at the same time.
Bass
Sean Springer
Sean Springer is a senior Mechanical Engineering major at Pitt. He got his start singing professionally in the Emmy winning and Grammy nominated Philadelphia Boys Choir & Chorale at the age of 8. This gave him incredible opportunities including performing alongside renowned voices such Sandi Patty and Hugh Jackman and in venues including Good Morning America, Carnegie Hall, and Notre-Dame de Paris. Since then, he has held many leadership roles in various ensembles and performed as an All-State Chorus member with PMEA. Most recently during his undergraduate degree, he has kept his choral abilities alive by participating in an a capella group, Heinz Chapel Choir, and of course, the Oratory Choir.
Daniel Tully
Dan Tully is a second-year FOCUS missionary at the University of Pittsburgh. He has been leading and singing in student choirs since his undergraduate studies at Brown University, where he met his wife, Julia Tully.
Sam Shadle
Sam Shadle, a recent graduate of Franciscan University of Steubenville in Software Engineering and Sacred Music(voice), currently teaches Music and Religion at St. Michael School in Greenville, PA, where he also works IT operations and support. When he is not singing with the Oratory Choir, he is involved in other music-making around the city, including by studying organ, singing in the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh's Professional Core, and participating in other area scholas and Catholic church choirs. While not music-making, he enjoys running and rock-climbing, working on projects and pursuing additional certifications in engineering, and spending time with family and friends.
THE TOMÁS LUIS DE VICTORIA CHORAL CONDUCTING FELLOWSHIP
Tomás Cabrera
Tomás Cabrera is a physics doctoral student at Carnegie Mellon University and has held the Tomás Luis de Victoria Choral Conducting Fellowship at the Pittsburgh Oratory since fall 2023 after joining the choir in 2021. When he is not singing or studying the stars he enjoys listening to good stories and exploring different art media. He is grateful for the opportunity to learn and make music for God and His people.
THE FR. EDWARD CASWALL, C.O. ORGAN FELLOWSHIP
Ryan Seaver
Ryan Seaver is a Senior at Franciscan University of Steubenville, majoring in Theology and Catechetics and minoring in Sacred Music and Music Ministry. This is his second year assisting at the Oratory as an organ fellow. Ryan looks forward to serving his home diocese of Knoxville, Tennessee when he graduates as associate organist at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Andrew Dierkes
Andrew Dierkes, PhD, RN, grew up near Philadelphia where he studied nursing and health services research. He moved to Pittsburgh to join the faculty at the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing and readily found his way to the Oratory. Having been raised in a musical family and received instruction in piano, violin, and organ, he is grateful for the opportunity to grow as a liturgical musician.
