Jeff Cutts

A resident of Nantucket since 2018, Jeffrey Cutts wears many hats in the island music world. He first arrived on Nantucket to answer the call as the new Minister of Music at the First Congregational Church, where he serves as organist, choirmaster, and liturgist. Cutts has served on the voice, piano, and ukulele faculty at NCMC, where he currently serves as conductor of the NCMC community chorus. He is the artistic director and co-founder of the professional vocal jazz ensemble, Nantucket Blue. Cutts enjoys a diverse career as a gigging performer on Nantucket, whether playing for the annual Organ Crawl, presenting solo vocal recitals, playing in jazz combos, conducting and singing with choral groups, or even playing some self-accompanied Elton John tunes. On the island, he is also the upper school music teacher at the Nantucket New School and has served as music director for several productions of the Dreamland Stage Company, including Polkadots: The Cool Kids Musical, The Lion King, Frozen, and this summer’s production of 13: The Musical.

As a singer, Mr. Cutts performs regularly with the project-based ensemble, The New Consort, specializing in presenting historic music alongside world premieres. He is a former core member of multiple Grammy award-winning ensemble, The Crossing Choir of Philadelphia, as well as a founding member and former assistant conductor of The Thirteen Chamber Choir of Washington, DC.

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As a member of the Westminster Symphonic Choir, Jeffrey has performed with the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Berlin Philharmonic, under the respective batons of Alan Gilbert, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, and Sir Simon Rattle. Jeffrey has appeared as a professional tenor soloist with Choral Arts of Philadelphia, the Worcester Community Chorus, and the NCMC community chorus, as well as in a private performance of Mendelssohn’s Elijah at Carnegie Hall.

Cutts holds a Master of Music in sacred music and conducting from Westminster Choir College in Princeton, NJ, where he studied liturgy with Steve Pilkington and conducting with Joe Miller, James Jordan, and Ryan Brandau. He also has a Bachelor in Music in voice performance and musical arts from the Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University, where he studied voice with Amy Jarman and Gayle Shay; conducting with Robin Fountain; and organ, composing, and historical performance with Carl Smith.

Elizabeth let me play the Red Violin after her performance! The sound was warm and it played with ease. I tried to focus on the instrument but I got completely discombobulated when I realized she had walked away leaving me with the violin. So I just kept playing! Where else in the world could that have happened? Thanks NCMC.

Joanna Haye / Coq au Vin violinist and NMC artist member

With beautiful practice spaces and meticulously maintained Steinway pianos, a music library stocked full of new and historic scores and a Sibelius-ProTools Independent Learning System!  The Nantucket Community Music Center is the place for learning, exploring, and experiencing music on Nantucket.  Well done!

Natalie Ciminero / Donor

We celebrate over forty years of creativity, curiosity, and scholarship, fostering a sense of commitment through community engagement.

Greta Feeney / Voice Teacher, Soprano

The NCMC is keeping a close eye on the issue of COVID-19.