Alistair Reid, MA FRCO, enjoys an international career as a conductor, organist, and pianist. He is Organist and Director of Music at St. Joseph’s Church Yorkville on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, and also serves as Assisting Organist at Trinity Church Wall Street and The Brick Church, as well as Accompanist and Organist of the Canterbury Choral Society. He is a Visiting Artist in Residence at Bard College and recently served as Chairman of the St. Wilfrid Club, a New York–based dining society for organists founded in 1908.
Alistair began his musical life as a boy chorister at his local church in London and started piano at the age of eight. He read music at the University of Oxford, where he was Organ Scholar at Hertford College, Assistant Organist of the University Church, and Conductor of the Oxford Chamber Choir.
Following his studies, he moved to the United States to serve as Organ Scholar of Christ Church, Greenwich, Connecticut, while studying with Gerre Hancock at St. Thomas Church, Fifth Avenue. He was subsequently appointed Assistant Director of Music at Christ Church Cathedral, Indianapolis, where he played for weekly broadcasts, accompanied five European tours, and appeared on the choir’s acclaimed recording My Spirit Rejoices on the Gothic label.
From 2004 to 2011, Alistair served as Associate Director of Music and later Director of Music at Coventry Cathedral in England. There he directed five choirs, trained boy and girl choristers, and played for major services, concerts, broadcasts, and international tours. He is featured on several recordings, including Choral Music from Coventry Cathedral (Herald) and The Best Christmas Carols Album in the World… Ever! (Kingsway), and assisted in preparing Britten’s War Requiem for the 70th anniversary of the cathedral’s bombing.
An active recitalist, Alistair has performed at leading venues worldwide, including Notre Dame de Paris, Westminster Abbey, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Washington National Cathedral, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Alice Tully Hall, and Carnegie Hall. He is also in demand as a continuo player, collaborating with ensembles such as the English String Orchestra, the American Symphony Orchestra, and the New Baroque Soloists.
He lives in Manhattan with his wife and two children.