Dr. Gregory Wilder, Music/Arts Director
Becoming the music and arts director in January 2026 was an unexpected homecoming for Dr. Gregory Wilder. He traces his ancestry back 200 years to congregationalist Abijah Wilder, who was a deacon, choir leader, and the original owner of the land where UCC Keene now stands in Central Square.
Abijah was a pillar of the congregation 200 years ago; Greg is making his mark now. He earned a doctorate from the Eastman School of Music in 2002 and has spent his career making music that bridges tradition and innovation. He has built cutting-edge technology that brings the past into the present—training computers to learn what makes Mozart so meaningful. But he especially likes making music with humans, finding what moves the room, discovering exciting ways to “raise the praise.”
Greg found Keene to be an artistic community open to new things. He arrived after numerous stays in Europe, years in Philadelphia and New York City, a year-long RV trip around the country, and several years rusticating in a remote cabin in New Hampshire’s White Mountains.
See more: https://ucckeene.org/music-arts/