Music

Will Buthod

Will Buthod, pianist, organist, composer, and conductor, has worked in church ministry for the past 26 years. Buthod is known for employing a wide range of styles to fit any given situation, and is in demand in multiple areas, from Gospel to Salsa and Bluegrass. He has served congregations in New York, Paris, Phoenix, and Atlanta, as well as throughout Oklahoma and New Jersey.

As a performer, Buthod has won numerous competitions and awards, including the Albert Schweizer National Organ Competition, the Tulsa Young Artist Competition, and the Charlotte Bagnall Scholarship for Church Musicians. He has performed with or recorded for such artists as Jimmy Heath, Denyce Graves, Martina Arroyo, Ben Vereen, Jay-Z, Fat Joe, Alicia Keys, Swizz Beatz, Mashonda, Maiysha, Autumn Rowe, Nolan Williams, James Abbington, Roland Carter, and André Thomas. He recorded a live album with Grammy-nominated performer Maiysha at the Blue Note jazz club in New York City. During his stint in Paris, France, Buthod was the pianist for the American Ambassador for several years, while serving as Organist/Assistant Choir Director at the American Cathedral and co-founding a touring gospel group.

Buthod’s gospel music background earned him a spot as pianist for the Harlem Gospel Choir, and he has played for such well-known preachers as Al Sharpton, Timothy Wright, James A. Forbes Jr., Johnny Ray Youngblood, and Albert Jamison, Jr. As a composer, he has composed over 300 works, from classical trios to R&B tunes, which are performed regularly throughout the country and abroad. Buthod’s knowledge and understanding of a variety of sacred music and its history has also made him a popular clinician and speaker.

Outside his role as Minister of Music at Holy Trinity, Buthod also serves on the faculty at Candler School of Theology (Emory University), as Director of the gospel choir, Candler Voices of Imani, and as a frequent guest lecturer for the Episcopal and Anglican Studies Program. He is the founder and co-director of Voices Found, a community choir focused on social justice. In addition, for the past four years, Buthod has served as Music Director for the North Georgia Annual United Methodist Conference, the largest UMC conference in the United States. In 2020, he was also chosen to lead the music for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship General Assembly, and has served similar roles in other statewide and national convocations.

Buthod lives in Tucker, with his wife, Verena, and their two dogs. When he’s not making music, he’s most likely cooking an adventurous dish or out fishing at a lake or pond.