​Jay Wilcox is a composer, conductor, organist, singer, and harpsichord player. 
 
Welcome all wonders, a Christmas anthem that was called "gloriously lush" by the Edinburgh (Scotland) Music review, was published in 2010 by Paraclete Press in two versions: the original, for choir and brass quintet, and a second version for choir and organ.  The piece sets a famous Richard Crashaw text, and is notable for its lyrical, soaring writing expressing awe at the Incarnation.  Gloriae Dei Cantores used this anthem as the theme for their 2010 Advent Lessons and Carols services, and it has since been performed by many other ensembles, including the Choir of St. Thomas Episcopal Church, 5th Avenue, New York, the Edinburgh Bach Choir, and the Chorus and brass ensemble of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. 
 
His motet, O sacrum convivium, was released in 2018 by Paraclete Press, and he has two Advent anthems forthcoming.
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His most recent work, Canticle of Creation, for choir, two pianos, vibraphone, timpani, glockenspiel, and tam-tam, was premiered by the Garleton Singers in Haddington, East Lothian, Scotland, under the direction of Stephen Doughty, on June 6, 2026.  Setting most of the Canticle of the Sun by St. Francis of Assisi and an anonymous Native American blessing, it expresses thanks for creation and the blessings that flow from it.  It is scheduled for premieres in Sweden and Denmark in October 2026, the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Francis.
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Jay's work as a composer is heavily influenced by the fact that he has been a singer for virtually his entire life.  As such he understands how to write for voices so that they can sound their very best.  From 1991 through 1995 he was a member in, and countertenor soloist with, the Choir of Men and Boys at Washington National Cathedral; he was one of the soloists in their 1992 performance of Bach’s St. John Passion.  He can also be heard as a soloist in Biebl’s Ave Maria on their Christmas CD, Silent Night.  From 1996-2010, he was a member of the Washington Bach Consort; he appeared as an alto soloist in Cantatas 150 and 161 and Hoffmann’s Schlage doch, gewünschte Stunde.  He was also extremely fortunate to be able to participate in their tour of Germany in 2000, the 250th anniversary of Bach's death, which included singing in the Thomaskirche where Bach served from 1723 until his death in 1750.  In 2002, he recorded solos in Auf dem Gebirge and Ist nicht Ephraim mein teurer Sohn? by Heinrich Schütz with the Washington Cornett and Sackbutt Ensemble, members of the Orchestra of the 17th Century and Carmina.  As a free-lance soloist, he has sung Bach’s Magnificat, Britten’s Rejoice in the Lamb, David in Handel’s Saul, Handel’s Utrecht Te Deum, Orff’s Carmina Burana, and Purcell’s Come, Ye Sons of Art and Ode on St. Cecilia’s Day.  He was the first countertenor to sing the alto solos in Handel's Messiah at the annual Kennedy Center Messiah Sing-Along.
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Jay is currently the Director of Music at the Church of the Epiphany in Oak Park, California, where he directs the choirs and plays the organ at liturgies.  Immediately prior to his current position, he was the organist-choirmaster at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Burke, Virginia, from January 1, 2000, until September 7, 2014.  He has been active as a church musician since 1980.  Along with his choral conducting and organ duties, he has composed a number of works both for the choirs he has directed and for the congregations he has served.  As an organist, he has given a number of recitals, including at the Washington National Cathedral, and as a harpsichordist he has performed Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 5, BWV 1050, Concerto for harpsichord and strings in D minor, BWV 1052, Concerto for harpsichord and strings in F minor, BWV 1055, and the "Goldberg" Variations, BWV 988.
 
Jay holds the Colleague certification from the American Guild of Organists (CAGO).