NEVILLA E. OTTLEY, M.A. Organ and Music History, has been playing the organ since she was 17 years old, studying at first with Professor Alan Carr (B.Mus. 1931 from the CUNY) organist at the Cathedral of Immaculate Conception in Independence Square, Port-of-Spain Trinidad and Tobago. The organ was a 2 manual-3 division tracker action organ that was probably over 100 years old, for it still had the bellow pump levers on it, even though motor had been added to pump the air through the bellows. When she returned to the USA in 1967, she studied organ with Dr. C. Warren Becker, professor at Andrews University. The organ was a 3-manual, 4 division 75-rank Casavant. She also taught organ as a graduate assistant at Andrews University, has taught organ at Ottley Music School and at several of the churches. She uses the Harold Gleason and the John Stainer organ method books.

She has served as a church organist for over 40 years, including at several Seventh-day Adventist Churches, Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, AME Zion and Congregational in Michigan, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Washington, DC., she served  Minister of Music and organist at Simpson Hamline UMC for 4 years, at Metropolitan SDA in those capacities for over 10 years, at Albright Methodist for 15 years, and as organist at Andrew Rankin Memorial Chapel at Howard University for 5 years.