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Dr. Donald Bailey Receives Texas Choirmaster Award
Dr. Donald Bailey (BME65, MA66) was recently presented the Texas Choirmaster award, the most prestigious award given by the Texas Choral Directors Association. The award is the highest honor given by TCDA and is given to a person who has “exhibited unparalleled leadership in the choral field and is a consummate conductor and musician.” Dr. Bailey served as Director of Choirs at ENMU in 1966-67.
Dr. Donald Bailey recently retired as the Director of Choral Activities and the Mary Gibbs Jones Professor of Music at Baylor University, where he conducted the A Cappella Choir, Chamber Singers, Choral Union and taught choral conducting. He was also the music director and conductor of Schola Cantorum of Texas from 2002-2007. His choirs have appeared with the Rochester (NY) Philharmonic Orchestra, the Buffalo (NY) Philharmonic, the Phoenix (AZ) Symphony Orchestra, the El Paso (TX) Symphony Orchestra, the Lubbock (TX) Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestra of Santa Fe (NM). His choirs have sung three times for the American Choral Directors Association National Convention as well as six times for the Texas Music Educators Association. Other appearances included the New York State School Music Association, the Arizona Music Educators Association and the Music Educators National Conference. Prior to coming to Baylor University in 1993, he held similar positions at Arizona State University, Texas Tech University, Houghton College and Eastern New Mexico University. He received his Bachelor of Music Education summa cum laude and Master of Arts in vocal performance degrees from Eastern New Mexico University and his Doctor of Arts in conducting from the University of Northern Colorado. In 2000, the University of Northern Colorado named Dr. Bailey an “Outstanding Alumnus” for his contributions to music. Particularly active as a guest conductor and clinician, he frequently appears as an All State Clinician having conducted All State Choirs in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Montana, New Mexico, New York, Tennessee, and Texas. He has appeared as a guest conductor at both Carnegie Hall and Avery Fisher Hall in Lincoln Center. An active composer, Dr. Bailey is represented by Alliance Music Publications and Gentry Publications.
In its 53-year history, TCDA has only awarded the Texas Choirmaster Award to ten conductors. Donald Bailey joins the ranks of Euell Porter, Frank McKinley, Lloyd Pfautsch, Charles Nelson, Gene Kinney, B. R. “Bev” Henson, Hugh Sanders, James A. Moore and Kenneth Fulton as a recipient of TCDA’s prestigious Texas Choirmaster Award.
