Reginal Wright, M.M., Appointed Lecturer in Choral Music in Baylor’s School of Music
WACO, Texas (June 14, 2023) – Baylor University announced today the appointment of Reginal Wright, M.M., as Lecturer in Choral Music in Baylor’s School of Music. Wright comes to Baylor from Mansfield High School in Mansfield, TX, and has earned many awards over the span of his 20-year career as an educator, including Educator of the Year, Outstanding Teacher, and Who’s Who Among American’s Teachers. He also was nominated for the University Interscholastic League (UIL) Sponsor Excellence Award.
Wright is a composer, conductor, and educator who creates works in collaboration with choirs, conductors, and music educators. His style of writing combines melody, rhythm, and text into a collage of musical lines that speak to both performer and listener. As a conductor, he collaborates with choirs of all sizes and skill levels, and he said this type of collaboration is what drew him to Baylor’s School of Music.
“The opportunity to work with Kristina [MacMullen] and Will [McLean] as well as play a role in carrying on the legacy of excellence that has been established at Baylor is what attracted me to this position,” said Wright. “I hope to inspire our future music educators to teach with pride, passion, dignity and benevolence while showing our non-major performers that they can be artistically fulfilled while working toward their educational goals and objectives.”
Wright, who will join Baylor this fall, is a sought-after clinician in both the middle and high school levels and has performed throughout Europe and the United States. Wright’s compositions have been commissioned by middle school, high school, collegiate, and professional choirs, and have been performed by all-state choirs and invited choirs at conferences. His “Invictus” was performed at the 2021 ACDA National Conference and by the 2022 Texas All-State Tenor-Bass Choir. Wright received both his Bachelor and Master of Music Education Degrees from Stephen F. Austin State University.
"I am so delighted to welcome Reggie to our Baylor community,” said Kristina MacMullen, D.M.A., the Mary Gibbs Jones Chair in Music and Director of Choral Activities. He brings integrity, expertise, inspiration, and most importantly, a devotion to the betterment of others. It is an incredibly exciting moment for all of us as we seek to honor the legacy of the past while envisioning the very bright future of choral singing at Baylor. What a joy to begin our journey together!"
Wright said his passion to inform the study and performance of music in a Christian environment is a great honor and will further his focus on bringing communities and musicians together.
“For me, the Christian environment will further focus and inform my teaching as all of my service is unto God,” Wright said. “What an honor it will be to mentor and model this for our future educators and leaders. I feel that choral music is the best avenue to bring people from unrelated walks of life into one place and unite them toward a common purpose. It is the most authentic subset of our society and performing in a choir brings forth a cohesion of humanity that is seldom found in the world today.”
ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked Research 1 institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 20,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.
ABOUT THE BAYLOR SCHOOL OF MUSIC
Celebrating more than 100 years of musical excellence, the Baylor University School of Music provides transformational experiences that prepare students for careers in music. Students thrive in a Christian environment characterized by a nurturing resident faculty, an unwavering pursuit of musical excellence, a global perspective, dedication to service and devotion to faith. They investigate the rich musical and cultural heritage of the past, develop superior musical skills and knowledge in the present, and explore and create new modes of musical expression for the future. While preparing for future leadership roles, students join with School of Music faculty in enhancing the quality of community life, enriching the larger culture and making Baylor a place in which heart, mind and soul coalesce. Baylor’s School of Music is a member of the National Association of Schools of Music and the Texas Association of Music Schools. Degree programs include bachelor’s and master’s degrees in performance, music education and academic majors, as well as doctoral degrees in church music. Degrees leading to the Bachelor of Music Education conform to certification requirements of the Texas Education Agency. Visit the School of Music website to learn more.