Where Are They Now?
Grammy Award-winning and Baylor alumnus David Phelps receives the award for Exemplary Leadership in Church Music during the Dunn Center for Christian Music Studies 21st Annual Alleluia Conference.
The Dunn Center for Christian Music Studies (DCCMS) celebrated its 21st Annual Conference with several highlight performances and guest appearances in July. Bringing together church musicians from around the country, Alleluia boasted more than 80 breakout sessions, 15 hours of choral and instrumental reading sessions, daily worship gatherings, evening concerts, and more. This past summer saw the largest participation numbers in event history, as well as several once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for both Baylor and conference guests.
On Thursday, July 20, the DCCMS awarded Baylor alumnus David Phelps (B.M. '92, applied music, voice) with the award for Exemplary Leadership in Church Music. The next evening, Phelps presented a concert in Jones Concert Hall to a sold-out crowd. A graduate from Baylor University, Phelps is credited among today’s most spectacular voices. His seemingly endless vocal range, which extends more than three octaves, coupled with his gift for communicating a song, has brought the house down in the world’s most prestigious venues. He served as a member of the popular and prestigious Gaither Vocal Band for nearly 20 years, and during that time received numerous Dove Awards, two Grammy Awards, and multiple platinum-selling recording projects.
Other significant highlights from Alleluia include the 50th anniversary performance of Bill and Gloria Gaither’s work, “Alleluia: A Praise Gathering for Believers.” This performance brought together a one-hundred voice choir and orchestra from the Central Texas Choral Society, Park Cities Baptist Church, Dallas, and Trinity Baptist Church, San Antonio. In addition to this special moment, the conference hosted a plenary with guest Bill Gaither. This conversation shined a spotlight on the life and legacy of Bill and Gloria’s contributions to the music of the church.
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Laura Angelone (M.M. ’23, performance, clarinet) has accepted a clarinet position with the Navy Fleet Band, after winning her audition in August. Congratulations, Laura!
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Hayden Coie (B.M. ’16, piano pedagogy; M.M. ’18, piano performance and pedagogy) presented a session called “Engaging the Mind and the Heart” for the online National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy in June.
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Ziyue Gao (M.M. ’23, piano performance and pedagogy) gave a lightning talk titled “Analogy: A Magical Teaching Tool for Piano Technique and Concepts” and taught in a master-masterclass in the Collegiate Chapter Conference of the Texas Music Teachers Association state conference in Waco, TX, in June.
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Ricardo Hamaury Gómez (M.M. '17, performance, violin) played Tchaikovsky with the Monterrey Mexican Symphony in December 2022. He also performed in Weill Recital Hall in the first Semper Pro Musica Competition Winners Recital at Carnegie Hall in New York City. Gómez is currently a violin teacher at Escuela Superior De Música UAdeC and second assistant to the concertmaster at Orquesta Filarmónica del Desierto, Coahuila de Zaragoza.
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Jessica Green (B.M.E. ’23, instrumental music, flute) received a $250 Classroom Set-Up grant from her Texas Association of Certification Officers (TACO) group. TACO was created to provide a forum for sharing ideas and common concerns among the educator preparation programs and school districts of the State of Texas.
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Sean Kime (B.M.E. ’14, instrumental music, bass) was elected as member-at-large to the Texas Orchestra Directors Association (TODA) Board of Directors in July at the TODA Annual Conference. He will serve on the Board for the next five years, culminating in being TODA President in 2028. Sean is currently an assistant orchestra director at Seven Lakes High School in Katy ISD. Sic ‘em, Sean!
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Nathan Little (B.M. ’19, performance, trumpet) won the top spot at the trumpet audition for the U.S. Army Field Band in Washington, D.C. The Field Band is the Army’s premiere touring musical organization, performing upwards of 400 concerts per year. Little formerly served as principal trumpet of the Las Colinas Symphony Orchestra and currently holds the 2nd trumpet position in the Amarillo Symphony Orchestra. He received his M.M. at the University of North Texas and his Performer's Diploma from Southern Methodist University. Congratulations, Nathan!
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Yinying Luo (M.M. ’23, church music with organ concentration) was appointed organist and associate minister of music at Montview Boulevard Presbyterian Church in Denver, CO. We’re so proud of you, Yinying!
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Vincent Pham (M.M. ’23, performance) was appointed associate director of music and organist at St. Theresa Catholic Church in Austin, TX. Sic ‘em, Vincent!
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Exciting news from the Saxophone Studio! Cole Allex (M.M. ’23, performance) accepted a teaching position at Tennyson Middle School in Waco, TX; Zach Lancaster (M.M. ’23, performance) is now teaching at Craig Middle School in Abilene, TX; and Jacob Cunningham (B.S. and Secondary Music Major, ’23) is staying to be an O.D. at the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine in Forth Worth, TX, and teaches private saxophone lessons. Former students Chandler Davis, Cameron Clements and John Wardlaw continue their service in the Navy Fleet Bands in HI, VA and Japan, respectively; Steve Longoria continues his service as the section leader of the President’s Own Marine Band in Washington D.C.; Patrick Lenz (B.M. ’17, composition) continues his service in the Air Force Band in Washington D.C. as staff arranger/composer; Eli Gonzales and Michelle Acton recently retired from the Washington D.C. Army Concert and Ceremonial Bands, respectively, after 20-plus years of service; and Mary Gants is also retired from the Air Force Bands, where she serviced two tours of duty. Sic ‘em, Saxes!