Bailey Named Northern Colorado Honored Alumnus
Dr. Donald Bailey, director of choral activities and The Mary Gibbs Jones Professor of Music at Baylor University, has been recognized as an Honored Alumnus by the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley for excelling at personal and professional endeavors.
Bailey, who was honored for his contributions to music, received the award during Northern Colorado's homecoming weekend Sept. 29-30.
"Dr. Howard Skinner, who is UNC's director of choirs and former acting president of the university, called me to say that he had nominated me for the award and that was quite an honor in itself," Bailey said. "He was my mentor when I was working on my doctorate at Northern Colorado. I have to give him a great deal of credit because he was the person who gave me the most inspiration for my career. It's certainly a great honor and very humbling to have received this award."
A 1965 summa cum laude graduate of Eastern New Mexico University with a bachelor's degree in music education, Bailey earned his master's degree in vocal performance from Eastern New Mexico and his doctorate in conducting from the University of Northern Colorado. Before joining Baylor's School of Music in 1993, he held similar positions at Arizona State University, Texas Tech University, Houghton College and Eastern New Mexico.
At Baylor, Bailey conducts the A Cappella Choir and Chamber Singers and teaches choral conducting. Under his direction, the A Cappella Choir has performed at major conventions, including the American Choral Directors Association National Convention, the Texas Music Educators Association, the Texoma Region National Association of Teachers of Singing, the Southwestern Division of the College Band Directors Association and the Baptist General Convention of Texas. Additionally, his choirs have appeared with orchestras in New York, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.
A frequent guest conductor and clinician, Bailey has led more than 350 clinics during the last decade and conducted all-state choirs in Alabama, Colorado, New Mexico, New York, Tennessee and Texas. He will be the guest conductor for the Delaware all state choir this spring. Bailey also has appeared as a guest conductor at both Carnegie Hall and Avery Fisher Hall in Lincoln Center. In 1985, he was selected by the Universal Academy of Music to conduct the European Choir Tour of America's Youth In Concert.
Active as a composer, Dr. Bailey is represented by Gentry Publications (Before the Paling of the Stars; Lo, How A Rose E'er Blooming; Lullalay, Thou Little Tiny Child and I Saw Three Ships) and Alliance Music Publications (Fair Lucy; Amid A Crowd of Stars; Music, When Soft Voice Die; I Am A Poor Wayfarin' Stranger and This Lonesome Valley).