International Choir
The premier choral ensemble on campus,Wayland’s International Choir was created in 1949 by Dr. Shelby Collier. The choir has maintained a reputation for excellence as it has performed throughout the United States and abroad.
The choir tours extensively each year, singing for schools, churches and other events throughout the Southwest and abroad. This outstanding choir has been selected to sing for such prestigious audiences as the Southwest Division of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), the Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA), the American-Czech Choral Festival in Prague, the Baptist General Convention of Texas and the Baptist Convention of New Mexico. The choir recently toured Hong Kong and Shenzhen, China, performing in various locations.
Membership in International Choir is by audition only. Choir members represent students from virtually every discipline on campus. If the student loves to sing and has had previous choral experience, he or she is eligible to audition for this premier ensemble.
Wayland Singers
Wayland Singers is a non-audition mixed choir representing students from across campus. Rehearsing three times each week, Wayland Singers presents fall, Christmas and spring concerts in Harral Auditorium, the university’s main concert hall. In addition, the choir sings in area churches and in chapel each semester and often combines with the International Choir to perform major works with the Plainview Symphony.
Spirit
The choral ensemble Spirit was formed in 1976, originally called the Spirit of America Singers. The group name was shortened to Spirit and now consists
of 10 singers selected by audition. Spirit is a very diverse musical group performing contemporary and oldies pop music, show choir music, contemporary Christian, gospel and jazz . Due to their busy performance and recruiting schedule, students in Spirit are paid an hourly minimum wage. In order to audition, any student, music or non-music major, must also be a participant in Wayland Singers or International Choir.
Spirit’s recent honors include two performances at the TMEA convention and singing of the National Anthem at two NBA San Antonio Spurs basketball games. Spirit also travels to various cities throughout the United States for concerts, including Wayland campuses located in other areas such as Alaska and Hawaii.
About the Directors
Wayland Singers--- Dr. Debra Buford
Dr. Debra Buford has served on the faculty of Wayland Baptist University since 2003 as the Director of Vocal Music Education. Dr. Buford teaches all elementary and secondary choral methods classes. She also teaches and oversees the piano proficiency exams, music technology, accompanies, supervises student teachers, and helps pre-service teachers prepare for the TEXES music content exam. Dr. Buford serves as the artistic director of the auditioned professional Children’s Chorus of Plainview with performances each semester. Dr. Buford also directed the vocal ensemble SPIRIT for 4 years with appearances at TMEA, NBA Spurs Basketball games, Alaska, Hong Kong, China,(along with the International Choir under the direction of Scott Herrington) and the development of a CD Studio project.
Dr. Buford has 11 years of public school teaching experience in grades K-12. During this time, students under her direction achieved UIL Division I Ratings for choir, state solo and ensemble, sweepstakes honors, and placement of students in the Texas All-State Choir. Choirs under Dr. Burford’s leadership earned festival sweepstakes, Best in Class, and Grand Champion Honors at Choir Festivals in Texas, Florida and California. Over a four year period, students under her leadership received over $200,000 in college music scholarships.
Dr. Buford continues to serve as a UIL Region and State adjudicator, choir clinician, and presenter for Title I school districts and music conventions including TMEA, Dallas ISD, San Antonio ISD, Midland ISD, Lubbock ISD and NAFME (formerly MENC).
Her most recent endeavors include teaching the Level III Kodaly Conducting course for Fort Worth ISD. The course concluded with a concert of Fort Worth Music Educators conducted by Dr. Buford in Bass Hall downtown Fort Worth, Texas. Dr. Buford received an appointment from the State Board of Education in May 2011 to serve as an Expert Reviewer for committees writing revisions of the TEKS for music, theater, art, and dance.
Dr. Buford is also one of the new performers associated with the Ken Davis Chorale that will be performing in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex several times a year. The Chorale is under the direction of Ken Davis, former director of Texas Tech University and a former member of the Robert Shaw Chorale.
Dr. Buford is a member of CMS,TMEA, ACDA, OAKE, and NAFME.
Dr. Buford is the wife of Joel Christopher Buford and the mother of 3 daughters, 3 son-in-laws, and 1 granddaughter. She is also the stepmother of 3 boys.
International Choir --- Dr. Hyung Chae
Dr. Hyung Sek (John) Chae, a native Korean, serves as Assistant Professor of Music and Director of Church Music at Wayland Baptist University joining the faculty in 2012. Dr. Chae coordinates the church music curriculum and the choral program. In addition, Dr. Chae teaches Church Music classes, Conducting, Choral Conducting, International Choir, and the newly formed Praise Ensemble Lab. Prior to joining Wayland Baptist University, he taught at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and Texas Tech University. Dr. Chae also serves as the founding artistic director of an auditioned community choral ensemble, Jubilate Women’s Choir in Lubbock, TX. Dr. Chae holds degrees from Korea Baptist Theological University, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and Texas Tech University.
Dr. Chae has had more than twenty-five years of diverse successful church music and worship experiences at multiple levels and contexts including music ministry at Suwon Central Baptist Church (which had over 15,000 members) in Suwon, Korea. He had six years of public school teaching experience in grades K-12. He continues to serve as a UIL Region and State adjudicator, choir clinician, and guest conductor. He loves working enthusiastically to foster healthy vocal development, to create positive vertical teaming experiences, and to encourage life-long participation in music activities. He has conducted choral festivals in Korea and the United States and served as a cooperating teacher for diverse music seminars/ festivals. He has participated and performed in many choral/vocal conferences, including WCA (World Choral Festival), ACDA (American Choral Directors Association), NATS (National Association of Teachers of Singing), TMEA (Texas Music Educators Association), KFCM (Korea Federation of Choral Music), Far East Broadcasting Company Choral Festival (Seoul and Teajeon, Korea), Calvin Symposium on Worship, and the National Endowment of the Arts’ American Masterpieces Music Festival. Dr. Chae is a member of ACDA, TCDA, TMEA, NATS, IFCM, CMS, and the Hymn Society.
Dr. Chae is married to Heejae and has two sons, Soomin and Soohyun.
Contact Information
Dr. Debra Flournoy Buford
| 1900 West 7th Street - CMB 1286 Plainview, Texas 79072 |
Office : HMC 128 |
Phone:: (806) 291- 1075 Fax: (806) 291-1967 |
Dr. Hyung Sek Chae
| 1900 West 7th Street - CMB 1286 Plainview, Texas 79072 |
Office : HMC 132 |
Phone:: (806) 291- 1067 Fax:: (806) 291-1967 |
The School of Music at Wayland Baptist University is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Music