Dr. Juan Hernández
West Texas Symphony appoints Dr. Juan Hernández as Chamber Chorale director
Dr. Juan Hernández has been appointed as the new director of the Chamber Chorale, according to the West Texas Symphony.
Hernández, who served as interim Chorale director last season, has the qualifications and experience for the role, said West Texas Symphony Executive Director Ethan Wills.
“The Chorale is the principal choral ensemble in West Texas and was instrumental in the founding of WTS in 1962,” Wills said. “The group presents masterworks of the choral repertoire, ranging from Handel’s Messiah and the Brahms’ Requiem, to Duke Ellington’s Sacred Concert and music from the Broadway stage. Membership is open to all singers high school age and older. An audition is required.”dsa
In addition to his role at the West Texas Symphony, Hernández serves as director of Choral Activities and director of Vocal Studies at Odessa College, where he conducts the A Cappella Choir and Vocal Ensemble and teaches courses in Music Appreciation, Voice, and Diction, according to West Texas Symphony. Additionally, he is the music director at Westminster Presbyterian Church of Odessa.
Prior to his current role, Dr. Hernández served as director of Choral Activities at the University of New Mexico, where he taught graduate and undergraduate courses related to choral music. He was also the music director at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church of Albuquerque, and director of the Madrigal Singers of Albuquerque, according to the Symphony. He holds a Doctor of Music and a Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting from Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, as well as a Bachelor of Music in Choral Conducting from Los Andes University (Colombia).
“Dr. Hernández’s passion for Latin American music has motivated him to arrange and self-publish a broad range of popular and folk pieces for choral ensembles, expanding the exposure of distinct styles of repertoire to diverse audiences, and contributing to the cultural enrichment of those who have yet to encounter this genre in the choral setting,” the West Texas Symphony states.
Want to see the Chamber Chorale in action? The next performances include the Fall Recital on Oct. 24 at Wagner & Brown Auditorium at Midland College, and the Chorale Spring Recital on May 19, 2024, location TBD. The Chamber Chorale will also perform with the West Texas Symphony orchestra at their Masterworks II performance, “An Americana Salute to Our Veterans’ and the annual “Sounds of the Season” concert on Dec. 2, 2023.
Visit WTXS.ORG for concert details and tickets.
