Church Music Conference

Lev H. Prichard III Endowed Chair in the Study of Black Worship and Professor of Music at Baylor University

Stephen Michael Newby currently serves as The Lev H. Prichard III Endowed Chair in the Study of Black Worship, Professor of Music and as Ambassador for The Black Gospel Music Preservation Program at Baylor University. He formerly served as Minister of Worship at Peachtree Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, GA, and as Director for the Center for African American Worship Studies at Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville, TN. He held a tenured Professor of Music post at Seattle Pacific University, where he also served as Director of University Ministries, Director for the Center for Worship, and Senior Advisor to the University President for Missional Excellence.

He has more than three decades of university-level teaching and administration to his credit. He is a native of Detroit, Michigan, and received his Bachelor of Arts in Vocal Music Education from Madonna University in Livonia, Michigan. He received a Master of Music in Jazz Composition and Arranging from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He returned to Michigan to complete his Doctor of Musical Arts in Composition at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and served as an Assistant Professor of Music Composition and Computer Arts. He received his Master of Arts in Theology from Seattle Pacific Seminary.

For more than 35 years, he has served in various church music ministries in Michigan, Massachusetts, Washington, California, Georgia and Texas. His voice and works have earned awards and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts (Continental Harmony Grant), the King County Arts Commission of Washington, The Rackham School Fellowship for Ethnomusicological Research in Dakar, Senegal, and the John Wesley Work III National Composers’ Award. For more than nine years, he served as national anthem conductor for the Seattle Sounders FC. He created concert music for The Cascade Youth Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Ann Arbor Symphony, Canton Symphony Orchestra, New Haven Symphony, Savannah Symphony, and the New World Theater Orchestra, among others. His concert music works are recorded by Albany Records and Parma Recordings. His gospel music works are recorded and published by Maranatha Music and Newby’s Witness Music. His scholarly works are published by Redemption Press, Oxford University Press and Rowman & Littlefield, his worship and praise choral compositions are published by GIA, Gentry, Fred Bock, and OCP. He writes op-eds for Christianity Today. He is editor for PRO MUNDO—the African American Sacred Music Series with Oregon Catholic Press.

Associate Professor of Music Theory at Baylor University

Horace J. Maxile, Jr. holds the Ph.D. in Musicology (Music Theory emphasis) from Louisiana State University. He also completed studies at Louisiana Tech University (BS Music Education) and Southeastern Louisiana University (MM). Prior to his appointment at Baylor, he taught at The University of North Carolina at Asheville and served as Associate Director of Research at the Center for Black Music Research (Columbia College Chicago). His research interests include the concert music of African-American composers, gospel music, and musical semiotics. Among his publications are articles in Perspectives of New Music, The Annual Review of Jazz Studies, Black Music Research Journal, Journal for the Society of American Music, and American Music. He was Associate Editor of the Encyclopedia of African-American Music (Greenwood Press, 2011). He has served as Editor of the Black Music Research Journal, chair of the Society for Music Theory Committee on Diversity, and as a member of the American Musicological Society Council.

Bio from https://music.baylor.edu/horacejmaxilejr

Lecturer of Choral Music Ensembles at Baylor University

Reginal Wright is a distinguished composer, conductor, and educator with a passion for creating music that resonates deeply with both performers and audiences. Over his 25-year career, he has become a highly sought-after clinician, working with choirs of all levels, from middle school to professional ensembles. His compositions, which skillfully blend melody, rhythm, and text, have been commissioned and performed by a wide range of choirs, including All-State and invited convention choirs.

Reginal has performed extensively across Europe and the United States, bringing his expertise and artistry to a global stage.  As a composer,  His notable work, “Invictus,” was featured at the 2021 ACDA National Convention and performed by the 2022 Texas All-State Tenor-Bass Choir, cementing his reputation as a leading voice in choral music.  His powerful compositions “Where are the Bodies” and “Opportunity” were both featured at Carnegie Hall, with “Where are the Bodies” performed in collaboration with the renowned Dallas-based Turtle Creek Chorale and “Opportunity” presented in 2023 by the Tomball Memorial High School Choir.

In addition to his accomplishments as a composer and conductor, Reginal has earned numerous awards as an educator, demonstrating his commitment to nurturing the next generation of musicians. His works are published and distributed by esteemed publishers such as BriLee, Carl Fisher, Graphite, Hal Leonard, Oxford University Press, Santa Barbara Music Publishing, Walton, and his own publishing company, Reginal Wright Music.

Residing in Arlington, Texas, Reginal continues to inspire through his music, education, and leadership within the choral community.

For more information, visit ReginalWright.com.

DMA Student | Church Music - Vocal Performance

Sylvia Jones, a distinguished vocalist and music educator from the Seattle area, holds a Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Washington, as well as a Master of Music from Baylor University. Currently, Sylvia is pursuing a doctoral degree in Church Music with an emphasis in vocal performance at Baylor under Dr. Kimberly Monzón. Her versatility shines through her repertoire, spanning classical to gospel genres, showcased notably at Carnegie Hall and A Baylor Christmas in 2022. Beyond the concert hall, Sylvia’s research centers on Black sacred music, blending her upbringing in the Black Pentecostal tradition with academic insights. Her doctoral work aims to bridge classical and gospel singing techniques, empowering voice teachers and students alike with tools for musical versatility.

...hailed for his “golden tenor” voice (Times of San Diego).

Tyrese Byrd, tenor, is a native of Greenville, South Carolina, hailed for his “golden tenor” voice (Times of San Diego). Recent performances include Ubaldo (Haydn’s Armida) with Opera NEO and the Hungarian State, Prologue/Peter Quint (The Turn of the Screw) and Pluton/Aristée (Orphée aux Enfers) at the University of Michigan, Police Buddy 1 (Blue) with Toledo Opera, and Don Basilio (Kjartansson’s Bliss) with Detroit Opera. As a 2024 studio artist, Tyrese covered the role of David in Chautauqua Opera’s Pepito (Koch/Benavides) in Love and Longing by the Lake. As a Madison Opera studio artist, Tyrese appeared as Normanno (Lucia di Lammermoor), Mercury (Orpheus in the Underworld), and Don Basilio (Le nozze di Figaro) as a guest artist. Tyrese is also an active concert soloist and recitalist who works to promote music by Black composers. Recent engagements include performances with the Hugo Wolf Akademie in Stuttgart, The Washington Chorus on their Argentinian tour, Toledo Symphony, Akron Symphony, and SC Bach. Tyrese holds degrees from Furman University and the University of Michigan.