Christmas With The Chorale 2016

Owen Griffin

Owen Griffin, Organist, joined The Contemporary Chorale for the first time as a Guest Artist. Mr. Griffin graduated from Baylor University in 1972 with a Bachelor of Music Education, and again in 1979 with a Master of Music. Mr. Griffin has toured nationally and internationally with various performance organizations; The Continental Singers in the summer of 1973, the Christian band, “New Hope”, from 1976-77, and was a Crusade Keyboard Artist for the Billy Graham Association singers, John Wesley White, Howard Jones, and Ralph Bell. He has also collaborated with classical singers such as New York City Opera artist LaMarcus Miller.

He spent several years as Music Associate and Organist at Hyde Park Baptist Church in Austin, Texas, before retiring in 2014. Mr. Griffin has taught theory, aural skills, and piano at the university level, and recently served as a collaborative pianist at Texas Women’s University in Denton. He is currently on staff as a collaborative pianist at Dallas Baptist University where he accompanies singers and the Legacy choral ensemble, and serves as the organist at Denton Bible Church. Mr. Griffin is in demand as an arranger, orchestrator, free-lance organist, and collaborative pianist. He and his wife, Libby, have two grown children.

Wes Moore

Wes Moore, Baritone, serves as Chairman of the Department of Music and Associate Dean of the College of Fine Arts, and has received critical acclaim as a performer across the United States in opera and oratorio, as well as many concert appearances throughout the United States. He has sung roles with the Fort Worth Opera,Arlington Opera, Cimarron Circuit Opera, Texas Gilbert & Sullivan Company, the symphony orchestras of Kansas City, Oklahoma City, Fort Worth, Naples, Florida, Lewisville, Northeast Chamber Orchestra, Fort Worth Baroque Society, Choral Society of Georgia, and the Texas Camerata, where he has performed many of the major baritone oratorio roles.

At DBU, in addition to his administrative duties, he teaches private voice, and advises the undergraduate vocal performance majors. His students have won numerous competitions, gone on to sing professionally and study at Manhattan School of Music, University of Colorado at Boulder, Southern Methodist University and the University of North Texas. He holds voice degrees from Oklahoma Baptist University and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, as well as the D.M.A. in Vocal Performance from the University of North Texas where he studied with Jeffrey Snider. He has done additional study at Oklahoma State University and Yale University. Memberships include National Association of Teachers of Singing, College Music Society, and Phi Kappa Lambda. Other teachers and coaches include, Jack Pearson, Frank Stovall, Joan Wall, Edward Baird, and Harold Heiberg. He is also currently serving as Director of Music and the Arts at Big Springs Baptist Church in Garland. Wes and his wife, Melanie, have one seventeen-year-old daughter, Zoe.

Song List

• Ding! Dong! Merrily on High
• Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day
• Ding-a Ding-a Ding
• Hasten Christmas Medley
• Sweet Little Jesus Boy
• Sans Day Carol
• Glow
• A Hanukkah Remembrance
• Traditional Carol Sing-Along
• The Virgin Mary Had a Baby Boy
• We Three Kings
• Christmas Time Is Here
• I Love the Winter Weather
  (with "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm")
• The Little Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth
• Winter Song
• 'Zat You, Santa Claus?
• Don't Save It All for Christmas Day