Allen Henderson holds degrees from Carson Newman College (B.M.), The University of Tennessee (M.M.) and the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati (D.M.A.), where his minor was in Arts Administration and he was winner of the prestigious Corbett-Treigle Opera Competition.

Prior to his appointment as executive director in 2008, he served NATS as district and regional governor and was elected national secretary/treasurer from 2006-2008. He also served as interim executive director from 2007-2008. Henderson was a participant in the 1993 NATS Intern Program and later hosted the program in 1998. He was chair of the coordinating committee for the 2008 NATS 50th National Conference in Nashville, Tennessee.

Henderson has held teaching positions at Oklahoma Baptist University, Austin Peay State University and Georgia Southern University. In these positions he has taught voice, foreign language diction, opera, choral techniques, choral literature, song literature and directed choirs. He also served as music department chair at Austin Peay and Georgia Southern.

As baritone soloist, Henderson has appeared in concert, opera, and oratorio across the country. A district winner and regional finalist in the Metropolitan Opera auditions, Henderson was winner of the 1995 National Federation of Music Clubs Artist Awards. He also was a regional finalist in the NATSAA competition.

allen@nats.org 

Dr. Timothy B. Rhea is director of bands and music activities at Texas A&M University. As director of bands, he serves as administrative head of the university band program (1000 students), serves as conductor of the University Wind Symphony, and is the director of the nationally famous “Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band.” As director of performing ensembles, he additionally oversees the activities of the jazz ensemble, orchestra, and choral programs.

Currently in his twenty-seventh year, he came to Texas A&M University in June of 1993 following a year of public school teaching in LaPorte, Texas (near Houston).

Dr. Rhea is a graduate of DeKalb, Texas High School and grew up in the music programs of the Texas public schools. He earned the Bachelor of Music Education with honors from the University of Arkansas where he was a private conducting student of Eldon A. Janzen. He earned the Master of Music in Wind Conducting from Texas Tech University where he studied with the late James Sudduth. During his time at Tech, he served as assistant conductor of the University Symphonic Band and graduate assistant director and musical arranger to the Texas Tech University Marching Band, where he worked with Keith Bearden. Dr. Rhea was awarded the Doctor of Musical Arts in Wind Conducting and Composition from the University of Houston in May of 1999. In July of 1999, he was awarded the Outstanding Young Bandmaster of the Year for the state of Texas from Phi Beta Mu. In Dec. 2000, Dr. Ray Bowen, former president of Texas A&M University, presented Dr. Rhea with the President’s Meritorious Service Award to Texas A&M University.

Dr. Rhea was named conductor of the TAMU Wind Symphony in 1995. During his tenure at Texas A&M University, Dr. Rhea has conducted the Wind Symphony for conventions of the Texas Music Educators Association (five times), the College Band Directors National Association (two times), the Midwest International Band & Orchestra Clinic, the Western International Band Clinic, and the American Bandmasters Association (2009 convention host), as well as in settings such as New York’s Carnegie Hall, the Meyerson Symphony Center of Dallas and the Wortham Center of Houston, and on tours which have taken the band throughout the state of Texas. On their European tours (1999, 2001, 2004, 2007, 2013), Dr. Rhea has conducted the Wind Symphony during performances in Ireland, England, Austria, Germany, Italy, and the Czech Republic. Under his direction, the Wind Symphony has released several internationally popular compact discs, all with Mark Records in New York.

Dr. Rhea’s tenure with the 420+ member Texas Aggie Band has included performances throughout the United States. In addition to both the Presidential Inaugural Parade in Washington, D.C., and the Texas Governor’s Inaugural in Austin, bowl appearances with the Aggie Band have included the Holiday, Cotton, Sugar, Independence, and Alamo.

In addition to conducting, Rhea maintains a very successful career as an arranger and composer. His output of compositions and arrangements numbers over 300. As a composer, he has received performances at the Midwest International Band Clinic, the Texas Music Educators Association, the Texas Bandmasters Association, the College Band Directors Association, the Cotton Bowl, and the Tournament of Roses Parade. His works are published with TRN Music Publisher, RBC Music Publisher, Southern Music Company, and Arranger’s Publishing Company.

Dr. Rhea maintains an internationally active schedule as conductor, clinician, and adjudicator. He has been extended invitations to membership in both the prestigious American Bandmasters Association and Phi Beta Mu. He is currently vice president and secretary  of The John Philip Sousa Foundation. He is a former president of the American Bandmasters Association, and formerly on the board of directors of the National Band Association. Dr. Rhea additionally holds memberships in the Texas Music Educators Association; Texas Bandmasters Association; College Band Directors National Association; Big 12 Band Directors Association; World Association of Symphonic Bands & Wind Ensembles; American Society of Composers, Authors, & Publishers; Phi Mu Alpha; Phi Kappa Phi; Pi Kappa Lambda; Kappa Delta Pi; and is an honorary member of Kappa Kappa Psi.

musa.tamu.edu

Emily Morgan is a teacher, dancer, and choreographer. Her training is eclectic, largely rooted in Cunningham technique and postmodern release-based technique and complimented by her study of Limón, Graham, and Klein techniques, as well as ballet, kathak, capoeira, yoga, and other forms. She has performed with members of Lower Left Performance Collective in Texas and New Mexico, with Sebastian Prantl in Krems, Austria, Daniel Ashwanden in Vienna, Austria, in work in New York by Stephan Koplowitz and Ellen Cornfield, and in work in North Carolina by Sarah Council, Ashwini Gogate, Ann Dils, Martha Connerton, Jan van Dyke, and BJ Sullivan. Her choreography has been shown in North and South Carolina, Indiana, Florida, Texas, Louisiana, Maryland, New Mexico, and California. Emily’s research is situated in community dance practices and interactive/participatory dance in traditional and non-traditional spaces. This encompasses many other research interests: dance created by and for community members, site-specific dance, and interdisciplinary and/or collaborative performance and pedagogy. She has presented her written and creative research at conferences and festivals throughout the United States and internationally in Mexico, Austria. and Barbados. Emily has taught modern dance, improvisation, choreography, history, world dance forms, ballet, and dance pedagogy, among others. She has taught at Winthrop University, the University of Texas, El Paso, El Paso Community College, University of North Carolina, Greensboro, Elon University, the North Carolina Governor’s School, and at a public magnet arts high school in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Emily holds an M.F.A. in Dance/Choreography from the University of North Carolina, Greensboro, a B.A. in Dance from Denison University in Ohio, and is a doctoral student in dance at Texas Woman’s University.

emily.morgan@colostate.edu