Austin College
A Cappella Choir
THE ENSEMBLE
The Austin College A Cappella Choir is the primary vocal ensemble at Austin College. The Choir is made up of students from across campus from all academic areas and of all years. While there are voice majors and minors in the ensemble, most of the members are majoring in other areas. Students are selected through a simple audition and bring many different talents to the group. The Choir performs roughly 10 times each school year in churches, for formal concerts, and in collaborative projects with orchestras and bands.
THE HISTORY OF THE A CAPPELLA CHOIR
The first record of a choir at Austin College comes from about 1901. This was a small group lead by Sherman music teacher George F. Root. The singers at the time were all men attending what was then largely a military school. Other musical ensembles such as a mandolin orchestra and The Quartette (three students and one faculty member) were well-known in north Texas, but the Austin College Choir was the first formal choral ensemble at the college.
When women were admitted to Austin College around 1920, the Austin College Choir became a mixed ensemble in the style of so many college choirs from that era. The Choir would travel to Dallas on the Interurban Train that passed by the college down the center of Grand Avenue (on the median strip that is there now). They would sing for church services and luncheons on a regular basis, and Mr. Root, who was often the only music teacher at Austin College, remained their director into the 1930s. By the time of his retirement, Mr. Root had taught music and directed the choir at Austin College for 35 years, making him the longest tenured choral director in the its history.
After several years without a formal choral ensemble at Austin College, a new choir was formed in the spring of 1942 when Mrs. Paul Silas, the wife of a college professor, took on the task of assembling a vocal ensemble for a student theater production. They practiced for one week, and in the words of Cheebe Vinson, one of the original members, they "sounded about as good as a Ford car hitting on three cylinders." Mrs. Silas - we only know her by that name - kept them at it, and eventually they became a standing choir. Once the run of the play was over, the singers had enjoyed themselves so much that they continued to perform together, culminating that spring in a performance on the radio and a road trip to Dallas to sing at Oak Cliff Presbyterian Church. The Choir traveled to other small towns throughout north Texas to sing for church services and schools.
In 1946, Dr. R. Wayne Bedford came to Austin College to teach psychology. Dr. Bedford was a very skilled singer and choral director who brought his demanding style to what he called the Austin College A Cappella Choir. Under Dr. Bedford, the Choir became nationally and even internationally known. The A Cappella Choir made several recordings during the 11-year tenure of Dr. Bedford, and their hymn singing could be heard on the radio on Sunday mornings well into the 1970s.
Dr. Bedford's efforts paid off when, in 1957, the Choir traveled overseas by way of New York City to sing across Europe. Before they left the United States, they appeared on the "Today" show in New York City, but their crowning achievement was a 3rd place finish at the International Choral Music Festival in Arezzo, Italy where they became the first American choir to earn a prize at that competition. Their three-week long tour took them to command performances at embassies and in concert halls across the continent.
Dr. Bedford was succeeded in 1959 by Bruce G. Lunkley. "Lunk,"as he was known, would direct multiple choirs in his 31 years at AC, but his work always started with the A Cappella Choir. The Choir returned to touring in 1971, and Bruce would take the Choir to Europe six times until his retirement in 1991. He was also instrumental in founding the "C" Association, an alumni organization that established the Endowment that funds the activities of the choral program to this day. That endowment is now the Lunkley Choir Fund. Bruce also began a series of European Alumni Tours and traveled with "his" students even after he retired.
After Bruce retired from the A Cappella Choir in 1991, Paul Fletcher directed the ensemble for four years. During his time, he brought his experience with exceptional choral programs to Austin College and established new standards for tone and precision.
Dr. Wayne Crannell became Director of Choral & Vocal Music at Austin College in 1995 after spending seven years as Director of Choral Activities at Simpson College in Iowa. Wayne immediately sought to expand the scope of the program by adding small ensembles singing jazz, madrigals, and chamber music. He also broadened the repertoire of the A Cappella Choir by placing an emphasis on world and non-western music. Wayne is beginning his 32nd year as the director of the Austin College A Cappella Choir as well as the small ensembles that are formed as requested by the students such as the Austin College Chorale, The Consort, Descant, The Quartette, and The Camerata. Continuing the tradition of international tours, the Choir has traveled to Australia, Spain, France, Germany, Italy, Ireland, England, and Scotland. They have appeared at most of the great cathedrals, including at Notre-Dame Paris for Sunday noon mass.
The pandemic presented many challenges to choirs throughout the world, but through it all, the A Cappella Choir remained a viable performing ensemble. When students returned to Austin College after the worst of the pandemic, rebuilding the A Cappella Choir in a changed world became the highest priority. Five years later, the Choir has returned to full strength by continuing to emphasize singing opportunities for all students regardless of year in school or major. Students are given an important voice in the administration of the ensemble through their contributions as student directors, section leaders, and as members of the Choir Council. The Choir has recently moved into the back wing of Craig Hall where a renovated rehearsal room, voice studio, storage spaces, and a choral library and workroom give the ensemble its first dedicated space since its founding, and the great news is that the re-energized A Cappella Choir is already stretching the facilities to their limit.
A new addition to the vocal/choral area at Austin College for 2026 is the addition of studies in Contemporary and Commercial Vocal Music with options for a customized major in Contemporary Music and Media.
