Music Director: Randy Hooper

Dr. Randall Hooper is on the faculty at TAMU-Commerce as the Director of Choral Activities as the conductor of the University Chorale and Chamber Singers while overseeing the masters program in choral conducting and teaching undergraduate courses in conducting and music education.

Dr. Hooper earned the Bachelor of Music of Education degree from Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas, where he was named an LBJ Outstanding student and a Presser Scholar, the Master of Music degree in choral conducting from Baylor University, Waco, Texas, where he studied with Donald Bailey and graduated with distinction, and the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in choral conducting from Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where he studied with Kenneth Fulton.

Prior to his position at TAMU-Commerce, Dr. Hooper held similar positions at Tennessee Tech University, Georgia State University and taught high school choral music for eleven years in Texas.

Dr. Hooper has been invited to conduct honor choirs and adjudicate throughout the south and southwest. Choirs under Dr. Hooper’s leadership have performed in Carnegie Hall, by invitation for the Southern Division of the American Choral Directors Association, the Tennessee Music Educators Association Conference, the Georgia Music Educators Association and for the International Anthony Burgess Foundation Symposium in Liverpool, England along with touring Germany, Austria, England and France. Dr. Hooper has presented interest sessions on “teaching choirs to sing musically” and “teaching music literacy in the choral rehearsal.” In 2005, Dr. Hooper was invited to present a paper on the choral music of Anthony Burgess for the International Anthony Burgess Foundation Symposium in Manchester, England which was published in Anthony Burgess and Modernity, a collection of papers presented at the inaugural symposium.

Dr. Hooper is also actively involved with church music and musical theatre. He has served as music director for churches in Texas, Louisiana, Tennessee and Georgia. He has served as the musical director for San Marcos Summer Theatre, Playmakers of Baton Rouge, LA and the Cookeville Children’s Theatre in Cookeville, TN.

Organist: Edwin Walker

Edwin Walker has filled the Kavanaugh Sanctuary with music since 1982.

He holds a Bachelor’s of Music in Piano Performance from Millsaps College, and a Master’s of Music in Piano Performance from Southern Methodist University. He did post-graduate organ study with Tom Froehlich, organist at First Presbyterian Church in Dallas.

Edwin is a court reporter for the Northeast Texas Foster Care Docket and Sabine Valley Child Protection Court. When he isn’t listening to a wide variety of music, he enjoys cycling and workouts in his spare time

Choir Directors

Chancel Choir: Randy Hooper

Handbell Choir: Patrick Just

Kavanaugh Choristers: Randy Hooper

Cherub Choir: Catherine Just