Conductor, Frank Eychaner

Ensemble Statement: "The University of Texas Permian Basin is a Hispanic Serving Institution in west Texas. The University is located in a deeply rural and isolated area, 86,000 square miles, with a population of just over 2 million, 1.4 million of which are people of color. There are only 400,000 people within 100 miles of the University. As a Hispanic Serving Institution, like our community, 70% of the members of the choir are Hispanic. The University music program was founded in 2004 and has 75 majors, all studying to be music educators. The vision of the program is to place a highly qualified music educator in every music classroom in our region. Our daily routines reflect our purposes. Undergraduate students, with assistance of the director, lead warm-up, rehearse the ensemble, evaluate repertoire, design programs, plan and implement social events and more. Students conduct on every concert. In February, the ensemble presents a concert prepared and conducted entirely by undergraduate students. Repertoire also reflected our purposes and included excellent repertoire that young choral directors would program with their own middle school and high school choirs. Because the singers are preparing to be educators, our members are actively engaged with the music education community. This engagement serves area public school students even as it provides foundational experiences that are critical to future successes of pre-service music educators. While the choir collaborates with professional and community groups annually, our greatest service is to our public school music teachers and their students. We provide facilities for district wide events, skilled volunteers, section leaders for rehearsals, free private voice lessons for deserving students and more. "