Keith Gates: Music

David A. Waybright received his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees at Marshall University and the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in orchestral conducting from the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. He taught initially at Wahama High School in Mason, West Virginia and since that time has served as Director of Bands at Ferrum College, Plymouth State College, and Director of Bands and Orchestra at McNeese State University. Dr. Waybright is currently Director of Bands at the University of Florida, where he holds the rank of professor and is the head of the conducting area. He directs the wind symphony and supervises the band program and the graduate and undergraduate conducting curricula. Dr. Waybright is in demand as a guest conductor and clinician with wind bands, orchestras, and choirs, and has appeared in that capacity in most of the 50 states, Europe, Asia and Australia. He has held residencies at many of the nation's leading music schools. In addition, he is active in the commissioning and performance of new music and has won the praise of composers such as Dana Wilson, Michael Torke, Donald Grantham, John Corigliano and Leslie Bassett for his interpretation of their works. There are many recordings available featuring the University of Florida Wind Symphony under his direction. Dr. Waybright is a lifetime member of the World Association of Symphonic Bands and Ensembles. He has conducted concerts at three WASBE conferences, most recently Singapore 2005; he also conducted the American Chamber Winds at the Manchester, England conference in 1991, and the All New England Intercollegiate Wind Ensemble in Skien, Norway in 1983. He is co-founder and principal conductor of The American Chamber Winds, whose recent recording The Art of the Serenade has been widely acclaimed. Dr. Waybright is an elected member of The American Bandmasters Association, and ensembles under his direction have played at conferences of that organization in 1999 and 2005, and numerous additional conferences of the College Band Directors National Association, Music Educators National Conference, and the Florida Music Educators Association. Dr. Waybright is also a member of Pi Kappa Lambda, a National Arts Associate honorary of Sigma Alpha Iota, and an honorary member of Phi Mu Alpha, Tau Beta Sigma and Kappa Kappa Psi.