A native of Waycross, GA, Dr. Williams earned his Bachelor of Music Education degree from Valdosta State University, Master of Music degree in Conducting from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Conducting from The University of Texas at Austin.

Before teaching at the university level, Dr. Williams served as Associate Director of Bands at McKinney High School and Director of Bands at Faubion Middle School in McKinney Independent School District in McKinney, TX. During his public school teaching career, bands under his leadership consistently received superior ratings for their high-level performances.
Dr. Williams is an active guest conductor, clinician, and adjudicator. He conducts district, regional, and professional bands throughout the United States with recent appearances as Guest Artistic Director and Conductor of the Dallas Winds, and Guest Conductor of The United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own.” Dr. Williams is the recipient of numerous awards and honors including the 2015 College Band Directors National Association Mike Moss Diversity Fellowship, the 2018 Reynolds Conducting Institute Fellowship (inaugural), and named a semi-finalist and finalist in 2018-2019 for The American Prize in Conducting — professional and college/university band division.
In addition to teaching and conducting, he is a contributing author to the latest volume of Teaching Music Through Performance in Band, a teaching resource guide, and has presented at the Midwest Clinic International Band and Orchestra Conference on topics regarding the first years of teaching for aspiring and novice music educators.

Born in Louisiana, Donnie Ray Albert earned a Bachelor of Music Degree at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and a Master of Music Degree from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX. His voice teachers included Victor Klimash, Bruce Foote and Thomas Hayward. Mr. Albert spent two summers as an apprentice at Wolf Trap.

Upon graduating from SMU, Mr. Albert began his operatic and concert career in the summer of 1975 with Houston Grand Opera as Parson Alltalk in TREEMONISHA. Mr. Albert would subsequently go on to perform in ten HGO productions including the award winning tours of PORGY AND BESS and SHOWBOAT.

Thirteen years of Mr. Albert’s career were as a Bass-Baritone. In 1988, the switch to Baritone repertoire proved to be a welcome fit which led to engagements by most of the major opera companies and orchestras in North America and Europe. Highlights include TOSCA (Scarpia) in Portland, New York City Opera, Atlanta & Giessen; AIDA (Amonasro) in Washington, DC, Köln, Boston, Montreal, and Stade de France; NABACCO in Vancouver, Florentine Opera, La Scala; RIGOLETTO in Miami, New York City, Arizona, Mannheim, and Vancouver; OTELLO (Jago) in Sacramento, Kentucky Opera, Hamburg; UN BALLO IN MASCHERA (Renato) in Utah, Chicago Lyric and Los Angeles; THE FLYING DUTCHMAN in Austin, Köln, Arizona; MACBETH in Columbus, Ohio & Köln; LA TRAVIATA (Germont) Metropolitan Opera in the Parks; DIE WALKÜRE (Wotan) in Austin and Tokyo, Japan; SIEGFRIED (Wanderer) in Tokyo, Japan; TALES OF HOFFMANN (Villains) Houston, Köln, Prague National Theater, and Covent Garden.

Orchestral engagements have been in Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Jerusalem, London, Cleveland, Toronto, and New York. Mr. Albert has collaborated with notable conductors, John DeMain, James Conlon, Paavo Järvi, Riccardo Muti, Zubin Mehta, Alexander Joel, John Fiore and Karel Mark Chichon.

Mr. Albert can be heard on RCA’s PORGY AND BESS (Grammy 1977 – Best Opera Recording and the Grand Prix du Disc); THE RISE AND FALL OF THE CITY OF MAHAGONNY( 2 Grammys: 2008 Best Opera Recording and Best Classical Album) conducted by James Conlon; EMI’s EINE FLORENTINISCHE TRAGÖDIE, also conducted by James Conlon. Mr. Albert’s discography can be found on CD Baby and Amazon.com.

Mr. Albert has also been an Affiliate Artist and one of the original Resident Artists with the Center for Black Music Research Ensemble (CBMRE) at Columbia College in Chicago. Other awards include the 1992 Alumnus Of the Year at L.S.U. School of Music, the 2010 Musical Legend Award by the Shiloh Baptist Church in Baton Rouge, LA, the 2010 Lift Every Voice Legend Award from the National Opera Association and the 2012 DMMA/NANM Musician of the Year Award.

Hailed as “A world-class virtuoso” and “an expert at defining darks, lights, shadows and colors,” Bradley Hunter Welch is increasingly in demand as a recitalist, concerto soloist, and collaborative artist.  A native of Knoxville, TN, Bradley holds the Doctor of Musical Arts, Master of Musical Arts, Master of Music degrees, and the Artist Diploma from Yale University where he studied with Thomas Murray and Martin Jean.  He also holds the Bachelor of Music degree magna cum laude from Baylor University where he studied with Joyce Jones.

Dr. Welch is the 2003 First Place winner of the Dallas International Organ Competition and was also awarded the Audience Prize for the second time, having previously won it in 2000. He was Director of Music & Arts at Highland Park United Methodist Church in Dallas, TX from 2009 to 2014 and currently devotes his full-time attention to a thriving solo concert career. Between his concert and recording engagements, Dr. Welch serves as Artist-in-Residence at Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church in Dallas.In addition to these duties, he performs approximately 20 concerts annually under the exclusive artistic management of Phillip Truckenbrod Concert Artists, Hartford, CT.

His premier recording is the first solo organ recording of the Cliburn Organ at Broadway Baptist Church.  Bradley is married to Kara Kirkendoll Welch, a flutist in the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and Adjunct Professor of Flute at Southern Methodist University.  They have a son–Ethan Hunter Welch–and a daughter–Avery Kristine Welch.