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Over 400 high school students, representing 27 schools, will visit Lee University’s campus on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 9-10, to participate in the annual Honor Choir. The event will conclude with a concert, “Carry the Light,” on Feb. 10 at 4 p.m. in the Conn Center.

Each participant was recommended by their high school choral directors to represent their schools at the event. Lee’s Dr. Cameron Weatherford will conduct the Treble Choir as well as the 11th–12th grade choir. University of Kentucky’s Dr. Jeff Johnson will conduct the Tenor/Bass Choir and the 9th–10th grade choir.

The Lee University Chorale, directed by School of Music Dean Dr. William Green, will also perform during the concert.

According to music education professor and event coordinator Lauren Story, this year’s theme is “Carry the Light,” which focuses on music centered around “what it means to look for a light in the world of uncertainty and be a light to those around us.”

The concert will feature selections such as Gibson’s “This Little Light of Mine” and Kirchner’s “Cornerstone.” The program will close out with all choirs coming together to perform Schmidt’s “Lead Me On.”

Weatherford joined Lee’s School of Music faculty in 2021 and conducts the Ladies of Lee and Lee’s Choral Union, along with teaching choral music curriculum. He has received numerous awards in conducting and education and has been an adjudicator and presenter in multiple states and conferences. Weatherford earned a Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) from the University of Kentucky, a Master of Music from the University of Southern Mississippi, and a Bachelor of Music from Louisiana College. 

At the University of Kentucky, Jeff Johnson is director of choral activities and conducts the University Chorale and Men’s Chorus. He also teaches advanced choral conducting, choral methods and literature, and directs the graduate program in choral music. Johnson received a DMA from the University of Colorado, a Master of Music from the University of Tennessee, and a Bachelor of Music from the University of Georgia. He is presently the music director of the Lexington Singers, a 180-voice community chorus and maintains an active schedule as an adjudicator and guest conductor for high school and collegiate choirs throughout the United States.

The Saturday concert is free, non-ticketed, and open to the public. It will also be available for livestream viewing at leeu.live/.

For more information about the Honor Choir or the concert, contact Story at [email protected].