Dr. Juan Hernández
Chamber Chorale Director

Dr. Juan Hernández is an accomplished and dynamic conductor with over 20 years of experience. Currently serving as Director of Choral Activities and Director of Vocal Studies at Odessa College, he conducts the A Cappella Choir and Vocal Ensemble, while also teaching courses in Music Appreciation, Voice, and Diction. Additionally, he is the Music Director at Westminster Presbyterian Church of Odessa and more recently, he was appointed as Director of West Texas Symphony’s Chorale. 

Prior to his current role, Dr. Hernández served as Director of Choral Activities at the University of New Mexico, where he taught graduate and undergraduate courses related to choral music. He was also the Music Director at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church of Albuquerque, and director of the Madrigal Singers of Albuquerque.

Dr. Hernández's passion for Latin American music has motivated him to arrange and self-publish a broad range of popular and folk pieces for choral ensembles, expanding the exposure of distinct styles of repertoire to diverse audiences, and contributing to the cultural enrichment of those who have yet to encounter this genre in the choral setting.

Dr. Hernández holds a Doctor of Music and a Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting from Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, as well as a Bachelor of Music in Choral Conducting from Los Andes University (Colombia.) He has studied under esteemed conductors such as Robert Porco, William Jon Gray, Dominick DiOrio, Walter Huff, Richard Tang Yuk, Betsy Burleigh, Carmen-Helena Téllez, Manuel Cubides Greiffeinstein, and Werner Pfaff.

Dr. Hyun Kyung Lee
Piano Accompanist

Dr. Hyun Kyung Lee serves as accompanist of the West Texas Symphony Chorale since 2018. She also serves as Music Associate at First Presbyterian Church of Midland since 2015. She is currently an adjunct music faculty of the Department of Music at Midland College, where she offers piano classes, keyboard instruction classes, and accompanies choir and recitals. As an active solo and collaborative organist and pianist, Dr. Lee’s professional life embraces a wide repertoire of styles in church music, choral music, chamber music, orchestra setting, and solo performances while receiving numerous awards and honors. She had multiple opportunities to perform throughout many areas in the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and South Korea.

Dr. Lee holds Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of North Texas, with a major in organ performance under Dr. Jesse Eschbach, and in sacred music under the late Mark Scott. She marked the ending of her studies at the 51st American Liszt Society Festival hosted by UNT in September 2015 as the last performer of the Festival. She holds Master of Music, studying organ with Hirosawa Tzukuto and harpsichord with Mitzui Yasuko, at Elisabeth University of Music in Japan, as well as Bachelor of Music from Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea and. She received full scholarship as the result of receiving the university’s premier award. She also won a scholarship from Otagawa Lion’s Club as a superior student in 2003-2005. She performed organ concertos at the 54th and the 55th annual concerts with the Elisabeth University of Music Symphony. She was invited to perform at the Hiroshima Concert and Nagisa Organ Festival, and has also performed at Cecilia Hall as a top graduate student (summa cum laude) and at the Catholic Association for International Peace as a rising organist. She received honorable mentions for her performances by the Organ Journal and the Korea newspaper Kukmin Ilbo in 2008.

A dedicated educator, Dr. Lee maintains a large studio in Midland. Her piano students are active as well, garnering performance and academic awards for their various achievements. Under her instruction, her current and past students have been top prizewinners at competitions in various festivals and competitions, including local, regional, national, and international piano competitions such as the International Chopin Competition by Fryderyk Chopin Society of Texas, the TMTA Young Artist Performance Contests, and several other national and regional contests. Also, her students have been continually invited to perform at Carnegie Hall, New York.