BIOGRAPHY

John Lee Bonner is the Choir Director at Victoria East High School in Victoria, Texas where he conducts several choirs. Bonner is the conductor of Camerata Victoria, a chamber choir dedicated to bringing high quality choral music to the Texas Crossroads in a modern and engaging way. He serves as Director of Music Ministries at Trinity Episcopal Church in Victoria where he leads the Trinity Choir. Bonner also works with Theatre Victoria as the Music Director for shows (Honky Tonk Laundry and Legally Blonde the Musical) and Triple Threat Musical Theater Summer Camp (Disney's The Little Mermaid JR., Seussical JR.).  Bonner maintains an active role as a volunteer in his community. Currently, John serves on the Board of Directors for the Victoria Bach Festival, volunteers on the Leadership Committee for the Texas Choral Directors Association, is committed to various campus and department committees, and provides mentorship to new teachers. He also serves as the Region XIV Secretary for the Texas Music Educators Association. In addition, John is committed to inclusive education, inclusive language, and social justice issues. As an educator, Mr. Bonner serves and champions underserved/ underrepresented students.


​John spent three years (2015-2018) as the Choir Director and Assistant Band Director at Friona High School in Friona, Texas where he also taught AP Music Theory. In addition, John served as the Music Director at Friona United Methodist Church from 2014-2018. Before directing music at FUMC, John served as a scholarship singer at FUMC-Canyon (TX), FUMC-Portales (NM), and Kingswood UMC in Clovis, NM. He has performed throughout New Mexico, Texas, New York, and Washington, D.C..  John has performed as a chorister in Brahms' Requiem with the Santa Fe Symphony and Symphony Chorus, Haydn's Missa in tempore belli at Carnegie Hall, Handel's Messiah, Mozart's Requiem, Beethoven's Symphony Number 9 (Finale), and Verdi's Requiem.  In addition, John has performed in choirs in Oklahoma City at the American Choral Director's Association National Convention, at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and in New York at Carnegie Hall.  Furthermore, John has played tuba with the Eastern New Mexico University Symphonic Band and piano with the Eastern New Mexico University Jazz Combo.

John has served as a clinician for various schools in the Texas Panhandle and New Mexico.  He has worked with the West Texas A&M University Collegiate Choir, West Texas A&M University Chorale, West Texas A&M University Chamber Singers, Eastern New Mexico University Chamber Singers, the Eastern New Mexico University Singers, and was Musical Director and Conductor of the Clovis - Portales Community Orchestra for the 2011 - 2012 season.  He has traveled to several conventions and workshops throughout the United States including American Choral Directors Association, National Association for Music Education, New Mexico Music Educators Association, and Texas Music Educators Association conventions as well as the Soaring Leap Workshop with Eric Whitacre. Most recently, John has attended the Choral Conducting Workshops at Tyler Junior College and Howard Payne University where he has worked with Dr. Alan Hightower and the HPU Concert Choir under the coaching of  Dr. John Dickson. John is continuously expanding his education through reading, workshops, masterclasses, and more. Currently, Mr. Bonner is researching educational psychology, primarily Vygotsky's theory of the Zone of Proximal Development, and its relationship and application to choral music education. 

Organizations to which John Lee Bonner belongs include: Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, National Association for Music Education, Texas Choral Directors Association, Texas Music Educators Association, and the Gamma Beta Phi Honor Society.

John lives in Victoria, Texas with his pug, Barton, his two terrier mixes, Baxter and Bernstein, and his cats, Brahms and Phoebe. In his free time, John enjoys quilting, crafting, reading, going to the firing range, and volunteering with the Pug Rescue of Austin. Some of his favorite composers include Joseph Haydn, Claudio Monteverdi, Benjamin Britten, and Eric Whitacre.

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EDUCATION
Master of Arts in Teaching
West Texas A&M University, August 2016
Canyon, Texas
studied with: Dr. Beth Garcia

Master of Music in Performance, Choral Conducting
West Texas A&M University, May 2015
Canyon, Texas
studied with: Dr. Sean Pullen, Dr. BJ Brooks

Bachelor of Science in Music, Voice
Music Composition, minor
Eastern New Mexico University, July 2013
Portales, NM
studied with: Dr. Jason Paulk (choir), Dr. Mark DalPorto (composition), Dr. Jason Vest (voice)

Barton

Baxter

Bernstein

Brahms

Phoebe