BIOGRAPHY
John Lee Bonner is a choir director, composer, and educator. He is currently the Director of Music at Grace in The Heights Methodist Church in Houston, TX. As a former high school choir director, he has worked at Travis High School in Fort Bend ISD, Victoria East High School in Victoria ISD, and Friona High School in Friona ISD where he has taught choir, band, and AP Music Theory. Choirs under his direction have received consistent top ratings and accolades at festivals and contests. Currently, he sings with the Houston Symphony Chorus. 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.
From 2018-2022, John was the Choir Director at Victoria East High School. During this time, he also served as Director of Music Ministries at Trinity Episcopal Church in Victoria where he led the Trinity Choir. Bonner also worked with Theatre Victoria from 2020-2021 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.). 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 served on the Board of Directors for the Victoria Bach Festival, volunteered on the Leadership Committee for the Texas Choral Directors Association, has committed to various campus and department committees, and provided mentorship to new teachers. He also served as the Region XIV Secretary for the Texas Music Educators Association for four years.
As a chorister, John has performed 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 throughout Texas 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. John has attended the Choral Conducting Workshops at Tyler Junior College where he has worked with Dr. Eric Posada and Dr. Alan Hightower, as well as Howard Payne University where he worked with the HPU Concert Choir under the coaching of Dr. John Dickson. John is continuously expanding his education through reading, workshops, masterclasses, and more.
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 the Houston metropolitan area with his cats Brahms and Phoebe. In his free time, John enjoys attending Astros games, quilting, crafting, reading, going to the firing range, and volunteering. Some of his favorite composers include Joseph Haydn, Claudio Monteverdi, Benjamin Britten, and Eric Whitacre.
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)
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)
Brahms
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Phoebe
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