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Biography
Robert H. Young was born in Santa Cruz,
California, on April 20, 1923. After serving in the U. S. Marine
Corps from 1941 to 1945 (including Pearl Harbor, shortly after the
attack), he earned a Bachelor of Music degree from Otterbein College,
Master of Music from Northwestern University, and a Doctor of Musical Arts
from the University of Southern California.
His dissertation at USC was entitled
"The History of Baptist Hymnody in England from 1612 to 1800." In
1997, he was named Distinguished Music Alumnus at Otterbein College.
He served as minister of music at churches in Huntington Park, Oakland,
and Los Angeles, California, and was on the faculties of San Francisco
Baptist College and the Worship and Arts Conference in Green Lake,
Wisconsin.
Dr. Young joined the faculty of Baylor
University in 1962 where he remained until retirement in 1993. Through his
thirty-year tenure, he was intern Chairman of Church Music, Chairman of
Vocal Studies, Chairman of Graduate Studies, and director of the Baylor
Chamber Singers, a 16-voice ensemble he founded in 1962 and that attained
a national reputation for excellence under his guidance. The Baylor
Chamber Singers have been heard in churches and schools throughout the
United States. It was his work with the Baylor Chamber Singers and
the beautiful performance venue of the Armstrong Browning Library that
provided much of the inspiration for his numerous choral compositions.
Dr. Young retired after twenty-seven
years as Choirmaster at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Waco. He was
Conductor Emeritus of the Baylor Chamber Singers. Active in TMEA,
ACDA and TCDA, he held the office of Vice President of the
Church/Community Division of TCDA from 1994-1996. As an
award-winning member of ASCAP, Dr. Young had more than 100 choral
compositions published by some of the most prestigious publishing
companies in the United States, including Gentry Publications, Alliance
Music Publications, Carl Fischer, Colla Voce Publications, and National
Music Publishers.
Dr. Robert H. Young passed away on July
29, 2011 at the age of 88. His ashes are interred in a garden of
honor at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Waco, Texas.
(Information for this article was
obtained from various websites, including Baylor University, as well as
the webmaster's personal knowledge.)
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