Dr. Timothy Brett Rhea is

director of bands A Director of Bands is the head figure of a marching or concert form of bands, a person who leads a musical ensemble. The Director, by history and tradition, must know all the concepts of music and must be able to teach all different kinds of instr ...

and music activities at

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...

. As director of bands, he leads the university band program, serves as conductor of the Texas A&M Wind Symphony, and coordinates the

Fightin' Texas Aggie Band The Fightin' Texas Aggie Band (also known as the Noble Men of Kyle or just the Aggie Band) is the official marching band of Texas A&M University. Composed of over 400 men and women from the school's Corps of Cadets, it is the largest military ...

marching band A marching band is a group of instrumental musicians who perform while marching, often for entertainment or competition. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. Most marching bands wear a uniform, ...

. As director of music activities, he administratively oversees the activities of the jazz, orchestra, and choral programs. Rhea also served as the 79th president of the

American Bandmasters Association The American Bandmasters Association (ABA) was formed in 1929 by Edwin Franko Goldman to promote concert band music.Raoul F. Camus. "American Bandmasters Association." In Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online, http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/sub ...

from 2016-2017.

Early life and education

Rhea grew up in the music programs of the Texas public schools. He earned a

Bachelor of Music Education A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ye ...

with honors from the

University of Arkansas The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and the largest university in the state. Founded as Arkansas ...

as a private conducting student of Eldon Janzen. He earned the Master of Music in conducting from

Texas Tech University Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas. Established on , and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the main institution of the five-institution Texas Tech University Sy ...

where he studied with the late James Sudduth. Rhea earned the Doctor of Musical Arts in conducting and composition from the

University of Houston The University of Houston (UH) is a Public university, public research university in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1927, UH is a member of the University of Houston System and the List of universities in Texas by enrollment, university in Texas ...

Tenure at Texas A&M

Rhea was named conductor of the Texas A&M Wind Symphony in 1995. During his tenure at Texas A&M University, he has conducted the Wind Symphony for conventions of the Texas Music Educators Association seven times, the College Band Directors National Association two times, the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago, the Western International Band Clinic in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...

, and the

(he was the 2009 convention host), as well as in settings such as Carnegie Hall, the

Meyerson Symphony Center The Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center is a concert hall located in the Arts District of downtown Dallas, Texas ( USA). Ranked one of the world's greatest orchestra halls, it was designed by architect I.M. Pei and acoustician Russell Johnson ...

and the

Wortham Center Wortham Center may refer to: * Wortham Theater Center, a performing arts center in Houston, Texas * Wortham Center for the Performing Arts The Wortham Center for the Performing Arts, formerly known as the Diana Wortham Theatre, is a theater in P ...

. He has also conducted the Wind Symphony during performances in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, and the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. Th ...

. Rhea's tenure with the Texas Aggie Band has included performances throughout the United States, including at the

United States presidential inauguration The inauguration of the president of the United States is a ceremony to mark the commencement of a new four-year term of the president of the United States. During this ceremony, between 73 to 79 days after the presidential election, the pre ...

in Washington and the inauguration of the

governor of Texas The governor of Texas heads the state government of Texas. The governor is the leader of the executive and legislative branch of the state government and is the commander in chief of the Texas Military. The current governor is Greg Abbott, wh ...

in Austin, Aggie Band bowl appearances have included the Holiday, Cotton, Sugar, Independence, Chick-fil-A, Liberty, Texas, Music City, Gator, Belk and Alamo.

Carnegie Hall

On February 22, 2008. Rhea took the Texas A&M Wind Ensemble to Carnegie Hall in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

. Under his direction, the Wind Symphony performed

Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein ( ; August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was the first America ...

's "

Overture to Candide ''Candide'' is an operetta with music composed by Leonard Bernstein, based on the 1759 novella of the same name by Voltaire. The operetta was first performed in 1956 with a libretto by Lillian Hellman; but since 1974 it has been generally perfo ...

Gustav Holst Gustav Theodore Holst (born Gustavus Theodore von Holst; 21 September 1874 – 25 May 1934) was an English composer, arranger and teacher. Best known for his orchestral suite '' The Planets'', he composed many other works across a range ...

's "

First Suite in E-flat for Military Band The First Suite in E for Military Band, Op. 28, No. 1, by the British composer Gustav Holst is considered one of the cornerstone masterworks in the concert band repertoire. Officially premiered in 1920 at the Royal Military School of Music, the ...

George Gershwin George Gershwin (; born Jacob Gershwine; September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned popular, jazz and classical genres. Among his best-known works are the orchestral compositions ' ...

's "

Rhapsody in Blue ''Rhapsody in Blue'' is a 1924 musical composition written by George Gershwin for solo piano and jazz band, which combines elements of classical music with jazz-influenced effects. Commissioned by bandleader Paul Whiteman, the work premiered ...

" with

Kathryn Woodard Kathryn Woodard (born 1969) is an American pianist, scholar, composer, and educator. She was born in Dallas, Texas, the daughter of Christina and George Woodard, a shortwave radio engineer. She is recognized as an interpreter of music by compose ...

at the piano,

Donald Grantham Donald Grantham (born November 9, 1947) is an American composer and music educator. Grantham was born in Duncan, Oklahoma. After receiving a Bachelor of Music from the University of Oklahoma, he went on to receive his MM and DMA from the Univers ...

's "Southern Harmony",

Percy Grainger Percy Aldridge Grainger (born George Percy Grainger; 8 July 188220 February 1961) was an Australian-born composer, arranger and pianist who lived in the United States from 1914 and became an American citizen in 1918. In the course of a long an ...

's "Over The Hills And Far Away",

Frank Ticheli Frank Ticheli (born January 21, 1958) is an American composer of orchestral, choral, chamber, and concert band works. He lives in Los Angeles, California, where he is a Professor of Composition at the University of Southern California. He ...

's "Blue Shades", David F. Wilborn's newly-commissioned "Concertante Caprice", and

John P. Sousa John Philip Sousa ( ; November 6, 1854 – March 6, 1932) was an American composer and conductor of the late Romantic era known primarily for American military marches. He is known as "The March King" or the "American March King", to di ...

's "The Freelance March". Their encore was Sousa's "

Stars and Stripes Forever "The Stars and Stripes Forever" is a patriotic American march written and composed by John Philip Sousa in 1896. By a 1987 act of the U.S. Congress, it is the official National March of the United States of America. History In his 1928 autob ...

Composing

Rhea has composed and arranged over 300 works. Since the 1990s, Rhea has arranged for university and public school marching bands and served as a clinician and composer. Some of Rhea's commissions have been performed for the

Texas Music Educators Association The Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) is an organization of over 12,000 Texas school music educators. Its stated goals are to provide professional growth opportunities, to encourage interaction among music education professionals, to fost ...

, the Texas Bandmasters Association, the College Band Directors National Association, the

Cotton Bowl Classic The Cotton Bowl Classic (also known as the Cotton Bowl) is an American college football bowl game that has been held annually in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex since January 1, 1937. The game was originally played at its namesake stadium in ...

, and the

Tournament of Roses Parade A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...

. His works are published with TRN Music Publisher, RBC Music Publisher, and Arrangers' Publishing Company.

Awards

In July 1999, Rhea was awarded the Outstanding Young Bandmaster of the Year for the state of Texas from

Phi Beta Mu Phi Beta Mu, International Bandmasters' Fraternity (), is an honorary fraternity for band directors. The fraternity was designed to honor outstanding band directors at the state level, with only one potential chapter per state. There are currentl ...

. Former president of Texas A&M University,

Ray M. Bowen Raymond Morris Bowen (born March 30, 1936) is an American academic. He served as the 21st president of Texas A&M University from 1994 until 2002. He served as Interim President of Oklahoma State University (OSU) from 1993 until 1994, and Provost a ...

presented Rhea with the President's Meritorious Service Award in 2000. He more recently oversaw the planning and construction of the new Texas A&M University Music Activities Center, which opened in 2019. In this facility, the Dr. Timothy B. Rhea Concert Rehearsal Hall was named in his honor.

Professional affiliations

, 79th presidenthttp://www.americanbandmasters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/ABA-Past-Presidents-2001-2019.pdf * John Philip Sousa Foundation, vice president-secretary * National Band Association, past board member *

* Texas Bandmasters Association * College Band Directors National Association * SEC Band Directors Association, treasurer * World Association of Symphonic Bands & Wind Ensembles * American Society of Composers, Authors, & Publishers * Phi Beta Mu *

Phi Mu Alpha Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity of America (colloquially known as Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, Phi Mu Alpha, or simply Sinfonia) () is an American collegiate social fraternity for men with a special interest in music. The fraternity is open to men "w ...

Phi Kappa Phi The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi (or simply Phi Kappa Phi or ) is an honor society established in 1897 to recognize and encourage superior scholarship without restriction as to area of study, and to promote the "unity and democracy of education ...

Pi Kappa Lambda Pi Kappa Lambda () is an American honor society for undergraduate students, graduate students, and professors of music. There are over 270 chapters nationally; a complete roster of current chapters is listed in the organization's official web ...

Kappa Delta Pi Kappa Delta Pi International Honor Society in Education, () is an honor society for education. It was founded in 1911 and was one of the first discipline-specific honor societies. Its membership is limited to the top 20 percent of those entering ...

Kappa Kappa Psi Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band Fraternity (, colloquially referred to as KKPsi), is a fraternity for college and university band members in the United States. It was founded on November 27, 1919, on Thanksgiving Day, at Oklahoma Agricult ...

(

honorary member An academician is a full member of an artistic, literary, engineering, or scientific academy. In many countries, it is an honorific title used to denote a full member of an academy that has a strong influence on national scientific life. In syst ...

)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rhea, Timothy 1967 births Living people American male conductors (music) American male composers American music educators American music arrangers People from DeKalb, Texas People from College Station, Texas Texas A&M University faculty University and college band directors Texas Tech University alumni 20th-century American composers 20th-century American conductors (music) 21st-century American conductors (music) 21st-century American composers University of Arkansas alumni Classical musicians from Texas 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians