Following a confirmation vote by eligible members, Jason Lester has been elected as the next governor of the Texoma Region of NATS and will take office in July 2015.
About Jason Lester
Jason Lester is the Chair of the Department of Music and an Associate Professor at Houston Baptist University where he teaches applied voice lessons, vocal literature, and vocal pedagogy. He is an accomplished performer, at ease in operatic, concert, and song literature repertoire. Dr. Lester has performed over thirty operatic roles in musical styles ranging from Baroque to 21st Century. He has performed with a number of opera companies and symphony orchestras throughout America and Italy and has been heard on National Public Radio’s World of Opera where his singing was described as “adding weight and texture with deeply felt vocalizing and subtle characterizations.” Some of the operatic roles performed include Colline in La Bohème, Don Basilio in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Méphistophélès in Faust, and Raimondo Bidebent in Lucia di Lammermoor. As an active concert soloist, he has participated in many of the repertory’s standard works, including Mozart and Brahms’ Requiem, Handel’s Messiah, and Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, amongst others. He is a champion of contemporary music; having performed and recorded several operas and art songs by Michael Remson, Omari Tau, Roger Keele, Daniel Sigmon, and Kurt Erickson to name a few. Dr. Lester is also the Director of Vocal Instruction for Houston Grand Opera’s High School Voice Studio. In total, his students have participated in numerous summer programs, been winners or finalists in many competitions, and have been accepted into the most prestigious universities and conservatories including The Juilliard School, Eastman School of Music, Oberlin Conservatory, University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, Mannes College The New School for Music, Rice University, New England Conservatory, San Francisco Conservatory, Boston University, and Carnegie-Mellon to name a few. Jason Lester received his Doctor of Music from Florida State University, his Master of Music from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and Bachelor of Music Education from Baylor University. In addition to his musical interests, Jason is an avid cyclist, logging thousands of miles a year while raising money for various organizations and charities. He and his wife, Laurie, have two wonderful children, Natalie and Luke.