Timothy H. Waugh

Tim Waugh, internationally acclaimed conductor, composer, and performance arts educator, is well known in many performance mediums, including handbell, choral, church music, and musical theatre. Early in his career he became noted for his work in conducting and teaching children and youth, and he is excited to continue those pursuits while working with children of all ages! He is a tireless champion for performance arts in the church, classroom, and community.

In the Fall of 2011, Tim accepted the position of Assistant Director of Music Ministries at First Presbyterian Church, Charlotte, North Carolina. He assists the Director of Music and is Director of Handbell Musicians for the church, where he directs multiple handbell choirs including the Robert Ivey Handbell Ensemble. Additionally, he is the Artistic Director and Conductor of one of the newest community bell choirs, Charlotte Bronze Handbell Ensemble, also based in uptown Charlotte, North Carolina and serves as Interim Director of the Rejoice Ringers at Beck's Baptist Church in Winston-Salem, North Carolina for the academic 2011-2012 year.

These positions follow his retirement from a career spanning over 30 years of public school music education in southern West Virginia and serving many churches throughout Southern West Virginia. Tim still has time to pursue other facets of music-making! He is often on the road conducting or teaching at one of over 20 festivals and workshops he does each year. He is also an active published composer and author. His compositions of liturgical, choral, organ and handbell music are published in the US by nine publishers. He is often commissioned to write new compositions for events and festivals.

Among the compositions contests he's won, Tim won the 1992 composition contest in Area V with Gioioso, the 2001 Donald E. Allured Composition Commission for LondeLirinen and also won the WV Diocesan competition for Appalachian Folk-Hymn Mass, a mass setting celebrating the 200th anniversary of the Catholic Hierarchy in America.

His conducting, workshop, and performance travels have taken him to almost every US state and to Canada, England, Ireland, Hong Kong, and Puerto Rico. He has actively founded community choruses and music festivals and has conducted or chaired many festivals for children's choir, middle and high school choirs, and bell festivals for all ages. He is the West Virginia ACDA Junior High/ Middle R & S Chair for the choral festivals in 2012 and 2013.

Early in 2008, his composition CreationEtere was electronically played aboard the International Space Station. The piece for handbells, brass and organ, which memorialized the space shuttle Columbia and her crew, was commissioned by Donna L. Kinsey of Morgantown, West Virginia for the dedication of the new St. Francis De Sales Church.

Tim has been and continues to be associated with many organizations supporting music education, church music, choral, handbell, and organ performance. He was named Officer of the Month by the American Guild of Organists in October 1995, Employee of the Month at Mercer County Schools (110% Club) in March 1997, honored with the Area V Distinguished Service Award in 2005, and was featured in AGEHR's "Overtones" magazine in March 1997 and in 2008. He was selected as Teacher of the Year at Bluewell Elementary School in and at PikeView High School in 1977.