Mr. Heyde concluded his career as an emeritus Mary Franks Thompson professor of orchestral studies and conductor-in-residence at Baylor University School of Music.
WACO, TX, August 21, 2023 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Marquis Who's Who, the world's premier publisher of biographical profiles, is proud to present Stephen Heyde with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. An accomplished listee, Mr. Heyde celebrates many years' experience in his professional network, and has been noted for achievements, leadership qualities, and the credentials and successes he has accrued in his field. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
Having recently retired in 2022, Mr. Heyde concluded his career as an emeritus Mary Franks Thompson professor of orchestral studies and conductor-in-residence at Baylor University School of Music. Besides teaching numerous classes on campus, including Symphonic Literature, he garnered extensive recognition as the second conductor ever of the Baylor Symphony Orchestra, following founding conductor Daniel Sternberg, serving as conductor of that orchestra for 38 years. He also was the founding conductor of the Baylor Campus Orchestra, which is Baylor's non-music major orchestra. Renowned for his accomplishments, Mr. Heyde significantly contributed to the institution's reputation for having one of the country's best university orchestra programs.
Prior to his distinguished tenure at Baylor University, Mr. Heyde taught at West Virginia University as a member of the violin faculty from 1975 to 1984. He also taught secondary school at Butler Area Senior High School in Butler, Pennsylvania, between 1971 and 1975. In addition to his teaching appointments, Mr. Heyde was a violinist who played in several different orchestras. He also served as conductor/music director of the Waco Symphony Orchestra from 1987 to 2022. Mr. Heyde also had the opportunity to conduct numerous All-State orchestras and other festival orchestras, regional ballet performances, and collegiate opera productions, and traveled abroad as guest conductor of the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music in Hungary and for orchestras in Europe and South America.
Among many other accomplishments, Mr. Heyde prepared nearly a dozen students to become exceptional professional conductors and musicians. He was also blessed to have a working relationship with some of the most renowned artists in the world, including Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, Pinchas Zukerman, Gil Shaham, André Watts among many other classical artists and popular artists including Frank Sinatra, Jr., Henry Mancini and Doc Severinsen among others.
Mr. Heyde is active in his community as an advocate on behalf of the Association for Retarded Citizens. He also donates and volunteers his time to various nonprofit entities, including the United Way, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, and the Alzheimer's Society.
To prepare for his professional career, Mr. Heyde received a Bachelor of Arts in music education and violin at Capital University in 1971, followed by a master's degree in music performance at Carnegie Mellon University in 1976.
Mr. Heyde notably co-founded the College Orchestra Directors Association (CODA) in 2003 during his tenure at Baylor University so that the industry could better support college-level directors. Becoming highly successful, CODA has grown extensively, accumulating more than 340 institutional members across 43 U.S. states.
Among numerous awards and recognitions, Mr. Heyde has been named an Outstanding Faculty Member at both West Virginia University and Baylor University and has also been the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award by the College Orchestra Directors Association in 2018. Furthermore, Mr. Heyde received the Arlin G. Meyer Prize in Music Performance from the Lily Foundation, the Cultural Leadership Citation from the Yale University School of Music, was a five time recipient of the American Prize with the Baylor Symphony Orchestra and was a Ring Recipient from the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music.
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