[1]NEW ORLEANS (BP)–Leo Day, a graduate of the Eastman School of Music, has been named by presidential appointment to the faculty position of assistant professor of voice at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, effective Aug. 1. Day’s appointment is pending election by the seminary’s board of trustees at their semiannual meeting in October.
Day, 32, has taught for nearly a decade at William Carey College in Hattiesburg, Miss., after having “made a conscious choice to teach” rather than pursuing a rather glamorous option that was wide open to him following his graduation from the prestigious Eastman School of Music, Rochester, N.Y., in 1990 with a master of music degree in vocal performance.
“I had the option of going into full-time opera,” said Day, an accomplished tenor soloist. “However, this choice would have required me to be away from home too much, possibly for a total of six months a year.
“I am a family man,” Day emphasized, “and I believe that a vital part of the success of a family is dependent on the father being home.”
Ken Gabrielse, chairman of the NOBTS division of church music ministries, said, “We are excited to have another faculty member who exhibits professional qualifications, educational achievement and a passion for church music ministry. Leo Day will prove to be a perfect fit for the direction of our division of church music ministries: to train men and women to practice quality and exhibit integrity in their worship and church music leadership positions. Plus, the guy can really sing!”
Day said he is “very excited about the opportunity to teach at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary” and to continue to be part of an educational process he has thoroughly enjoyed over the past nine years at William Carey College — “connecting with the students on a personal level, helping them to develop not only their God-given talents, but also their lives and ministries as Christians.” He sees the seminary as a place where the educational preparation for ministry can be even more focused since the students come to school “already knowing what God has called them to do.”
“My goal as I teach the seminary students, as well as in my own personal life, is to let the world see the church as a place of quality, integrity and success because of Jesus,” Day said. “I believe it is very important when one is a Christian to be top-notch, and when one is a musician to be top-notch. As church musicians, we must keep the standards high and strive for excellence.”
Besides his significant classroom experience, Day was minister of music at Southside Baptist Church, Gautier, Miss., from 1985-88. During a summer mission trip in 1993, he was minister of music at First Baptist Church, Grand Cayman Islands, for several months. He has served as a music evangelist, Christian concert singer and soloist at numerous Baptist churches in Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, Florida and New York, as well as at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas.
Day completed the bachelor of music degree in vocal performance at William Carey College in 1988. He currently is a doctoral student in musical arts at Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, and is completing his dissertation this summer.
Day and his wife, Donna, who is from Jamaica, are expecting their first child in November.