A. Barron Breland, DM

Dean, Graduate School

Professor

Contact

BarronBreland@creighton.edu
College of Arts and Sciences
Deans
Graduate School Leadership
Fine & Performing Arts
Music
CRHL - Creighton Hall/Administration Building - 235

A. Barron Breland, DM

Dean, Graduate School

Professor


With degrees in Music Theory and Choral Conducting from the University of Georgia and the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, Dr. A. Barron Breland has a diverse background in many different fields of music, including the piano and saxophone. Currently, he is Professor of Music and Chair of the Department of Fine & Performing Arts at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, conducting their premiere ensemble, the Creighton University Chamber Choir, and teaching classes in music theory, history, and conducting.

Breland is in demand throughout the Midwest as a conductor, chorusmaster, clinician, and adjudicator, and he has prepared choruses for Grammy and Tony-winning artists such as Laura Benanti, John Mellencamp, Norm Lewis, Brian d’Arcy James, and conductors Dale Warland and Ted Sperling. Breland has also served as Chorusmaster and prepared numerous works for the Omaha Symphony, including Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, Carmina Burana, Elijah, Messiah, and many others.

Breland’s first exposure to professional choral music was as a member of the Atlanta Boy Choir where he performed with Robert Shaw and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, as well as in tours and festivals throughout Europe. Today, alongside his leadership of the Creighton University Chamber Choir, he is also the Music Director of Résonance, a semi-professional chorus whose debut album Pilgrimage was released in July 2020 on the MSR Classics label.

Breland became the Artistic Director of the River City Mixed Chorus in January 2011, and in his 10-year tenure with the organization the ensemble has grown to over 120 active singing members, has headlined conferences and performed alongside Grammy-winning Conspirare, and has taken the stages of historic and iconic venues around the region. All of the ensembles under Breland’s leadership perform regularly with the Omaha Symphony, and all have performed at state and regional ACDA and NMEA conferences.

 

Department

Fine & Performing Arts

Position

Professor

Presentations

  • Choral Concert: Freedom Through Flame, St. John's Church, Omaha, NE 2019
  • Gallup Clifton StrengthsFinder Summit, Rsonance, SNJ Singers, Gallup Singers, Century Link Center, Omaha, NE 2016
  • Nebraska Choral Directors Association Annual Conference, Rsonance, Doane College, Crete, NE 2016
  • GALA Festival 2016, River City Mixed Chorus, Denver, CO 2016
  • On with the Show, River City Mixed Chorus, Holland Performing Arts Center, Omaha, NE 2016
  • We Rise Again, River City Mixed Chorus, First-Plymouth Congregational Church, Lincoln, NE 2016
  • Artist Showcase: The Birds and the Bees, Rsonance, Pizza Shoppe Collective, Omaha, NE 2016
  • Of Wonder and Whimsy, River City Mixed Chorus, First Central Congregational Church, Omaha, NE 2015
  • Creighton's Classical Christmas: Lessons and Carols, Creighton University Chamber Choir, Creighton University Chorus, St. John's Church, Omaha, NE 2015
  • Celebrating the American Voice, Creighton University Chamber Choir, Creighton University Chorus, St. John's Church, Omaha, NE 2015
  • Presidential Inauguration; Creighton University Chamber Choir; Ryan Athletic Center, Omaha, NE 2015
  • 2015-2016 Season Preview Gala, Rsonance, SNJ Studios, Omaha, NE 2015
  • C'mon, Get Happy!, River City Mixed Chorus, Holland Performing Arts Center, Omaha, NE 2015
  • Music of the Creative Spirit, Rsonance, Trinity Cathedral, Omaha, NE 2015
  • "sun, moon, stars, rain," Creighton University Chorus, Mainstage, Lied Education Center for the Arts, Omaha, NE 2015
  • We Sing Out, River City Mixed Chorus, St. Paul United Methodist Church, Lincoln, NE 2015
  • To The Moon: A Choral Collaborative, Creighton University Chamber Choir, Creighton University Chorus, University of Nebraska-Omaha Chamber Choir, St. John's Church, Omaha, NE 2015
  • Holidays with a Twist, River City Mixed Chorus, First United Methodist Church, Omaha, NE 2014
  • Creighton's Classical Christmas, Creighton University Chamber Choir, Creighton University Chorus, St. John's Church, Omaha, NE 2014
  • Holidays Under Glass, Creighton University Chamber Choir, Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha, NE 2014
  • Sounds of the Rain; Creighton University Chamber Choir, Creighton University Chorus; St. John's Church, Omaha, NE 2014
  • Closer Than Ever: 30 Years with the River City Mixed Chorus; River City Mixed Chorus; Mainstage, Lied Education Center for the Arts, Omaha, NE 2014
  • Hymns of the Sun; Creighton University Chamber Choir, Creighton University Chorus; Mainstage, Lied Education Center for the Arts, Omaha, NE 2014
  • Durufl Requiem; Creighton University Chamber Choir, Creighton University Chorus; St. John's Church, Omaha, NE 2014
  • River City's Rock-n-Roll Holidays; River City Mixed Chorus; Mainstage, Lied Education Center for the Arts, Omaha, NE 2013
  • Creighton's Classical Christmas: Britten's Saint Nicolas; Creighton University Chamber Choir, Creighton University Chorus, Creighton University Symphony Orchestra, St. Cecilia's Cathedral Children's Chorus, Drew Duncan, tenor; First United Methodist Church, Omaha, NE 2013
  • Brahms Requiem; Creighton University Chamber Choir; St. John's Church, Omaha, NE 2013
  • Not the Same Old Song and Dance; River City Mixed Chorus; Strauss Performing Arts Center, Omaha, NE 2013
  • Mozart Requiem; Creighton University Chamber Choir, Creighton University Women's Chorus, Creighton University Symphony Orchestra, guest soloists; Mainstage, Lied Education Center for the Arts, Omaha, NE 2013
  • Renaissance Music; South Central Renaissance Conference; Creighton University Chamber Choir; Embassy Suites, Omaha, NE 2013
  • Songs of Hope; Creighton University Chamber Choir, Creighton University Women's Chorus; St. John's Church, Omaha, NE 2013
  • Dames at Sea; Musical Director; Studio Theater, Lied Education Center for the Arts, Omaha, NE 2013