K. Newell Dayley
From College of Fine Arts and Communications
Contents |
Overview
K. Newell Dayley is a prominent Latter-day Saint composer, hymnwriter and musician. He has been a professor of music at Brigham Young University, as well as an administrator for the College of Fine Arts and Communications and the University as a whole.
Early Years
Dayley was born in 1939.
Education
Dayley received his bachelor’s degree from BYU in 1964. He received his MM degree from the University of Southern California in 1966 and a DA from the University of Northern Colorado in 1986.
Career
Performances and Compositions
Dayley has performed on the trumpet with the Utah Symphony and many professional ensembles. He also has performed as a soloist with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
Amongst his works are "Bring Forth My Zion", "First You Have A Dream", the music to LDS hymn # 220 "Lord, I Would Follow Thee", words and music to "Faith in Every Footstep", and the music to "I Feel My Savior's Love", "Every Star is Different", "Hum Your Favorite Hymn", "Home" and "The World Is So Big" in the LDS Church Primary's Children's Songbook. Dayley has also written musical sections for passages in the Book of Mormon.
His latest work, “A Perfect Brightness of Hope” was premiered in April 2008 by the BYU Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Kory Katseanes, and will be performed at New York’s famous Carnegie Hall later this spring.
Service at BYU
Dayley joined the BYU faculty in 1967. Dayley was the first director of the award-winning jazz ensemble Synthesis. He also taught trumpet, music theory, orchestration, film scoring, and music business classes. During his tenure, Dayley conducted BYU’s Symphonic Band, Wind Symphony, and Symphony Orchestra as well as the brass ensemble and other organizations, and many musical theatre productions.
Dayley served in a number of administrative assignments at BYU, including chair of the Department of Music, associate dean of General Education and Honors, dean of the College of Fine Arts and Communications, and associate academic vice president for undergraduate studies for the university.
Dayley has received numerous awards and commendations for his work as a teacher and arts administrator.
He retired from his responsibilities at BYU in August 2007.
Personal and Family Life
Newell Dayley and Diane Wilcox have been happily married for over forty years. They are the parents of eight children, three girls and five boys, and the grandparents of eight girls and nine boys. In addition to their family, their interests include the arts, religious studies, world events, family history, reading, and hiking.
Throughout his life, Dayley has remained active in the LDS Church and has sought to foster faith through his music and his example. He has served in a wide variety of callings, including as the President of the BYU 2nd Stake.
Writings
- And Also By Faith, BYU Devotional Address, 1 February 1994.
- Centering the Arts in Christ, BYU Devotional Address, 6 March 2001.
External Links
- From Musician to Administrator: Newell Dayley, New BYU Vice President, by Ron Simpson, Meridian Magazine
