Jay Whatley, organist, joined the staff of FCC-Houston in August 2010. Prior to his appointment at FCC, he served under the direction of conductor Clara Lewis at Cypress Creek Christian Church, home of The Centrum and The Forum concert halls. Together, they presented performances of the Cypress Creek Community Chorale in the Dome Cathedral of Salzburg, the Benedictine Abbey at Ettal, Bath Abbey, and at the churches of St Paul and St Bartholomew the Less, both in London. He has also served churches in Austin, Huntsville, Denton, Sherman, and Dallas, as well as in his hometown of Mineola.

Jay is also an Associate Professor of Music at Lone Star College – Kingwood, where he coordinates the class piano program, teaches courses in aural skills, and serves the collaborative needs of students and faculty in a music department known for its many performances of high quality. He holds both the BM & MM in Piano Performance & Pedagogy from Sam Houston State University as a student of John Paul, and has completed all coursework for the DMA in Piano Performance & Pedagogy with Betty Mallard, Martha Hilley & Sophia Gilmson, and for the DMA in Organ Performance with Frank Speller, at the University of Texas at Austin. Additional study and master classes have been with Jane Abbott-Kirk and William Doppmann (piano) and Lenora McCroskey, Jesse Eschbach, and William Mathias (organ).

In high demand as a collaborative artist, chamber musician, & continuo player, Whatley maintains an active & varied career at the state, regional & national levels. He has performed with such notable choral conductors as Robert Sund, Maria Guinand, Craig Jessop, Charles Bruffy, Sigrid Johnson, Jerry McCoy, and David Childs. He was selected to accompany the 2009 Texas Music Educators Association All-State Men’s Choir under the direction of Larry Kaptein, and also a large festival choir under the direction of Andre Thomas in February 2009. He collaborated with Allen Hightower and the SHSU Chorale in performances at TMEA (San Antonio) and ACDA (Miami), as well as on the Chorale’s tour of Italy. Solo organ recitals include Salzburg’s Dome Cathedral and Bath Abbey; he was guest soloist in a performance of Poulenc’s Organ Concerto at St. John’s Smith Square, London. Along with Dr. Todd Miller, tenor, Marion Russell Dickson, soprano, and Dr. Shannon Hesse, pianist, he presented a program of new American art song in Weill Recital Hall of Carnegie Hall in March 2009.

Jay is a successful vocal coach and répétiteur, with students repeatedly winning Regional Auditions of the National Association of Teachers of Singing, and also the coveted Grady Harlan Award from the Texoma Region of NATS. His reputation, especially as an interpreter of recitative, has led him to coach both studio artists and principals at Houston Grand Opera, and the occasional visiting Metropolitan Opera soprano. Each year, he accompanies the Summer Opera Workshop at LSC-Kingwood, this year serving as coach/accompanist in a full-scale production of The Crucible, Robert Ward’s Pulitzer Prize-winning adaptation of the controversial Arthur Miller stage play.

As an active member of Music Teachers National Association, Texas Music Teachers Association, and Kingwood-Humble Music Teachers Association, Whatley recently completed a two-year term as Piano Competitions Chair for TMTA. He currently serves KHMTA as an evaluator of repertoire. Whatley is a frequent adjudicator, judging at the World Piano Pedagogy Conference in Atlanta, with invitations to adjudicate at subsequent World Conference in Las Vegas & Dallas.

Jay is a familiar face at professional conferences and conventions. He has presented conference sessions for TMEA and TMTA, performances at TMEA, TMTA, MTNA, and ACDA, and was invited to perform at the CMS International Conference in Madrid in 2005. He is an active member of TMEA, TMTA, CMS, American Guild of Organists, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, among other organizations.