Jonathan Ray
Music Director- Traditional
Office: start date 9-4-2022
Jonathan Ray is thrilled to be the Music Director for traditional worship at First Baptist Church! Raised in Arkansas but born in Missouri, Jonathan and his wife Christina moved to Kansas City in 2017 where he served as an adjunct voice instructor at several colleges including Johnson County Community College, Northwest Missouri State University, and Central Methodist University. From 2017 to 2019, he was the tenor Young Artist for the Lyric Opera of Kansas City. In 2019, Jonathan was appointed Vocal Music Leader at Avondale United Methodist Church in North KC where he served until this year, at which point he received his new appointments as Assistant Professor of Music at Central Methodist University and Music Director of traditional worship at First Baptist. Recently, Jonathan has appeared as a soloist with Utah Festival Opera & Musical Theatre, Lawrence Opera Theatre, Heartland Opera Theatre, St. Petersburg Opera, and the Missouri Symphony. He received his Doctorate of Musical Arts in Vocal Performance and Choral Conducting from Louisiana State University, his Master's in Vocal Performance from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and his Bachelor of Music Education at Arkansas Tech University. He, Christina, and their daughter Lucy are so excited for this new chapter in Columbia and with First Baptist Church!