Established on 09.10.2013 by Dr. Joan N. Buckley, Dr. Julie A. Buckley, and Dr. David W. Buckley
Dr. Wendell D. Buckley taught music, mainly voice, at Concordia for thirty-eight years. Holding the B.A., B.M., and M.M. degrees from Oberlin College, he earned his Ph. D. in music literature and performance from the University of Iowa in 1965.
Throughout his teaching career, Dr. Buckley was also an adjudicator of vocal solos and ensembles at regional and state music festivals, a lecturer, and most especially, a tenor soloist and recitalist. He soloed innumerable times in Handel’s Messiah and Bach’s St. Matthew Passion throughout a tri-state area, performed many times on the Schubert Club Daytime Concert Series and on “Live from Landmark,” St. Paul, and sang solos in Bach cantatas at the Aspen Music Festivals. He sang tenor solos with the Fargo-Moorhead Symphony, including Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde, and with Concordia’s music organizations, notably in Mozart’s Requiem in D minor. The description “a skilled vocalist with a sensitive and intelligent musicality” in the St. Paul Pioneer Press following one of his performances is typical of the reviews he received. His doctoral dissertation was on The Solo Song Cycle.
While many of his voice students have achieved considerable success as professional musicians, Dr. Buckley gained much satisfaction from the wide range of students he taught. He enjoyed a beautifully sung recital, but he also found personal fulfillment when a student developed to become a reliable choir member. Dr. Buckley lived with music as the core of his life. He shared his love of music with his wife, Dr. Joan Buckley, an English professor at Concordia for forty-nine years, and with their two children, Dr. David Buckley, and Dr. Julie Buckley.
The Dr. Wendell D. Buckley Endowed Music Scholarship is awarded by the Office of Financial Aid to students who have declared a major other than Music with preference given to students with a serious interest in music performance. Preference should be given to a vocalist, pianist, organist, string player, or a flutist who is current or previous participant in a Concordia music organization or as a soloist. Selection will additionally be based on scholastic achievement and financial need.