Judd Bonner

““I am amazed every time I hear Dr. Judd Bonner’s choir and orchestra at Cal Baptist. In their incredible sound, I hear a unified desire to create something special with each and every song. That kind of unity only comes under the direction of a great leader. The end result is one of the best collegiate groups I have ever heard.””

“I’ve never seen anything like it - the energy, the vitality, the focus, the attitude - the unique Bonner approach to choral music - it is a phenomenon!

Building on the ten-year CBU tenure of his father, Gary Bonner, Dr. Judd Bonner has taken the University Choir and Orchestra to yet a new level of effectiveness, recruiting the finest talent from across the country and beyond, and molding them together into a vibrant and contagiously joyous ensemble.

After a concert you hear everyone saying, “How does he do that?” ”

“Dr. Judd Bonner’s energy, vitality, and passion for choral music is reflected in the vibrancy and musical excellence of the college students he leads. He has the ability to find songs that engage students and audiences alike, and infuse his concerts with a perfect blend of fresh contemporary songs and sacred traditional pieces.”

“Dr. Judd Bonner is unlike any choral conductor you’ve ever invited to work with your choir. He came to us, met our choir where we were and within a few hours, drew out of us an excellence we had never even realized we possessed for ourselves. His giftings are multi-layered between the music and the people.

Dr. Bonner has an almost supernatural sense of musicality. He senses what “can be” in the music and then unearths that with the choir he is leading; all the while keeping the music fresh and alive. As he interacted with our singers he was able to speak first to their heart, and in doing so he instantly elevated the musicianship of the both the individual vocalist as well as the collective choir. As a director, it was a marvel to observe the affirming way in which he addressed some of our weaknesses. Issues I was convinced could never be resolved were corrected with one simple illustration or one simple direction; even one simple hand-gesture. For us, what was initially perceived as difficult, unattainable and hopeless became energizing, life-giving and worthy of aspiring to.

I can confidently say that every church or organization that values high-quality, God-glorifying choral music must invite Dr. Judd Bonner to come work with their choir. Both the singer and choral director have much to gain from sitting under his unique brand of charismatic and enriching instruction.
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“...yesterday was the culminating musical experience of my teaching career, and that was largely due to you:  your clinic (transforming), your auditions (once they met you and worked with you, it was like clowns pouring out of a Volkswagen to be under your tutelage), your choir and orchestra (unsurpassed) and your relationships with your students (vibrant). I cannot thank you enough for the time you spent with my students; encouraging, challenging, convicting, pushing, engaging, reinforcing, motivating, inspiring - they were a different choir when they left your clinic. I left the entire ordeal with the thought that “A picture (your closing concert) paints 1,000 words,” and nobody paints better than you.”

““Dr. Bonner’s musical leadership is evident through his expressive conducting, skillful instruction, active recruiting, and overall musicianship. As an educator, he sees the potential of his students and has a natural ability to motivate them intrinsically to reach their full potential. In the classroom, he comfortably weaves humor throughout his correction in order to create a collaborative atmosphere for inspiration and scholarship. Judd’s conducting instruction is artistic and resourceful. Even when focusing on fundamentals, he manages to encourage students to consider the musicality and efficacy of every gesture and motion. When working with choral ensembles, he offers feedback that quickly improves the sound. The choral sound Dr. Bonner produces is clear, energetic, free, and with an attractive modern quality that appeals to all audiences. He is a visionary who inspires his colleagues to higher levels of academic and musical excellence. Judd Bonner is giving of his time, energy, ideas, and passion for music. He is always ready to discuss innovative ways to improve the expression of choral music. In my time with him, I have learned what choral music can become and not simply how it has existed for centuries. I learned the most in my personal musical journey while under his tutelage, and his influence has made me a better musician, educator, and person.”
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“From each staff member and student came a sense of appreciation and admiration for Dr. Bonner’s focus on academics by sharing the different fields of study of the chorale members. Dr. Bonner won over our instrumental staff by explaining the historical significance of the music.”

“By far one of the best leaders, educators, conductors, and Christian leaders I’ve ever met. I’m so glad to have been under his leadership.”

“Dr. Bonner has impacted my life as a professor, mentor, and musician in ways that no other teacher has before. I’m so grateful for how he has influenced my life and helped to shape my journey.”

“If you want to know what’s in my head as I write/what sonic palette I’m hearing as I arrange, produce, orchestrate - this is it, my friends! Wow! There is so much that’s good about this: the choir, the expressiveness, the rhythm section (with a KILLER drummer), the blend, the space. If more individuals/churches/schools could be exposed to this kind of stuff, we’d have the “is the choir dying” discussion lying dead at our feet in no time!”

“Dr. Bonner has done a truly amazing job during his time as our Dean, and prior to that as Associate Dean and member of the music faculty since 2003. I have personally admired and been grateful for his consistency in exemplifying Godly wisdom and conduct for the 13 years that has been my privilege to work alongside him and under his leadership.”

““Dr. Bonner is an Ambassador of music. Like Mozart, Copland, Bernstein, John Adams and Gustavo Dudamel, he believes that music should be accessible. Although he is highly skilled and motivated to present challenging, academic works such as Copland’s In the Beginning, he is also very much at home in the “pop” world. Like a modern-day Fred Waring, he has presented hundreds of concerts at churches and schools across the entire United States that have inspired both audiences and his students alike. His easy- going stage presence, which he utilizes to impart his considerable wisdom, is a joy to experience. A memorizer of literature, he often will quote Emerson or Martin Luther in a manner that seems to fit the needs of a spontaneous, teachable moment perfectly. “”