Donald Krehbiel

Founder & Artistic Director Emeritus

Donald Krehbiel is a versatile musician known for his variety of skills including choral conductor, tenor soloist, pianist and organist. 

He holds the degrees of Master of Sacred Music (magna cum laude) from Southern Methodist University and Perkins School of Theology, and Bachelor of Arts from Bethel College, Newton, Kansas. In addition to his musical training, Mr. Krehbiel studied theology and church music at Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminaries in Elkhart, Indiana. 

Mr. Krehbiel has conducted children’s, youth and adult church choirs since 1979, served as an adjunct choral director at Southern Methodist University, conducting the 40-voice auditioned Meadows Chorale, prepared the Dallas Symphony Chorus for performances and CD recording of Steven Stucky’s oratorio ‘August 4, 1964’, founded and directed a 30-voice male chorus consisting of talented amateur and professional singers from area Methodist Churches, and is the Founding Artistic Director of Orpheus Chamber Singers.

Mr. Krehbiel has also served over 30 years as Director of Music at First Unitarian Church of Dallas, where he leads a diverse program of amateur and professional musicians, and directs two adult choirs.   

Known for his passion for finding new and unusual choral music as well as older but rarely heard pieces, Mr. Krehbiel has led numerous choral repertoire sessions for national and regional meetings of the Fellowship of United Methodists, the Unitarian Universalists Musicians Fellowship, and the American Guild of Organists. 

In addition to his career in choral music, he has also had a career as tenor soloist, singing with many of the finest early music groups in the south including Handel/Haydn Society of Austin, The New Mexico Symphony, Dallas Bach Society, The Texas Baroque Ensemble, and the Carmel Bach Festival. 

In addition to his career in choral music, he has also had a career as tenor soloist, singing tenor solos in Bach’s Magnificat, Cantatas #4, 78, 106, & 211, Mass in b minor, Handel’s Messiah, and Dettingen Te Deum, Monteverdi’s 1610 Vespers, Mozart’s Coronation Mass, Great Mass in c minor, Requiem, Litaniae Lauretanae, and many others. These performances were with numerous ensembles including the New Mexico Symphony, Handel/Haydn Society of Austin, Dallas Bach Society, The Texas Baroque Ensemble, and the Carmel Bach Festival.

In 2010 he was presented two awards for excellence in church music: The Ruth Clark Award from The North Texas Association of Unitarian Universalist Societies, and the Soli Deo Gloria Award from Perkins School of Theology, SMU.

Don Krehbiel retired from Orpheus in 2021 after 27 seasons with the organization.