David Lee Wright (born December 1, 1949) is a mathematics professor, barbershop arranger, and Associate Director of the Ambassadors of Harmony (AOH). He is a noted

a cappella ''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Ren ...

historian and arranger, especially in the barbershop style where in 12 of 18 years from 1999 to 2016, his arrangements resulted in chorus gold medals at the Barbershop Harmony Society (BHS) International Contest. Wright travels the world as a barbershop historian, coach, and mathematics lecturer.

Early life

Wright grew up in

Mattoon, Illinois Mattoon ( ) is a city in Coles County, Illinois, United States. The population was 16,870 as of the 2020 census. The city is home to Lake Land College and has close ties with its neighbor, Charleston. Both are principal cities of the Charleston� ...

, and currently lives in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

. He graduated from David Lipscomb University in Nashville then earned his Ph.D. in Mathematics at Columbia University in New York. He joined the faculty of Washington University in St. Louis in 1972. He is married to Sandi Wright,

Sweet Adelines International Sweet Adelines International is a worldwide organization of women singers, established in 1945, committed to advancing the musical art form of barbershop harmony through education and performances. This independent, nonprofit music education ass ...

Quartet Champion of 1978 and 1986 with Tetrachords and Ambiance.

Career

Wright is retired from his position as a professor of Mathematics at Washington University in St. Louis, where he also served as Chair of the Mathematics Department for several years. His research of affine algebraic geometry and polynomial automorphisms has led to publications and invitations to speak at international mathematics conferences. He designed and teaches a university course in Mathematics and Music, and has directed seminars across the globe on that topic.

Barbershop harmony

Wright is an arranger and composer of vocal music, where his work often integrates the close harmony barbershop style with jazz, gospel, contemporary a cappella and more. He is the Associate Director of the St. Charles Ambassadors of Harmony, an award-winning male chorus of 130 singers. He was inducted into the Barbershop Harmony Society Hall of Fame in 2008. He has arranged hundreds of songs in the barbershop style, including some co-arranged with

Deke Sharon Deke Sharon (born December 12, 1967) is an American singer, arranger, composer, director, producer and teacher of a cappella music, and is one of the leaders and promoters of the contemporary a cappella community. He has been referred to as "th ...

, and has earned four international chorus gold medals with the Ambassadors of Harmony. As a quartet singer he has won three district championships. He has appeared on national radio and TV broadcasts, and has authored several articles on vocal harmony, as well as a textbook on mathematics and music.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, David 1949 births Living people American music arrangers Barbershop music 20th-century American mathematicians 21st-century American mathematicians Washington University in St. Louis faculty Washington University in St. Louis mathematicians Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni Lipscomb University alumni People from Mattoon, Illinois Musicians from St. Louis