Rebecca Walker Steele (October 18, 1925 - January 12, 2019) was an American musician and educator. She was known for her singing and for her choral direction. Steele directed choirs at Florida A&M University and Bethune-Cookman College.
Biography
Steele was born on October 18, 1925, in Lakeland, Florida. She showed early musical talent, performing in her grandfather's church at age 4. Her parents encouraged her in pursuing music and made she had the "best possible training." She attended the Rochelle High School and earned an associate degree from Florida Memorial College. Steele graduated with a bachelor's degree from Alabama State University (ASU), where she studied piano under Hazel Harrison. She earned master's degrees in voice, piano, choral conducting and also in music education from Columbia University. Steele earned her Ph.D. in 1973 from Florida State University, where she specialized in multicultural music education.
While she was in New York City, she "was in great demand as a singer." Steele worked as the university choir director at Florida A&M University (FAMU) where she was in charge of one of Tallahassee's first "multiracial choirs." Steel worked at FAMU between 1947 until 1976, when she went on to become a faculty member at Bethune-Cookman College. Steele retired from Bethune-Cookman in 2013. As a choir director, her choral groups performed across the United States and were "constantly in demand."
Steele died on January 12, 2019.
References
- ^ Roberts, Mary (1996). "Steele, Rebecca". In Hine, Darlene Clark; Thompson, Kathleen (eds.). Facts on File encyclopedia of Black women in America. New York: Facts on File. pp. 150–151. ISBN 0-8160-3425-7. OCLC 35209436.
- ^ "Dr. Rebecca Walker Steele". Legacy.com. 17 January 2019.
- "Duke at the Organ". Jet. 7 (26): 62. 5 May 1955 – via Google Books.
- ^ Pecquet, Julian (2006-01-21). "Former FAMU Director Receives MLK Award". Tallahassee Democrat. p. 9. Retrieved 2019-12-29 – via Newspapers.com.
External links
- Bethune-Cookman College Male Glee Club singing The 23rd Psalm under the direction of Dr. Steele
- Dr. Steele Tribute
- 1925 births
- 2019 deaths
- American choral conductors
- People from Lakeland, Florida
- Florida Memorial University
- Alabama State University alumni
- Columbia University School of the Arts alumni
- Florida State University alumni
- Florida A&M University faculty
- Bethune–Cookman University people
- American women academics
- 20th-century African-American women singers
- 20th-century American women singers
- 20th-century American singers