Next DeLaney Center Dialogue to Feature Shane Lynch and Craig Robertson The faculty members and choral directors at Washington and Lee University and Virginia State University will discuss their historic collaborative performances held in February.

By Brian Laubscher
April 3, 2025

The DeLaney Center at Washington and Lee University will present two events on Tuesday, April 8, featuring Shane Lynch, professor of music and director of choral activities at W&L, and Craig Robertson, assistant professor of music and director of choral activities at Virginia State University.

The two lecturers will participate in a Reading Club breakfast held from 8 to 9 a.m. in the second-floor conference room at the Gin Hotel in downtown Lexington. That will be followed by a DeLaney Dialogue discussion held in the Watson Pavilion from 1 to 2 p.m. Both events include a free meal and are open to the public.

The Reading Club breakfast will set the stage for the DeLaney Dialogue session on the choral collaboration between the W&L University Singers and the Virginia State University Concert Choir. While enjoying a complimentary breakfast, participants will discuss the shared choral concerts involving the two universities held Feb. 15 in Richmond and Feb. 16 in Lexington. Participants will learn more about the material performed, along with the implications of this musical partnership.

The 1 p.m. DeLaney Dialogue event, titled “Choreographed Duets: The Partnership Between Virginia State University’s Concert Choir and Washington and Lee’s University Singers,” features Lynch and Robertson expanding the conversation about their historical choral alliance and the two resulting performances. Lunch will be provided during the discussion.

Lynch is in his 16th year as a member of the faculty at W&L. He was recently selected to serve as the lead instructor for the International Choral Conducting Course of the Cork International Choir Festival, a five-day event held April 30 through May 4 in Cork, Ireland.

Lynch has received numerous accolades as a musician and educator, including the Junior Faculty Member of the Year at Monmouth College and the Outstanding Faculty Service Award at the University of Wisconsin—Barron (now known as University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire – Barron County). He previously served as visiting director of choral activities at Monmouth College and director of choral activities at the University of Wisconsin—Barron. Lynch earned a Bachelor of Arts in music and physics from Concordia College, a Master of Music degree in conducting from the University of Northern Colorado and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in choral conducting from the University of Washington.

Robertson has been a member of the faculty at Virginia State since 2023 and previously served as the director of choral activities at Mary Baldwin University, where he founded the MBU Holiday Festival, developed the MBU High School Choral Festival and conducted the Staunton Choral Society. He has also served as the director of choral and music activities at several elementary, middle and high schools across Florida and Georgia. Named Best Male Vocalist of the Year at the 1996 National Collegiate Gospel Choir Competition in New York City, Robertson continues to perform with some of gospel music’s greatest artists. He is a member of the National Association of Music Educators, Colorado Music Educators Association, American Choral Directors Association, Georgia Association of Educators and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. Robertson holds a bachelor’s degree from Virginia State University, a master’s degree from Georgia State University and a Ph.D. from the University of Colorado Boulder.

The Delaney Dialogue series was created to engage audiences in conversation about regionally resonant themes, allowing for open discourse and learning opportunities. Exhibiting innovative strategies for teaching and researching Southern racial realities, these programs allow faculty and other interested participants to imagine how this protean region fits into broader professional and public possibilities.

The DeLaney Center is an interdisciplinary academic forum that promotes teaching and research on race and Southern identity. Visit the DeLaney Center website for updates on further DeLaney Dialogues, film screenings and other programming.