Trained as a pianist and singer, Debra continues to enjoy a career as a mezzo-soprano soloist and professional chorister. As soloist, she has performed with conductors such as Robert Shaw, Eduardo Mata, and Sir David Willcocks and has sung throughout the United States and in Europe. As recently as 2009 she performed as alto soloist in Avery Fisher Hall at New York's Lincoln Center.
Her experience as a professional chorister including many seasons with the Kansas City Chorale, Robert Shaw Festival Singers, Conspirare, Orpheus Chamber Singers, and the Professional Chorus of the Oregon Bach Festival has enriched her understanding of the needs of the singer in choral music.
Since 2005 Debra has served as Composer in Residence for The Texas Voices, a Dallas area professional chamber choir and since then, almost three dozen of her choral works have been performed by this group and others throughout the US. In addition to The Texas Voices, her choral compositions have been commissioned by numerous groups such as the Western Olkahoma American Choral Directors Association, Panhandle State University (OK), the Allen (TX) Independent School District, St. Peter's Church (Philadelphia, PA), Plainfield, (IN) United Methodist Church and Victory Memorial United Methodist Church (Guymon, OK). Debra was named Texas Music Teachers Association Commissioned Composer 2010 and her commissioned piece was entered as the Texas entry in the Music Teachers National Associaion Commissioned Composer Competition.
