Dr. Donald Gray, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, joined the voice faculty at the University of South Carolina as Professor of Voice and Coordinator of the Voice Division in 1972. He received the Doctor of Music degree from Northwestern University. Dr. Gray possessed a varied background as a singer, opera director, and choral conductor. He was a Metropolitan Opera audition winner and in 1972 won the second annual Mario Lanza Competition. His roles included standard parts such as Count Almaviva, Papageno, Don Alfonzo, Marcello, Rogoletto and the Elder Germont, as well as a host of roles from twentieth-century repertoire. The most significant of the latter was the title role in Isang Yun's TheButterfly Widow. Gray performed this role at the Chicago Lyric Opera in 1971.

As a professor of voice, Dr. Gray's students have enjoyed success in numerous competitions. Some proceeded to professional singing careers, while others enjoyed successful careers as educators at various levels. Dr. Gray served as coordinator of the voice division from 1978 until his retirement in 2002. In 1984, Gray was singled out for honor by The State newspaper in its "Ten for the Future" program. Upon the death of Talmage Fauntleroy, Dr. Gray served two seasons as Interim Director of Opera at USC, culminating in a critically acclaimed production of Puccini's La Boheme in 2004.

As a conductor Dr. Gray served four seasons as the director of the Palmetto Mastersingers, releasing two critically acclaimed compact disc recordings, and he has been Director of Music at Eastminster Presbyterian Church since 1978. Equally comfortable in recital, oratorio, and opera, his performances at USC included baritone soloist in Camzina Burana with the South Carolina Philharmonic Orchestra, the title roles in Don Giovanni and Rigoletto with Opera at USC, and Schubert's Die Winterreise. His oratorio performances include Mendelssohn's Elijah and Brahms' Requiem.

Dr. Gray is a past-president of the South Carolina chapter of NATS and served several terms asGovernor of the South Carolina chapter of NOA. In 1972 he established the USC Opera Workshop, and served for twenty seasons as Director of the Columbia Lyric Opera.