Basic Information

• About me

  The passion for singing is deeply rooted in my background and in His great compassion, God gave me the gift of song. Afforded opportunities and scholarship has allowed me to invest, study, develop, nurture and cultivate the “Bel Canto” method of singing. I am classically trained with an innate gift to interpret folk, popular, jazz and traditional gospel styles you might say I have a very diverse palate for the art of singing.As an artist with milestones in which to measure success, I strive to share, inspire, uplift, excite and educate through my voice. The ability to communicate and evoke human emotions as well as engage others through the universal language of music is priceless!

• Resume

  BIO VITAE
  Brenda Wimberly, SopranoHails from Shreveport, Louisiana and is a product of the Caddo Parish Public Schools, graduating from Captain Shreve High. Brenda was introduced to choral singing at Southern University-Shreveport campus under the tutelage of Mr. Bobby Wiggins. She hold degrees in voice performance from Prairie View A&M University (B.M.) and the University of Michigan (M.M.). She is a recipient of two study grants from the Metropolitan Opera of New York and Scholarship winner of the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria and two year winner, The Merola Opera Training Program, San Francisco Opera. A distinguished graduate from Prairie View A&M University and received the Presidential Citation in Performing Arts from N.A.F.E.O. Ms. Wimberly is an active concert artist and featured soloist with orchestras throughout the United States in symphony, oratorio, opera and song recitals. She has served on music faculties at Johnson C. Smith (North Carolina), Fayetteville State University (North Carolina) and Grambling State University and Southern-Shreveport (Louisiana).
  Making her operatic debut in the 1984 Texas Opera Theatre production of Poulenc's Dialogues of the Carmelites as "Ledoine" her national career as an artist includes staged or concert performances with the West Coast Lyric Opera, Marin Opera, Los Angeles Concert Orchestra, Shreveport Opera, Houston Ebony Opera Guild and the Piccolo Spoleto Festival-USA. Her list of notable portrayals include: Aida (Aida), Tosca (Tosca), Serena (Porgy and Bess) Mother (Amahl and the Night Visitors) and Dinah (Trouble in Tahiti). Guest appearances as soprano soloist include Handel's Messiah, Mozart's Requiem, Brahms Requiem, Mozart's Exsultate Jubilate, Faure's Requiem, Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, Barber's Knoxville:Summer of 1915,Hailstork’s Done Made My Vow, and Newby/Jahannes’s Montage to Martin and Gershwin's Porgy and Bess. Ms. Wimberly has given recitals throughout the United States, Western Germany, the Carribean, the Insituto Veracruzano D Cultura-Veracruz, Mexico and South Africa. Appearances with major symphony orchestras include Glendale, San Diego, Southeast-Los Angeles, Shreveport, Scott Joplin, Houston, San Francisco, Saginaw, Nevada, Oklahoma City and Detroit.
  Specializing in Large Compositions and Art Songs by African American Composers her recent performances are featured recordings on Videmus Visionary Records, collaboration with celebrated organist, Marilyn Mason with commission works by Calvin Taylor nationally broadcasted on MPR's Pipedreams, self-produced medley based on the celebrated hymn "More Love To Thee" arranged by Joseph Joubert and most recent CD release of “Sketches of My Song” in collaboration with pianist, Fred Dade of selected arias, sacred songs, African American spirituals and Art Songs. She is the recipient of many honors and awards including National Finalist Metropolitan Opera (New York) first recipient for the Leontyne Price Award (San Francisco Opera) and appearing with Miss Price on the CBS program Sunday Morning, Opera Guild of Southern California, The Loren Zachary (Los Angeles), Shreveport Opera's Singer of the Year, nominated Who's Who In America in the Performing and Visual Arts and resolution in her name presented by the Texas House of Representatives declaring her voice a "State Treasure.”
  PROFESSIONAL CREDITSCLASSICAL PERFORMING ARTISTS MANAGEMENT 1989-1995
  La Jolla, CaliforniaAWARDS AND DISTINCTIONS:
  Outstanding Grantsmanship Award, Fayetteville State University, 2006
  Nominated Who’s Who In America in the Performing and Visual Art, 2005
  NAFEO Recipient for Distinction in the Performing and Fine Arts, 1999
  Distinguished Alumni Award, Prairie View A&M University, 1998
  Winner, Concerto Competition, University of Michigan, 1997
  Singer of The Year Award, Lambda Chapter, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, 1994
  Distinguished Alumni Award, Southern University at Shreveport, 1991
  Winner, Opera Guild of Southern California, 1990
  National Finalist, Loren Zachary National Competition, Los Angeles, CA., 1989
  2nd Place Winner, Loren Zachary National Competition, Los Angeles, CA., 1988
  National Finalist, Metropolitan Opera Auditions, New York, 1987
  First Recipient of the Leontyne Price Award, San Francisco Opera, 1986
  Winner, San Francisco Opera Auditions-Merola Opera Training Program, 1985
  TX. House Resolution declaring voice a "State Treasure", Austin, TX 1984
  Winner, Shreveport Opera Singer of The Year, 1983
  Scholarship winner, American Institute of Musical Studies, Graz, Austria, 1980
  Winner, National Association of Teachers of Singing Young Artist, 1979
  PROFESSIONAL PERFORMANCE Opera/Oratorio:
  Performed over 10 different roles in English and in the original
  languages in concert and staged versions including:
  Poulenc-Dialogue of the Carmelites-Austin,TX
  Verdi- II Trovatore-Houston, TX,
  Menotti-Amahl and the Night Visitors-San Diego, CA
  Bernstein-Trouble in Tahiti-Houston,TX
  Gershwin-Porgy and Bess-Houston, Saginaw, Nevada, San Francisco,
  San Diego, Galveston and Temple, TX.
  Mozart -The Marriage of Figaro, Bizet-Carmen, Verdi-Otello, Houston, TX
  Verdi-Aroldo-Pasadena, CA and Puccini-Butterfly, Shreveport, LA.
  SOPRANO SOLOIST FOR MAJOR SYMPHONY ORCHESTRAS:
  Handel-Messiah-Shreveport, LA, Temple, TX, Houston, TX, Los Angeles, CA.
  Dubois-Seven Last Words, Shreveport, LA; Dvorak-Te Deum-Detroit, MI.
  Brahms-Requiem-Houston, TX, Charlotte, NC.
  Beethoven 9th -Glendale, CA and Detroit, MI.
  Britten-Rejoice In The Lamb-Austin, TX; Mozart Requiem-Detroit, MI.
  Mozart-Exsultate Jubilate, Charlotte, NC; Burleigh-Born To Die-Oklahoma City PhilharmonicNEW CONTEMPORARY WORKS FOR SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA:
  Glen Burleigh – Sacred Cantata “Born To Die”
  Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson-"Symphony for the Sphinx"
  Stephen Newby-"Montage for Martin"
  Lena McLin-"Free At Last"
  Adolphus Hailstork-"Done Made My Vow"
  Adolphus Hailstork-"I Will Lift Up Mine Eyes"SOLO VOICE RECITALS:
  Appeared as concert recitalist in locations including: Louisiana, Ohio,Texas, Arkansas, Alabama, California, Texas, Massachusetts, Michigan, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Nassau Bahamas, Cites of Boca Del Rio, Cordoba, Orizaba, San Andres, Tuxtla, Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico;
  The Grahamstown Art Festival and cities of Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban, South AfricaORCHESTRAL APPEARANCES:
  Charlotte, Oklahoma City Philharmonic, San Angelo, Scott Joplin, Houston, Marin, Memphis, Houston MasterWorks, Brazeal Dennard Chorale, New Dimensions Chorale, Austin Civic Chorus, San Diego, Glendale, Bell Central, San Francisco, Los Angeles Concert, Nevada, Saginaw, and Detroit symphony orchestrasSELECTED PROFESSIONAL PRESENTATIONS:
  Performance-WAIVE Academy Year End Recital
  Queensborough Elementary School
  May,
  Shreveport, LouisianaPerformance – Newby/Jahannes’s “Montage to Martin Luther King”
  Duke Ellington School of the Arts
  March 18, 2012
  Washington, D.C.Performance – Ann Arbor Summer Music Festival
  Blanche Anderson Moore Hall- University of Michigan
  June 18, 2011
  Ann Arbor, MichiganPerformance- American Choral Directors Chapter Faculty Recital
  University of Louisiana-Monroe
  March 9, 2011
  Monroe, Louisiana
  
  Perfomance- Hailstork's “Done Made My Vow”
  Indiana University – South Bend
  February , 2011
  South Bend, IndianaSELECTED PROFESSIONAL PRESENTATIONS (cont.):
  Performance – Ann Arbor Summer Music Festival
  Blanche Anderson Moore Hall- University of Michigan
  July 11,2010
  Ann Arbor, MichiganPerformance- Theatre For The Performing Arts
  Yazzy Workshop Adjudicator
  December 10-11, 2010
  Shreveport, LouisianaPerformance- New Art Musique Gala Performances
  Caddo Magnet High School Performing Arts Center
  October 17, 2009
  Shreveport, LouisianaPerformance - Prairie View A&M University Concert Artist Recital
  Hobart T. Taylor Recital Hall
  July 9, 2009
  Prairie View, TexasPerformance – Ann Arbor Summer Music Festival
  Blanche Anderson Moore Hall- University of Michigan
  June 17, 2009
  Ann Arbor, MichiganPerformance – South Carolina State University Lyceum Series
  Barbara A. Vaughan Recital Hall
  April 24, 2008
  Orangeburg, South CarolinaPerformance Oklahoma City Philharmonic Orchestra
  Rose State Performing Arts Center
  April 6, 2007
  Oklahoma City, OklahomaPerformance – Solo Appearance
  Charlotte Symphony
  January 17, 2007
  Charlotte, North CarolinaPerformance – Handel’s Messiah
  Fayetteville State University
  December 1, 2006Artistic Director – Mozart’s “Magic Flute”
  Fayetteville State University
  May 2006 – July 22, 2006
  EDUCATION:M.M. in Voice Performance 2000
  University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MichiganB.M. in Voice Performance 1978
  Prairie View A&M University, Prairie View TexasFURTHER STUDY:
  University of Texas-Austin, University of California-Los Angeles, American Institute of Musical
  Studies, Graz, AustriaMAJOR TEACHERS:
  Dr. Willis Patterson – University of Michigan
  Ms. Elizabeth Mannion – University of Texas-Austin
  Dr. Rubye N. Hebert – Prairie View A&M University
  Mr. Bobby Wiggins – Southern University-ShreveportMAJOR COACHES:
  Martin Katz – University of Michigan
  Terry Lusk – San Francisco Opera
  David Garvey – University of Texas-Austin
  Catherine Cathcart – San Francisco Opera
  Natalie Lamonick – Los Angeles, CaliforniaOTHER AREAS OF INTEREST:
  Ongoing Research on Preservation and Performance of Art Songs by Composers of African DecentNEA Challenge Grant Funding for Summer Productions of operetta, opera and musicals
  (Received funding from the NEA for Summer production of Mozart’s Magic Flute)