Let Vibrate! On Liberating the Fullness of the Feminine Voice
Session Abstract: As choral professionals we bear the responsibility either to perpetuate a standard of beauty at the expense of our singers or to refine our approach to instructing, conducting, and composing for adult treble voices for a liberated, colorful sound. Soprano Sarah Brailey, voice professor Karen Brunssen, choral director Jennaya Robison, and composer Mari Esabel Valverde join to offer their perspectives in a panel to discuss the adult treble voice and vibrato. Referring to singers’ testimonials, score examples, and audio recordings, attendees will hear the panelists explain the musical, pedagogical, physiological, and sociological implications treble sections singing with vibrancy.
Jennaya Robison
National Lutheran Choir
Jennaya Robison is the Artistic Director of the National Lutheran Choir and is a highly accomplished conductor, educator, and vocalist. She holds the Doctor of Musical Arts in choral conducting from the University of Arizona, the Master of Music in conducting and voice from the University of New Mexico, and an undergraduate degree in music (education and voice) from Luther College. Her extensive work in the field of choral conducting includes serving as the Raymond R. Neevel/Missouri Associate Professor and Director of Choral Studies at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory until 2023, Associate Professor of Choral Music at Luther College from 2013 to 2020, and founding Scottsdale Musical Arts in 2009. In demand as a clinician and guest speaker, Robison frequently appears at regional and national choral conferences and seminars; regularly leads All State and honor choirs, workshops, and festivals; and has taught courses in choral singing and global connection in the United States, Namibia, South Africa, Germany, and an upcoming festival in Italy (2024). She is the editor of the National Lutheran Choir Series with MorningStar Music Publishers as well as the Jennaya Robison Series with Pavane Publishing, and she is an active arranger of choral music. Robison has served as soloist and chorister with the Dale Warland Singers, True Concord Voices, Spire Chamber Ensemble, and the Tucson Symphony among many other ensembles. She is the national chair of Music in Worship for the American Choral Directors Association, a member of Chorus America, and has held leadership positions at Lutheran churches in Arizona, Missouri, Iowa, and Minnesota.
Sarah Brailey
University of Chicago
Soprano Sarah Brailey has been hailed by The New York Times for her “exquisitely phrased” singing and by Opera UK for “a sound of remarkable purity.” Recent highlights include Handel’s Messiah with The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, John Zorn’s Song of Songs with Barbara Hannigan at the Elbphilharmonie, and The Soul in the world premiere recording of Dame Ethel Smyth’s The Prison, for which she received a GRAMMY Award for Best Classical Solo Vocal Album. Sarah is the Artistic Director of the Handel Aria Competition and the Director of Vocal Studies at the University of Chicago. www.sarahbrailey.com.
Karen Brunssen
Northwestern University
Karen Brunssen, Professor of Music, Bienen School of Music, Northwestern University, Co-Chair-Music Performance, NATS Immediate Past-President, American Academy of Teachers of Singing (member). Karen is a frequent teacher, clinician, and adjudicator throughout the United States, Canada, Asia, and Europe. Her book, The Evolving Singing Voice: Changes Across the Life Span, chronicles how changes in respiration, vibration, and resonance impact expectations for singing throughout a lifetime. Residencies include Cambridge University, the Zürcher Sing-Akademie, Shallaway Youth Choir in Newfoundland and more. She attended Luther College, Yale University, and Kent State University and is a recipient of the Luther College Weston Noble Award.
Mari Esabel Valverde
Award-winning composer Mari Esabel Valverde has been commissioned by the American Choral Directors Association, Boston Choral Ensemble, the Gay and Lesbian Association of Choruses, Los Angeles Master Chorale, Portland’s Resonance Ensemble, Seattle Men’s and Women’s Choruses, and the Texas Music Educators Association. Following six years as a high school classical voice instructor, she spent two years specializing in transgender voice training. A native of North Texas, she holds degrees from St. Olaf College, the European American Musical Alliance in Paris, France, and San Francisco Conservatory of Music. She is a member of ASCAP and the American Choral Directors Association.
