The Nathaniel Dett Chorale honors the legacy of R. Nathaniel Dett, an African American composer, pianist and choral director who is profiled at AfriClassical.com He was born Oct. 11, 1882. We recently wrote about the 125th Anniversary Celebration and American Music Festival at Chattanooga, Tennessee, Wednesday, Oct. 10 to Saturday, Nov. 3, 2007. Today we present the bio of Brainerd Blyden-Taylor:
Brainerd Blyden-Taylor is the Founder, Artistic Director and conductor of The Nathaniel Dett Chorale, Canada's first professional chamber choir dedicated to the creation and performance of Afrocentric music of all styles. Born in Trinidad & Tobago, Mr. Blyden-Taylor immigrated to Canada in 1973. He founded The Chorale in 1998, in response to a musical void in Canada; there had never before been a professional ensemble dedicated to the dissemination of Afrocentric choral music. The response that The Chorale has received in Canada and the United States since its inception has certainly given credence to Mr. Blyden-Taylor's vision.
Mr. Blyden-Taylor works frequently as a guest conductor, having appeared with organizations such as the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Symphony Nova Scotia, the Hannaford Street Silver Band, Nova Scotia Youth Choir, Ontario Youth Choir and the New Brunswick Choral Federation Youth Sing. He has recently completed a 25-year tenure with The Orpheus Choir of Toronto, and he has also worked as a conductor, artistic director and artistic advisor for the Nova Scotia Mass Choir and the Algoma Festival Choir.
Mr. Blyden-Taylor is currently a member of the teaching staff at the Faculty of Music, University of Toronto. He is also a Master Teacher with the Toronto Board of Education, coaching teachers and students in conducting and choral technique. In constant demand as a Clinician, Adjudicator and Lecturer, engagements this season include the Conference on Black Musics in Canada - York University, Toronto; Canadian Rocky Mountain Festival - Banff, Alberta; Tempo 2003 Manitoba Music Conference; Minister's Conference & Organist and Choir Director's Guild Workshop - Hampton University, Virginia; Festival 500, Newfoundland; Vancouver Kiwanis Music Festival; National Association of Negro Musicians Conference - Detroit, Michigan; and Manitoba Choirfest.
In addition Mr. Blyden-Taylor is an active church musician, serving currently as Music Director of St. Timothy's Anglican Church, North Toronto.
Brainerd+Blyden-Taylor" rel="tag">Brainerd Blyden-Taylor
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Afrocentric+music" rel="tag">Afrocentric musicBlack+Conductor" rel="tag">Black Conductor
classical+music" rel="tag">classical music
I have worked with singers in the Nathaniel Dett Chorale on a few occasions and they are musicians of the first order. Kudos to Mr. Blyden-Taylor for developing such a fine core of singers.
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