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Donna Brown excelled in music as a child, beginning her studies at the age of 3. While in high school Ms. Brown worked as the Director of Chapel Music for Craig Air Force Base. She also performed as an accompanist and student conductor for her High School Choir.
Ms. Brown attended Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts as a National Achievement Scholar where she studied piano, organ, voice and conducting. Leaving Mt. Holyoke, she received her BM degree from The Julliard School in Lincoln Center, New York City as a conducting student of Abe Kaplan. She returned a decade later as a graduate student and teaching fellow under Richard Westenburg.
Ms. Brown has performed internationally as a pianist/musical director for Jeree Palmer, Ronnie Dyson, The Main Ingredients and many others. Ms. Brown was Assistant Artistic Director/Pianist for The Boys' Choir of Harlem. She has done numerous performances and shows around New York City including The Village Gate, The Peppermint Lounge, The Apollo Theater, The Grand Piano, The Cotton Club (new) and The Billy Holiday Theatre, to name a few.
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As a Minister of Music and Church Organist, Ms. Brown has prepared and conducted Requiem by Mozart for the Roseville Concert Choir and Orchestra. She has prepared groups for performances of such classical pieces as Les Noces by Stravinsky, Messiah by Handel and Requiem by Verdi. She has founded several gospel groups including the Martin Luther King Singers, the Southern Baptist Voices of Praise and the Mount Holyoke College Gospel Choir.
Ms. Brown has done three tours throughout Europe as the Musical Director/Conductor of the Gershwin Gala, a beautifully staged show of the music of George Gershwin for Jazz Orchestra and singers.
Ms. Brown is the co-founder and Musical Director of The Black Gospel Pearls and The Golden Gospel Pearls. These groups have toured extensively throughout Europe since 1992. With her gospel groups, Ms. Brown has produced four gospel albums and one maxi single. The Golden Gospel Pearls, with over 400,000 fans, are famous for their annual Christmas Concerts in Berlin, Germany.
Ms. Brown has performed as arranger, pianist and conductor for Gayle Tuft's Soul Sensation Show in Berlin, Germany.
Ms. Brown has found great pleasure and artistic expressinon in entertaining in piano bars since the early '80. As a pianist/singer, Ms. Brown has performed widely in such places as Manhattan, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Lucern, Gaastad, Montreux, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Bremen, Dresden, Magdeburg, Baden-Baden, Hamburg and Berlin in some of "the most beautiful hotels". Ms. Brown is currently the featured pianist for The Ritz Carlton Hotel, Berlin.
Ms. Brown performs regularly with her group, Donna Brown and The Black Pearl Jazz Quartet emphasizing traditional jazz and blues styles. The Black Pearl Jazz Quartet will be presented in concert at the Berlin Philharmonic Kammersaal on October 10, 2010 at 8pm.
Ms. Brown has studied classical piano with Ethel Dinkins, Edgar Ziegler and Ronald Hodges; classical organ with Ethel Dinkins and Myrtle Reigier and Dennis Keene; jazz piano with Mickey Bass, Mike Logan and Reggie Moore; voice with Mr. Cumberland, Ann Ruckert, Barbara Christopher and Michael Dixon; conducting with Tamara Brooks, Abraham Kaplan and Richard Westenburg.
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