Brown’s vocal skills
lie in the areas of Twentieth Century music and the opera roles of the
lyric mezzo-soprano repertoire, as well as pop, jazz and musical theatre
styles. While attending the University of Colorado at Boulder she performed
in nearly every production with CU Opera and worked extensively with
Musical Director and Conductor Nicolas Carthy, and Artistic Director
William Gustafson. Most recently Brown sang the roles of Cherubino in
Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro and Hänsel in Hänsel und
Gretel by Humperdinck with CU Opera. While at CU Brown also sang the
roles of Chinese Cup and Dragonfly in L’Enfant et les sortileges
by Ravel, Dorabella in Cosi fan tutte by Mozart and Sister Mathilda
in Dialogues of the Carmelites by Poulenc. She has also performed the
roles of Jo March in Little Women, Ma Moss in The Tender Land, and Fiametta
in The Gondoliers. In addition to these opera roles Brown has performed
multiple Music Theatre roles and has been a mezzo-soprano soloist for
Music Theatre reviews. Brown has performed with the Longmont Symphony
Orchestra and in the Cheyenne Symphony Orchestra Series.
Brown’s unique skills and musicianship have
enabled her to perform multiple Twentieth Century pieces that have not
been widely performed. She performed the mezzo-soprano soloist in Ned
Rorem’s Evidence of Things Not Seen with five colleges from the
University of Colorado. In addition she was privileged to sing the role
of Jo March in the West coast premiere of Mark Adamo’s Little
Women. Brown also performed two songs by Lukas Foss, from his Song of
Songs for Mezzo-soprano and orchestra, while at Grand Canyon University.
Brown graduated with her Masters of Music in Vocal
Performance from the University of Colorado at Boulder and studied voice
with Julie Simson. While at the University of Colorado, she has worked
in master classes with Cynthia Lawrence and Margaret Lattimore. Brown
earned her undergraduate degree in Vocal Performance from Grand Canyon
University in Phoenix, Arizona and studied in the studio of Dr. Sheila
Corley. She was also privileged to work with Theatre Director Claude
Pensis and Vocal Coach and accompanist Mark Fearey. Brown spent two
years at Grand Canyon University on full tuition vocal scholarship.
Mezzo-soprano Rena Brown has been the recipient
of multiple vocal awards from the University of Colorado at Boulder
College of Music, the Denver Lyric Opera Guild, and the National Association
for Teachers of Singing. Brown was the recipient of the Charlotte Orr
Reid Memorial Voice Scholarship and the Paula Marie and H. Rolan Zick
Endowment at the University of Colorado at Boulder. She was also a finalist
in the 2005 Denver Lyric Opera Guild Competition where she had the privilege
of working in a master class with Ashley Putman. She was also awarded
the Anthony and Dorothy Riddle Lyric Theatre Performance Prize and received
the Denver Lyric Opera Scholarship from the University of Colorado at
Boulder. In the 2005 and 2002 Arizona National Association for Teachers
of Singing Competition Brown placed second in her division.
Since a young age Brown has performed extensively
at her home church in Christmas and Easter musicals, and Contemporary
Christian Solo repertoire. Throughout High School and College she also
sang a wide range of Jazz and Choral literature.
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