Presenter: Dr. Velvet Brown
Healthy mind and body are key factors for a musician’s success. Focusing on personal growth can be overwhelming for a student or professional of color, especially while having to deal with the many challenges that the contemporary educational environment imposes on people of color, including experiences of anxiety, isolation, PTSD, and other stressors. A positive approach to leading, learning, and listening to our bodies and minds is paramount for a balanced success. It is vital to cultivate healthy habits to achieve this balance, to move forward, and to feel energized as a student and/or professional in our changing world.
Dr. Velvet Brown joined the Penn State faculty in 2003. She is honored to be the David P. Stone Endowed Chair for the School of Music and the Associate Director for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. Brown is also Artist Faculty at the Peabody Conservatory. She is a pedagogue, international soloist, chamber ensemble performer, composer/arranger, recording artist, conductor and orchestral player. She has made regular appearances throughout Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Finland, France, England, Hungary, Slovenia, Russia, Japan, Canada and the United States. Brown is the principal tubist of the New Hampshire Music Festival Orchestra and lead tuba in Howard Johnson’s “Gravity” Tuba Jazz Ensemble. She is a founding member of Stiletto Brass Quintet, Monarch Brass Quintet and Ensemble, and a member of the Pennsylvania Brassworks. Brown is a founding board member of the International Women’s Brass Conference and the Artistic Advisor for the Chromatic Brass Collective. Brown has released five solo CDs and has collaborated on several other recordings as a soloist and ensemble member.
Website: Penn State: a tuba player and Associate director for equity, diversity and inclusion in the School of Music. https://arts.psu.edu/faculty/velvet-brown/
Email: [email protected]