Friday, May 8, 2020
Brown earned bachelor鈥檚 degrees in sacred music and music education from Westminster Choir College
Westminster Choir College alumnus Vinroy D. Brown Jr. 鈥15 has been appointed artistic director for the Trenton Children鈥檚 Chorus (TCC) beginning this summer.
鈥淥n behalf of the entire board and the entire organization, we are thrilled to have Vinroy join us as our next artistic director,鈥 says TCC board co-presidents Jill Jackson Carr and Nora Schultz. 鈥淲ith his outstanding music skills, his energy and enthusiasm and his strong commitment to connecting communities through music, Vinroy was a unanimous choice. We are confident that Vinroy will carry on the TCC 30-year legacy and lead the Trenton Children鈥檚 Chorus into its next era.鈥
Brown earned bachelor鈥檚 degrees in sacred music and music education from Westminster Choir College and a master鈥檚 in practical theology from Regent University. He is a member of Westminster鈥檚 sacred music faculty and he conducts the Westminster Jubilee Singers. A church musician, he is director of music and worship arts at Elmwood United Presbyterian Church in East Orange, N.J. He is also the founder and artistic director of the Elmwood Concert Singers and artistic director and conductor of the Capital Singers of Trenton.
鈥淭his appointment holds special meaning for me,鈥 says Brown. 鈥淚鈥檝e been connected to the TCC family since my undergraduate years at Westminster Choir College, as a guest conductor and soloist. Being able to serve this great organization as its artistic director is nothing but a dream realized. I look forward to the possibilities for this next chapter in the life of TCC and my own.鈥
Current Artistic Director Patricia Thel says, 鈥淰inroy has an uncanny ability to inspire students, and share with them his love of music and music education. I鈥檓 proud to pass on the baton to him and look forward to seeing what the future has in store for this much-beloved organization.鈥
Founded in 1989 as an outreach project of Nassau Presbyterian Church by Westminster alumnae Sue Ellen Page 鈥71, 鈥82 and Marcia Wood 鈥88, TCC began as an entirely volunteer-run organization with 11 children in its first year. Today, in a city with a 33% drop-out rate, TCC demonstrates that teaching children and youth to make music transfers the essential tools for success in academic, social, and workplace endeavors. The most tangible impact of participation in TCC is the fact that 100% of choristers who stay with the program through high school, graduate and go on to college.
鈥淢usic is community,鈥 Brown says. 鈥淚t is creating time and space for community. For me, the communities of music that I鈥檝e been blessed to be a part of have added much to my life. I have been transformed by the power of music and I aim to help facilitate those life changing moments for others just like others have done for me.鈥