TIM BRENT​
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Dr. Tim Brent is a musician who's work is "beautiful, awe-inspiring and strikingly original" (Arts Atlanta). The recipient of 9 DownBeat Magazine awards as a vocal jazz educator, pianist, arranger, and performer. Tim is currently on the voice faculty at Western Michigan University and most recently served as the chairperson for the Performing Arts & Industries Department at Miami Dade College Kendall Campus and is active as a composer and performer working regularly as a vocalist and pianist. He has performed and/or recorded with such names as, Bobby McFerrin, Mel Torme, Ingrid Jensen, Brian Lynch, Ed Calle, Dick Oatts as well as Latin Grammy award-winner Obie Bermudez.
As a composer Tim's works are best described as "wonderfully energetic" (Charleston Post and Courier). He has had compositions, arrangements, and orchestrations premiered by such groups as the Westminster Choir, the West Shore Chorale, State University of New York Pottsdam, Kansas State University and Western Michigan University Gold Company.
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As an educator, Tim has held positions as the director of vocal jazz studies at the University of North Texas, The University of the Arts, Northern Illinois University, and Miami Dade College. He was the Eastern Division American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) Repertoire and Resources Chair for Commercial/Contemporary music and served on the board as the Higher Education Co-Chair for the New Jersey Association for Jazz Education (NJAJE).
Tim received his bachelors degree in choral music education from Western Michigan University where we studied with iconic vocal jazz educator Steve Zegree. He earned his masters and doctoral degrees from the University of Miami where he studied with the legendary jazz educator Larry Lapin.
As a guest clinician and artist, he frequently works with high school and college vocal groups around the country. Tim has presented interest sessions at state music education conventions, the Eastern Division National Association for Music Education (NAfMe) Conference, as well as the National and Southern Division ACDA conferences.
In 2017 Tim released his first first solo album On the Sunny Side. This collaboration with 12 talented and gifted artists resulted in ten original, creative, and unique interpretations of the jazz standard repertoire.
His music can be found in the Vocal Music Store and is also published by
Hal Leonard, GIA Publications, Sheet Music Plus, JW Pepper, and MusicSpoke.
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