Brazeal Dennard (January 1, 1929 – July 5, 2010) was an American

singer Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define singi ...

educator A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. w ...

choral director Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance, such as an orchestral or choral concert. It has been defined as "the art of directing the simultaneous performance of several players or singers by the use of gesture." The primary duties ...

, and

musical arranger In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orchestratio ...

. He has been a significant contributor in the preservation and revitalization of the spiritual musical form. His efforts helped moved the African-American spiritual beyond the confines of the church, exposing not only the beauty of this music, but also its historical importance to a wider audience.

Biography

Born in

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

at just prior to the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

, Dennard acquired an early love of music and began playing piano at age 11. He attended

Detroit Public Schools Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD) is a school district that serves Detroit, Detroit, Michigan, and high school students in Highland Park, Michigan. The district, which replaced the original Detroit Public Schools (DPS) in 2016, ...

and moved on to

Wayne State University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public university, public research university in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 375 programs. It is Michigan's third-l ...

where he received a Master of Arts degree in

Music Education Music education is a field of practice in which educators are trained for careers as primary education, elementary or secondary education, secondary music teachers, school or music conservatory ensemble directors. Music education is also a rese ...

. While in the U.S. armed services, he organized a choral group of enlisted men and their wive

While a teacher in the Detroit Public schools, Dennard held the position of Fine Arts Department Head at Northwestern High School (Michigan), Northwestern High School and Director of Music Education He retired from this position in 1989. Throughout his career, Dennard served in many roles, including guest conductor, clinician, lecturer, and church choirmaster. His numerous professional affiliations included the

National Endowment of the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the feder ...

, Department of Cultural Affairs for the city of Detroit, trustee and member of the Advisory Committee of the Detroit Community Music School, Chairman of the Music Advisory Committee for the Michigan Council for the Arts, president of the

National Association of Negro Musicians The National Association of Negro Musicians, Inc. is one of the oldest organizations in the United States dedicated to the preservation, encouragement, and advocacy of all genres of the music of African-Americans. NANM had its beginning on May 3 ...

, member of the board of directors of the

Detroit Symphony Orchestra The Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) is an American orchestra based in Detroit, Detroit, Michigan. Its primary performance venue is Orchestra Hall (Detroit, Michigan), Orchestra Hall at the Max M. Fisher Music Center in Detroit's Midtown, Detroit, ...

, and

Adjunct Faculty An adjunct professor is a type of academic appointment in higher education who does not work at the establishment full-time. The terms of this appointment and the job security of the tenure vary in different parts of the world, but the term is ge ...

member at Wayne State Universit

In 1972 he founded the Brazeal Dennard Chorale, a group of highly trained singers dedicated to developing the choral art to its highest professional level. In keeping with his lifelong interest in education, the Chorale sponsors two other choral groups, The Brazeal Dennard Community Chorus - organized in 1985 as a community outreach program to encourage participation of members of the surrounding communities and to provide them with vocal training and professional performance opportunities, and The Brazeal Dennard Youth Chorale - for singers between the ages of 13 and 22.

Discography

Recordings of the Brazeal Dennard Chorale include: * ''Remembering, Discovering, Preserving'' * ''Hush'' * ''In Silent Night'' * ''Bridging Generations'' * ''Remembering II: Significant Spirituals'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Dennard, Brazeal 1929 births 2010 deaths American choral conductors American male conductors (music) 20th-century American conductors (music) 21st-century American conductors (music) Musicians from Detroit Wayne State University alumni Wayne State University faculty Classical musicians from Michigan 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians