Tikia Brownel

Tikia Brownel, a vocal artist and educator based in Newington, CT dedicated to expressive, healthy singing. Possessing a voice that carries a luminous warmth and resonant depth (reminiscent of artists such as Kathleen Battle and Martina Arroyo), her artistry spans spirituals, modern choral works and folk songs, masterworks series (such as ones produced by the Hartford Symphony Orchestra), and multilingual repertoire.
 

Drawn to both choral and instrumental music, she approaches performance as an act of
connection, devotion, and shared listening. She often encourages her students to sing out in choirs, ensembles, and audition for solos even when they don’t want others to hear their voice or truly believe they are tone-deaf. Hearkening to the words of the singing master Edisher Garakanidze’s (introduction to 99 Georgian Songs) “Everybody without exception has the ability to sing, just the same as to laugh, cry and run. It is from God. Many people sing only when they are alone, never for or with other people (because of shyness). Singing in common gives the occasion to take into consideration another person, to give him, or her, something, but at the same time also find pleasure oneself. And my and your pleasure together is – happiness!”.

 

Currently in her third year in the Hartford Chorale, she is also a guest artist with the North End Senior Center Harmonizers, a member of the Hartford Gospel Choir, and newly involved with a branch of the CitySingers of Hartford called SolUnity.