In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Brandon Waddles.

Brandon Waddles

b. 1988

As a conductor, composer, pianist, and educator, Brandon Waddles enjoys a multifaceted career spanning the musical gamut. A Detroit native, he holds a B.A. in Music from Morehouse College, a M.M. from Westminster Choir College of Rider University, and a Ph.D. in Music Education with a Choral Conducting emphasis at Florida State University. Before pursuing his doctorate, he served on the Conducting and Sacred Music faculty at Westminster as conductor of the Westminster Jubilee Singers. Brandon’s choral compositions and arrangements have been published and performed by choral ensembles around the world, including the Morehouse College and University of Michigan Glee Clubs, Oakwood Aeolians, Westminster Choir, Brigham Young University Singers and the Slovenian Philharmonic Choir. In 2019, he was the inaugural recipient of the ACDA Diverse Voices Collaborative Grant. In addition, he has worked as a transcriber of Black gospel music for numerous choral octavos, hymnals and hymnal supplements published by GIA, including his recent work as a contributing editor for the One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism hymnal. Waddles, recently released Just In Case You’ve Forgotten, the first selected compendium of works by the late Thomas Whitfield, the subject of his dissertation.

Suggested Choral Works:

1. If My People (GIA Publishing G-9400) 
2. O, I Got a Light (Walton Music WW1857)
3. Ride in the Chariot (GIA Publishing G-8532)