MONTICELLO – Open the Music performing arts project has partnered with First Church of Monticello, Presbyterian in Monticello to offer a free concert by international soprano Brenda Marie Turner and pianist Christopher Cooley on Sunday, September 7 at 3pm. It is part of a 2025 national goodwill tour: Sing Out! A Tour for Harmony.

The audience will experience vocal masterpieces spanning three centuries: Margaret Bonds to Leonard Bernstein, Terrence McNalley to Mozart, Chevalier de St. George to Richard Smallwood. This exquisite journey through time and diverse composers in one afternoon will demonstrate the uniting force and perpetual gift of love-centered music.

Brenda Marie Turner’s vocal artistry seamlessly spans classical, jazz, musical theater, gospel, pop, and neo-soul. A featured soloist for opera, oratorio, art song, studio recordings, and television broadcasts, she is prized for her versatility, solid musicianship, and sheer, vocal beauty. Her performance credits extend to voice-over and on-camera work and can be heard and seen in national and international commercials and on social media spots for Facebook, IKEA, Vly foods, Koawach, and June’s Journey.

Brenda divides her time between the USA and Europe, performing regularly in the States, throughout Germany and Italy. She has been a soloist with the Berlin Philharmonic, 4Spiel String Quartet, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and the Nairobi Girls’ Chorale (Kenya). She has toured with German Pop Sensation Sarah Connor as a backing vocalist and featured artist, toured with Rev. Gregory M. Kelly and The Best of Harlem Gospel as a lead vocalist, and vocally supported a myriad of German stars on televised concerts and variety shows. In 2024, Brenda was invited to sing for the Silver Jubilee of His Royal Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, King of Ashanti, in Ghana.

Doors open at 2:30pm on Sunday, September 7 at First Church of Monticello, Presbyterian, 11 Jones Street, Monticello. This concert is free and open to the public, thanks to the generosity of donors who understand the importance of art in our society.