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Brenda Portman has recently accepted a new position as Resident Organist at Hyde Park Community United Methodist Church in Cincinnati, OH., with responsibilities as organist for three Sunday morning services, accompanist for the Wesley Choir and Cathedral Choir, and executive director of the Organ Concert Series. Previously she was the organist at First Presbyterian
Church of Flint, Michigan and the dean of the Flint chapter of the American Guild of Organists. She has won first place in the Bank District British/American Organ Competition, held June 2009 in London, England, as well as first place in the 2007 Arthur Poister Organ Competition (Syracuse, NY) and the 2006 Albert Schweitzer Organ Competition (Wethersfield, CT). She is currently a semifinalist in the 2010 National Young Artists Competition in Organ Performance.
In July 2008, Brenda completed her first professional recording, entitled "All Might and Majesty": organ music of Edwin T. Childs, performed on the Schantz organ at College Church in Wheaton, IL. The recording was released in February 2009 and is available at www.brendaportman.com. Selections from the album have been featured on American Public Media's weekly radio program Pipedreams®.
Brenda received her bachelor's degree in music education from Wheaton College in 2002, and her master's degree in church music and organ performance from Northwestern University in 2003. She has studied with John Behnke, Edward Zimmerman, Douglas Cleveland, and Marilyn Mason. She has held positions as Director of Music Ministries at Trinity Lutheran Church and School (Jackson, MI), Organ Scholar at Alice Millar
Chapel of Northwestern University (Evanston, IL), and Organist at Wheaton Christian Reformed
Church (Wheaton, IL). She has done extensive performing and accompanying in the Flint area for groups such as the UM-Flint Chamber Singers, the Carolyn Mawby Chorale, the Hartland Community Chorus, and other local choral ensembles. She also performs regularly as a soloist and has presented recitals across the country. She lives in Cincinnati with her husband Patrick and son Micah.
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