Ysaye Maria Barnwell
| Ysaye Maria Barnwell | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 28, 1946 |
| Origin | New York |
| Genres | A cappella, soul, R&B, blues, folk |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, producer, educator, actor, writer |
| Instruments | Vocals, drums, |
| Years active | 1977–present |
| Labels | Flying Fish, EarthBeat!/Warner Bros. Records, Music For Little People, Rykodisc, Sony Music, |
| Associated acts | Sweet Honey in the Rock, Jubilee Singers |
| Website | www.ymbarnwell.com |
Ysaye Maria Barnwell (born 1946) was a member of the African American a cappella ensemble Sweet Honey in the Rock from 1979 to 2013.[1] She is a prolific composer, writing many of the group's songs, as well as being commissioned to create music for dance, choral, film, and stage productions. She is also known for being a female bass. Barnwell conducts music workshops around the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, including a workshop she created called "Building a Vocal Community: Singing in the African American Tradition". In 1977, she founded the Jubilee Singers, a choir at All Souls Church, Unitarian in Washington, DC.[2]
Barnwell earned bachelor's and master's degrees (1967 and 1968) in speech pathology from State University of New York at Geneseo, and a PhD (1975) in speech pathology from the University of Pittsburgh. In 1981, she also earned a Master of Science in Public Health, from Howard University.[3]
Barnwell produced Sweet Honey in the Rock's 1998 25th anniversary album, ...Twenty-Five..., and edited Continuum: The First Songbook of Sweet Honey in the Rock.
Barnwell's acting credits include a principal role on a television series called A Man Called Hawk; she also appeared in the 1998 film Beloved.
Barnwell released a solo recording of stories and song, Um Humm, in 2000.
Barnwell has also written a children's book with CD, No Mirrors in My Nana's House.[4] A second children's book and CD set was released in March 2008: We Are One.[5]
Barnwell was named after the great Belgian violinist, Eugène Ysaÿe.[citation needed]
Barnwell performed her final show with Sweet Honey in the Rock, May 11, 2013, at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California.[citation needed]
References
- ↑ http://www.ymbarnwell.com/about.php
- ↑ The Jubilee Singers
- ↑ Biographical Information
- ↑ No Mirrors in My Nana's House, Harcourt Children's Books, 1998, ISBN 0-15-201825-5 (hardcover), ISBN 0-15-205243-7 (paperback)
- ↑ We Are One book and musical CD based on the song "We Are" by Barnwell, Harcourt Children's Books, ISBN 0-15-205735-8
External links
- Use mdy dates from December 2013
- Articles with hCards
- Articles with unsourced statements from December 2007
- Articles with unsourced statements from May 2013
- African-American female singers
- American children's writers
- American film actresses
- American singer-songwriters
- American television actresses
- American Unitarian Universalists
- 1946 births
- Living people
- Musicians from New York
- Writers from New York
- Actresses from New York
- State University of New York at Geneseo alumni
- University of Pittsburgh alumni
- Howard University alumni
