Brenda Marie Turner

  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, Brenda 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). This year, she was an artist in residence at the University of Limerick, Ireland, that included masterclasses and performances. Brenda is the soprano staff soloist of the Riverside Church in New York City.

Brenda’s classical repertoire includes well known works by Handel, Rutter, Mozart, and Mendelssohn, lesser-known gems by Fanshawe, and a gamut of new works. Most recently, she was soprano soloist for Carroll Symphony Orchestra and Community Chorus’ performance of Handel’s Messiah. In 2024, she performed the roles of Orpah in Haggeman’s opera Ruth in a collaborative production by Pegasus Opera Theater and Southern Illinois University and Nella (Gianni Schicchi) for Bronx Opera. Additional opera roles include Bess and Serena (Porgy and Bess), Lucia (Lucia di Lammermoor), Micaela and Frasquita (Carmen), Lakme (Lakme), and she workshopped the popular American opera Margaret Garner leading up to its world premiere.

Brenda embarked on a national goodwill tour, Sing Out! A Tour for Harmony, throughout 2025. The tour was absolutely free to presenters and underwritten by a grant from Open the Music to demonstrate the uniting force and perpetual gift of music. Nine beautiful concerts in eight states resulted in a demand for more Sing Out! programs. Those are in the works for the 2026-2027 season. The concerts by Brenda and a pianist include vocal masterpieces spanning three centuries: Margaret Bonds to Leonard Bernstein, Terrence McNalley to Mozart, Chevalier de St. George to Richard Smallwood. Brenda gives insightful commentary and dialogue with the audience throughout the program.

Brenda is a vocal student of soprano Delia Surratt. She studied voice at Stetson University (Florida) and earned a bachelor’s degree in film from Northwestern University. She is a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) and has directly raised more than $25 million and has indirectly raised nearly $1 billion for worthy nonprofit missions. Her background in theater and film boosts her skills in presenting thoughtfully prepared and engaging fundraising concepts to all audiences.

Still Photography by Thomas Mueller