Evanne Browne
One of three female professional conductors in a musical family, Evanne Browne has performed, directed, and championed early music since the 1980s when she was a student in baroque vocal performance practice in the Netherlands. Moving to Washington, DC, Evanne spent over 20 years in the area where she gained renown as a soprano soloist with outstanding early music ensembles including the Smithsonian Chamber Players, Washington Bach Consort, The Folger Consort, Palestrina Choir, Hesperus, and the Washington Cornett and Sackbutt Ensemble.
In 2005, Evanne moved to Boulder, Colorado, where she gained recognition as a choral conductor. In 2011, she founded Seicento Baroque Ensemble, Colorado’s only choir to specialize in historically-informed performances, bringing unusual works and unique period instruments to that area. She was regularly heard on Colorado Public Radio stations promoting her programs and is the only person in Colorado to have conducted the challenging Monteverdi Vespers of 1610. As lecturer and educator, Evanne has led workshops on baroque singing techniques for the International Conducting Institution, coached the performance practice class at University of Denver, taught French baroque ornamentation to the professional St. Martin’s Chamber Choir, and coached singers at DePauw University School of Music’s workshop on singing Hildegard von Bingen.
She returned to the DC area in 2016 and is currently serving as Director of Music Ministries at Sydenstricker United Methodist Church and Assistant Music Director for the Washington Christmas Revels. She maintains a private voice studio in Arlington, Virginia. Her degrees are in vocal performance: a Master of Music from Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music and Bachelor of Music from Trinity University. She studied baroque performance practice with baritone Max von Egmond at the Sweelinck Conservatory in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
