Abby Burke, Vocal Artist
Abby Burke, M.Ed., D.Div. (2012)
Vocalist/ Educator/Ordained Minister
“When Abby Burke sings, rooms fall silent. She is irrepressible with a multi-octave range overshadowed only by the depth of her tone and the drama in her physical delivery. Whether teaching at the Nashville Jazz Workshop or recording with the Nashville Symphony, singing the music of Ray Charles or the simplicity of a Spiritual, her love for what she does flows through each and every fiber of her being.” Drew Walen, Nashville City Paper
Abby Burke holds a BA and a M.Ed. in the study of the psychology and affect of music on the human psyche from Cambridge College, MA. She is presently working on a Doctorate in Divinity (D.Div.) where she has branched out into the ritual component of Praise and Worship and its affect on the human soul. A 1982-83 Opryland USA Nashville alumna Abby returned to Nashville in1998. In the past decade, Abby has been afforded several wonderful performing experiences.
Abby’s professional life includes performances and recordings with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra Nashville, on the 2006 Grammy winning album “Songs from the Neighborhood: the music of Mister Rogers”; being the first Nashville vocalist to sing in the new NSO performance home- the Schemerhorn Symphony Center on a “Tribute to Ray Charles with Maestro Albert George Schram;” she has performed with the Paducah KY, Tucson AZ, Charlotte NC Symphonies and the Columbus OH Symphonies. The TN Arts commission honored Abby with an Individual Artists Grant in 2005, and in 2008 asked her to represent the state of TN at the National Arts Council Conference in Chattanooga, TN.
Ordained by The United New Testament Church in 2008, Abby is an active member of the Oasis Church Nashville and a vital part of their arts ministry. She is an ASCAP writer whose take on “the Blues” can be heard locally at various venues in and around the Nashville area. Accompanied by her husband of 20 years Glenn Burke on saxophone and their “Soul Catchers Band,” their brand of blues/funk and soul has been lauded to “Reach Up and Slap you Upside your Head!” Denny @ the French Quarter Café-