Artist Detail

Abby Burke, Vocalist/Educator

Actor - Educator: Adults - Educator: Teens - Educator: Youth - Musician - Singer - Songwriter

About the artist:

Abby Burke Vocal Artist and Dedicated Educator “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 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. In 2008 she became an ordained minister and in 2012 she earned a Doctorate in Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Christian University in Alabama. A 1982-83 Opryland USA Nashville alumna, Abby returned to Nashville in1998. Since her return to Nashville, Abby’s professional life has included performances and recordings with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra, Maestro Paul Gambill’s Chamber Orchestra Nashville, on the 2006 Grammy winning album “Songs from the Neighborhood: the music of Mister Rogers.” Abby was 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.” Additionally, Abby has performed with the Paducah KY, Tucson AZ, Charlotte NC and the Columbus OH Symphonies, to name a few. The TN Arts commission honored Abby with an Individual Artists Grant in 2005, and in 2008 she was asked to represent the state of TN at the National Arts Council Conference in Chattanooga, TN. Abby says: “A smile reflects the marvel of God in the music. Sharing the gift that has been given to me in order to give hope, see laughter and even sometimes a tear, makes my own life amazing!