Tamara Brooks facts for kids

Tamara Brooks was an American conductor who led many choirs and orchestras. She was born on September 11, 1941, and passed away on May 19, 2012.

Her Musical Journey

Tamara Brooks went to the famous Juilliard School of Music. There, she learned to play the piano and to be a conductor. She had a very diverse career, not just leading choirs.

Conducting Around the World

Brooks led concerts in many countries across the globe. These included places like Austria, England, France, Germany, Japan, and Italy. She held important jobs, such as being the main guest conductor for the Istanbul Symphony. She also led the Cyprus Broadcast Orchestra.

She helped prepare choirs for many famous conductors. Some of these included Abbado, Mehta, and Muti.

Supporting New Music

Tamara Brooks really loved new music. She asked composers to write new pieces and performed works by many modern artists. Some of these composers were John Cage, Ligeti, and Michael Tippett.

Leading Choirs and Colleges

Before moving to Boston, Brooks was the Music Director of the Mendelssohn Club of Philadelphia for eleven years. With this group, she made a recording that was nominated for a Grammy award. This recording featured music by Vincent Persichetti, who was her friend and mentor.

She also directed the orchestra for Haverford and Bryn Mawr Colleges. While there, she helped guide Elizabeth Schulze, who is now a conductor herself.

At New England Conservatory

From 1989 to 2000, Brooks was in charge of choral activities at the New England Conservatory. She led many highly praised performances there. One famous performance was a 1992 Verdi Requiem. It received excellent reviews from the Boston Globe newspaper.

Her Later Life

In 1998, Tamara Brooks met the actor and singer Theodore Bikel during a TV show. Ten years later, they got married. Together, they toured the world, performing popular folk music concerts.

A friend, Hankus Netsky, described Tamara as a very energetic and passionate person. He said she was always excited about her projects. She put all her effort into everything she did.

Tamara Brooks sadly passed away suddenly from a heart attack on May 19, 2012.