Becky Graber
Becky founded the Brattleboro Women’s Chorus in 1996. It marked a turning point for her. She moved away from a touring life-style and chose a more settled pathway that worked better for her young children. In the chorus, Becky sought and found a way to combine artistry with ongoing relationships; the chorus gave her musical imagination room to grow and deepen, one concert season at a time. The weekly rehearsals, twice annual concert weekends with guest musicians, and camaraderie of the singers continue to support and nourish her creative spark.
Becky moved to Brattleboro after graduation from Colgate University in 1977, and Brattleboro has seemed like home ever since. When she first moved to town, Becky played french horn in the Brattleboro Brass Band, composed music for the Monteverdi Players outdoor production of “Life Is A Dream”, and accompanied many local musical and theater productions.
She had a 10 year visit to the Portsmouth NH area, another wonderful place to live, but she came back to Brattleboro with husband Tim Ellis, and they raised their children Sarah and Jacob here. While living in Brattleboro, Becky has been employed (at various times) as a piano teacher, storyteller, elementary school music teacher, church musician, and a musical theater director.
Over the years, Becky has worked regularly with many organizations: Antioch New England Graduate School, New England Youth Theatre, Timson Hill Preschool, Brattleboro Nursery School, The Putney School, the Brattleboro Music Center, and Londonderry Vermont’s Second Congregational Church, and she has performed and taught at too many schools and libraries to name! She also directed Animaterra Women’s Chorus in Keene until Covid closed the chorus down.
These days, Becky once again teaches piano to young children at the Brattleboro Music Center; she leads singalongs and glee clubs at local senior and day care facilities; she sings alto with “Big Woods Voices” and soprano with the Hallowell singers; she is the accompanist for the Brattleboro Concert Choir, and she still delights in leading the Brattleboro Women’s Chorus!
For more information on Becky’s programs, visit her website at: www.beckygraber.com