ED BROMS
Description: Organist, Bassist, Vocalist, Guitarist, Percussionist,
Music Director, Producer, Composer, Educator, Author
EDUCATION
Ed Broms began his
music career in 1977 with three years as a founding chorister,
recording and performing with the Grammy-nominated National
Boychoir (St. Mary’s Boychoir), based in Maryland.
He continued to study piano, organ, and conducting with
the director, Brahmachari Keith (Keith William Rhodes) until
1984.
He received his B.M. in Jazz Performance/Bass from Berklee
College of Music (1986) where he studied with John LaPorta,
Whit Browne and George Garzone; and received the Abe Laboriel
Award for Most Outstanding Performance.
He received his M.M. in Contemporary Improvisation from
New England Conservatory (1990) where he studied with Bob
Moses, Joe Maneri, and Ran Blake.
He then studied composition privately with composer Harold
Seletsky in New York City (1991-1993), where he completed
the harmony and counterpoint sections of the famed Schoenberg
pedagogical method, each section taking about a year.
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
He completed the seminary program of the Vedantan House
of Studies of Londonderry, NH (1991-1994) in which he studied
comparative theology through close examination of the world’s
major religious texts from the universalist viewpoint of
Vedantan Philosophy and practiced the transcendental meditation
of Kriya Yoga Since the retirement of Fr. Keith William
Rhodes in August 2002, he has been the clerical head of
the Order of Vedantan Monists for the United States and
Canada.
In 1994-1995 he studied in the Boston Academy
of the Church of Scientology, completing several courses
including Class 1 Auditor, The Key to Life, and the Life
Orientation Course.
PERFORMANCE
RECENT
Since 2006 he has been the Music Director, Organist and
Choir Director at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul, in Boston,
the seat of the Episcopal Diocese of Eastern, Mass. At
the Cathedral he leads a 12 voice professional choir, The
Cathedral Scholars in a diverse and difficult repertoire,
with a focus on living composers. He also directs the professional
Cathedral Gospel Choir and Ensemble. The choirs are featured
each Sunday morning at 730AM on WCRB 99.5 Waltham. He directs
the Cathedral’s “Communitas” music program which features
“paperless” music designed for building community. He curates
the Cathedral’s Noontime Wednesday Recital series, and the
World Music Guest artist series; and oversees the Composer-in-Residence
program which currently features celebrated composer Carson
Cooman.
Recent Pipe Organ Recitals have included
Harvard University, Trinity Church-Copley, King’s Chapel,
and Wesley Methodist Church in Worcester, MA.
He has also been a Music Director for the
“emerging church” worship phenomenon, The Crossing (2006-present),
featuring groove and chant based music, which he helped
to develop in 2006.
As a choral director he has recently directed
several major works from the console including the complete
Messiah of Handel, the Faure Requiem, and Pergolesi’s Stabat
Mater. He also was the Music Director for the 2008 Production
of Godspell at Eastern Nazarene College.
He is the Organist at the Chapel of the
Archdiocesan Offices for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese
of Eastern Massachusetts.
In February, 2009, he completed a concert
series covering the Complete Works of John Coltrane, encompassing
over 400 jazz compositions. In 2010 a similar series featuring
the Complete Works of Duke Ellington arranged for jazz quartet
will also be undertaken.
He is Artist-in-Residence and on the Adjunct
Music Faculty at Eastern Nazarene College where he gives
featured concerts, gives various seminars, and teaches Improvisation,
Piano, and Bass.
Most recently he founded The Order
of the Artist (OA), a multi-media performance troupe.
A Quartet offshoot of the OA, NAGBANSI, featuring
DJ Fraction of Paris (Infine) and Nandlal Nayak of India,
was recently signed to the ACM label and released their
first CD “The Indian Friend”.
He is also Music Director with the Celtic
group Michael’s Daughter, featuring vocalist,
Maureen Mulkerrin.
He is also currently collaborating with
guitarist Ken Rubenstein on his latest recording "Dan";
and with dancer Deanna Pellecchia in the performance ensemble
Savage Amusements.
PAST
He was a Musician with Grammy-nominated BLUE
MAN GROUP (1998-2005).
He was Music Director and Organist at St.
Mary’s Parish in Holliston, MA, leading a 4-choir, 80-voice
choral program of adults and children all trained using
methods of the Royal School of Church Music (2004-2006).
From 1996-2004 he was the Organist at Holy
Name Parish, West Roxbury, MA; performing regularly for
local prelates and heads of state.
As Bassist and Lead Vocalist he has led
numerous groups including the Hard Rock band and Fizzgiggious
Fish Recording Artist BROMS, which featured
internationally renowned
Drummer John Macaluso and guitarist Paul Mascott, of THE
DROP BAND.
He has also led the Avant-Garde Jazz group
THE AINUR; Livetronica/Dance outfit THE SPANKING MELONS;
and several repertory ensembles: the wedding/function/jam
band THE REAL BAND (Jazz and Pop Standards), ROOSTER (Blues),
The BROMS ORGAN TRIO (Jazz, Lounge, and Exotica) and THE
WAYWARD SONS (Country and Folk); as well as performing as
a solo artist.
He has performed with a “who’s who” of
contemporary music, including Molly Jo Rivelli, Mat Maneri,
Anthony Coleman, Kitty Brazelton, Bob Moses, Cecil Taylor,
Perry Robinson, Bern Nix, Mark Whitfield, Chuck Berry, Eddie
Kirkland, Curtis Knight, Maxine Nightingale, Marc Ribot,
John Zorn’s Cobra, The American Festival of Microtonal Music
and The Boston Microtonal Society, Kilombo
Mambo, Nash Satterfield, and Randy Roos.
And he has performed with members of Club D’Elf,
The Lunch Factor, Powerman5000, Martin, Medesky and Wood,
Screaming Headless Torsos, Morphine, The Fully Celebrated
Orchestra, ARK, The Boston Pops, and The Count Basie Big
Band.
He led the experimental music ensemble
BrouHaHa from 1984 to 1992 which featured
such Free Jazz luminaries as Chris Washburne, Mat Maneri,
Randy Peterson, Ray Anthony, Mike Castellana, Jim Hobbs,
Timo Shanko, Andy Plaisted, and Carry Brown.
He toured nationally with Real Rock Recording
Artist, The Black Dog Band (1992-1993).
He has also worked with platinum-selling producer Mudrock
(Godsmack, Powerman5000), and Grammy-nominated producer
Todd Perlmutter (Blue Man Group) on several recordings.
COMPOSITION
He has been commissioned as a composer by organist Peter
Krasinski, organist Richard Bunbury, the National Boychoir,
pianist Brahmachari Keith, McNeese University, pianist Joshua
Pierce, and Coppola- Largey Dance. He was a featured
composer at the 1996 Percussive Arts Society’s International
Convention in Nashville, along with Ralph Shapey, James
Tenny, and Ben Johnston.
TEACHING
He currently is on the Adjunct Music Faculty
of Eastern Nazarene College teaching bass, piano, and jazz
improvisation.
He currently has a private studio of over 40 students of
piano, organ, voice, and bass.
He has tutored Traditional Harmony and Counterpoint at Berklee
College of Music (1986). He has taught Bass, Piano, Organ,
Voice, Guitar, Improvisation, Composition, Eartraining,
and Music Theory privately since 1988. He has conducted
lectures, and clinics on microtonal music, eartraining,
and contemporary performance techniques at the University
of Southern Florida, McNeese State University, and
the University of South Eastern Louisiana (1994).
He has taught Piano as Adjunct Faculty at Lesley College
(2000).
WRITING
He has authored the textbook Introduction to the
Piano (Nada Yogi Press, 2000) for teaching the
piano in a classroom setting at the college level.
He has authored the text Encyclopedia of Polyrhythm,
Volume 1 (Nada Yogi Press, 2002), for use with
all instruments.
He has authored The Book of the Artist (2008)
which is being edited for publication.
He is presently at work on two other books on music, The
Microtonal Music Handbook, a “how-to” guide to
the practice of microtonal music, and Music
in Theory and Practice, a com-prehensive course
in music.
OTHER
He is presently an honorary Board member of the American
Festival of Microtonal Music, New York City, directed by
Johnny Reinhard.
REFERENCES ARE AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST
RECORDINGS, SCORES, AND BOOKS ARE AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST.
(Photo Credit, Carine Saut)
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