Philip Brown

Cantanti Singers (Grades 9 - 12)

Director:

Philip Brown is the Director of Choral Activities at Totino-Grace High School and conductor of the high school choirs with Angelica Cantanti Youth Choirs. He graduated summa cum laude from Bethany College (KS), majoring in K-12 music education. He later received his M.M. degree in music education from Northern Arizona University. 

Before arriving in Minnesota, Philip started his public school teaching in the suburbs of Denver, Colorado (Arvada West High School). After one year of teaching in White Bear Lake, Minnesota (North Campus High School), he has been at Hopkins High School. 

At Totino-Grace he conducts the curricular choirs and heads up the competitive show choir program. Along with his school teaching, Philip also conducts the Cantanti Singers, Treble Singers, and Tenor/Bass Ensemble - choirs of high school singers from across the twin cities as part of the Angelica Cantanti Youth Choirs organization. 

His choral groups have been selected for performances at: CMEA Conference, CU-Boulder Madrigal Festival, MMEA Mid-Winter Conference, ACDA-MN Fall Conference, NC-ACDA Conference, MSU-Mankato Choral Festival, ACDA-MN Choral Arts Finale, St. Olaf College Choir Festival, Concordia College Choir Festival, Northern Voice Festival, and Americana Portrait Festival with Mack Wilberg. Choirs under his conducting have collaborated with the Minnesota Oratorio Society, Minnesota Choral Artists - The Singers (Morten Lauridsen Festival), Great Northern Union, VocalEssence (!Cantare!), Northern Lights Chorale and Cantus. While on tour his choirs have consistently received superior ratings, best in class awards, and grand sweepstakes awards at various music festivals and competitions. 

Philip was honored as the 2011 ACDA-MN Young Director of the Year. He was selected as the Director of Note for Minnesota by Choral Director Magazine in 2012. In 2013 he received the VocalEssence/ACDA-MN Creative Programming Award for his repertoire philosophy and programming. Philip was named the Bethany College Gold Award recipient for 2015 and was the Winner of the Youth Choir Conducting Division for The American Prize 2016, and again in 2020. He was also the featured community member in the Eden Prairie Lifestyle Magazine for 2020. He conducted the Angelica Cantanti Youth Choirs - Treble Singers at the 2019 National ACDA Conference in his hometown of Kansas City, Missouri. Philip is an active clinician and professionally affiliated with ACDA and NAfME.

Philosophy:  

The Cantanti Singers, a group of SATB voices, through the study and performance of a wide variety of literature, will strive to perform choral music to the highest artistic standards.  This includes works of many genres: sacred, secular, classical, pop; other cultures and works of many styles: accompanied, a cappella, major choral works, shorter motets/art songs etc. Through the intense study and performance of our art, our primary goal is to share our hearts and minds with each other and our audience, ultimately making a positive impact on the world in which we live.