Frances Brockington, Voice

Frances Brockington, soprano, is a native of Detroit and an area favorite. Miss Brockington is an Associate Professor of Voice in the Department of Music at Wayne State University. In addition to her duties at WSU, Miss Brockington maintains a diverse performing schedule, a private studio, and serves as an adjudicator for various organizations both regionally and nationally. She holds the designation of Master Teacher. She is also Director of Music at St. Margaret of Scotland Catholic Church. After a long association with the National Association of Pastoral Musicians and the Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit, she remains a valued advisor to both organizations.

Miss Brockington has appeared as soloist with various orchestras and opera companies both here and abroad. She counts among her roles: Violetta from La Traviata by Verdi, Mimi from La Boheme by Puccini, Susannah from Le Nozze di Figaro, Clothilde from A Bayou Legend by Still, Gilda from Rigoletto by Verdi, Monica from The Medium by Menotti, Lucy from the Telephone by Menotti, the Native Woman from Emperor Jones by Gruenberg, and Despina from Cosi fan Tutte by Mozart to name a few. Her oratorio roles include Messiah by Handel, soprano from Requiem by Verdi, Mozart Requiem, Berlioz Requiem, Vesperae solennes de confessore by Mozart, Fauré Requiem, Rutter Requiem, Rutter Gloria, Gloria by Vivaldi, Mozart Great Mass in C to name a few.

Miss Brockington has served on the National Steering Committee for Cantor Certification sponsored by the National Association of Pastoral Musicians. Formerly, she was the the Director of the Cantor Certification Program for the Archdiocese of Detroit through IPLM, one of the first formally organized programs in the country. She has also appeared as clinician, keynote speaker, and Master Teacher for these organizations. She is also a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing and serves as an adjudicator as well.

Education and community service have always been of importance to Miss Brockington. She served on the Board of Directors of Joy Preparatory Academy [K-8 charter school] for eleven years, nine as president. She is also president of the Board of Directors of Artspectrum [a fine arts organization].

Miss Brockington is the author of A Troubleshooter's Voice Manual and Singers on the Move. She is the featured artist on the CDs Blessed Assurance and With the Lord issued by OCP. She co-wrote and performed in "Music Tells it Like it Is" and "All About Our Voices" both children's operas currently being utilized by a number of education departments within national opera companies.

Norah Duncan IV, narrator / arranger

Norah Duncan IV is Professor and Chair of the Department of Music at Wayne State University. He received an undergraduate degree (English Literature) from the University of Detroit, a Master of Fine Arts degree (Organ Performance) from Wayne State University, and a Doctor of Musical Arts (Church Music/Organ Performance) degree from the University of Michigan.

Norah Duncan IV is a multi-faceted musician. As an organist, he has performed extensively in both the United States and Europe. Recently, he presented organ recitals in Trier, Germany and Sydney, Australia. As a liturgical musician, he has been music director for the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament for over 26 years, both planning and directing music for both major Archdiocesan liturgies and local parish celebrations. He has presented papers on liturgical music at international congresses, clinics and workshops in Rome, Dublin, and for the Diocese of Enugu and the Archdiocese of Abuja, in Nigeria.

As a choral director, Norah has prepared choruses for performances with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, including the world premiere of David Del Tredici’s “Dum Dee Tweedle” conducted by Leonard Slatkin.  In both 2004 and 2005, he directed the Michigan Youth Choral Ensemble in Carnegie Hall in New York City. As a composer, Duncan’s works are published exclusively by GIA Publications.  They include liturgical music for choirs, cantors and organists, and solo vocal repertoire.  “Give Me Jesus” was written during the first year of the pandemic.

Duncan is the recipient of the Award for Excellence for Musical Direction from the American College Theater Festival, Washington, DC, the Sr. Thea Bowman Award of the Archdiocese of Detroit, the Spirit of Detroit Award, the Mother Teresa Duchemin Award for exemplary community service, and this year was the first recipient of the "Changing Lives Through Music" Award presented to him by Anne Parsons, President of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.

Tomoko Mack, Pianist

Born in Tokyo, Japan, Tomoko Mack began her piano studies at age 5, and performed in public at age 7. She fell in love with the sound of the piano at a young age and it hasn’t changed!

Tomoko came to the United States at age 10, and continued her studies, performing and competing at regional, national and International competitions. She won 1st place with her sister Yuki in Tokyo International duo competition, and a special “Kodama” prize from the founder of the competition.

She was also a top prize winner with her sister in the Dranoff International duo competition in Miami, Florida. She has recorded four acclaimed CDs with her sister. Her recordings are available on CD Baby and also through her website.

Tomoko is an active performer, teacher, and she is also frequently invited to adjudicate at major piano competitions in the U.S.A. and Japan. Tomoko has served since 2010 as the artistic director for the Steinway Society of Michigan.

Every summer she travels to Poland to teach, perform and co-direct with her husband, pianist Kazimierz Brzozowski the International Piano Festival in Nałęczów. They spend two summer months in their second home in a quaint old town of Kazimierz Dolny enjoying family life and preparing new repertoire.

Tomoko is a co-founder of the International Piano Festival in Nałęczów, Poland and she received a Commissioner’s Medal of Honor from the Ministry of Education in 2021 in Warsaw.