Faculty
Paige Burke, Piano, Voice, Composition
Paige Burke (they/them/theirs) is a Worcester-based composer, vocalist, pianist, and music educator. With compositional influences ranging from jazz to rock to minimalism, as well as their experience as a choral singer and teacher, Mx. Burke aims to create music that is accessible to everybody. Music should prompt its listeners to both feel and learn—and this is the guiding principle behind Mx. Burke’s creative output, whether in the classroom or the concert hall.
Mx. Burke has been commissioned by several ensembles, including the Chamber Singers at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, the L.A. Choral Lab, and Longy School of Music’s Ensemble Uncaged. As a former member of the UMass Lowell Chamber Singers, Mx. Burke, an alto, has performed masterworks including movements from Bach’s Magnificat, Brahms’ Nänie and Schicksalslied, and Mozart’s Requiem, under the direction of Brian O’Connell and Dr. Jonathan Richter. Mx. Burke has also performed internationally, as a two-time participant in the Sarteano Choral Conducting Workshop in Italy, directed by Brian O’Connell, Simon Carrington, and Broni Falinska.
As an educator, Mx. Burke has experience teaching all ages and skill levels, in both private studio and classroom settings. Their work with elementary- and middle-school aged students in the general music classroom, as part of their undergraduate coursework, has been heavily composition-based. Their pedagogical approach centers social justice and social-emotional awareness in order to create well-rounded, world-ready musicians.
Mx. Burke holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Studies from the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, and a Master of Music in Composition from the Longy School of Music at Bard College. Their teachers include Meredith Borden (applied voice), Dr. Amy Beth Kirsten, and Dr. John Morrison (both composition). They currently reside in Central Massachusetts with their family and two cats.