St. Thomas, Virgin
Islands native Wilma Ann crossed crystal blue waters to bless us with her dynamic
vocal presence. Her voice is touched with intimate soul, softened by jazzy resonance
and glorified with the cunning to flow smoothly through tight gospel-tinged
riffs. Her music is at once romantic soul, funky, with an occasional hip-hop
edge.
She began her
musical career in grade school studying the flute. As her love for vocal music
grew, she changed disciplines and formally studied vocal music by attending
New York City’s "famed" High School of the Arts. There, she studied
classical music and learned to sing in Italian, French, German, and Spanish.
Classical music study helped this artist develop her skills in intonation and
breathing. You’ll hear the results of this training as Wilma Ann easily
lures you to falsettos from hair-raising belts.
Wilma Ann began
performing in the church choir at age eleven and has since performed in citywide
choruses and vocal artist showcases. Her background in music was instrumental
when directing the Cornell University gospel choir and founding Baraka Kwa Wimbo,
a smaller gospel ensemble.
Wilma Ann’s
experience as a published poet is reflected in the clever and reflective lyrics
of the songs she writes. She believes that there is freedom in diversity, and
her passion and knowledge of diverse musical genres allows her to bring skills
and creativity to every project. Take a look under the surface...
