Brittney Boykin

Dr[1][2]
B.E. Boykin
Born
Brittany Elizabeth Boykin[3]

Alexandria, Virginia, USA[2][4][5]
InstrumentPiano[6]
Websitehttps://beboykin.com/

Brittney Elizabeth Boykin[3] (born 1989)[5], known professionally as B.E. Boykin,[7] is an American composer, conductor, and classically trained pianist.[6]

Early life and education

Boykin is from Alexandria, Virginia.[2][4][5] She is African American.[8] She grew up in a musical family,[5][7][9] and began learning piano at age seven.[5][7][9] She pursued music as a career, studying classical piano at Spelman College, from which she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 2011.[6][5][1] During her time at Spelman College her focus shifted from performance to writing after taking several composition classes[5][1]. Some of her earliest arrangements were performed and recorded by Spelman's Glee Club. [5][9]

After graduating, she continued her studies at Westminster Choir College of Rider University in Princeton, New Jersey.[7][1][2] She graduated in May 2013 with a Master of Music in Sacred Music, concentrating in choral studies.[6][1][2]

Boykin obtained her PhD from Georgia State University, concentrating in music education.[1][2]

Career

Boykin founded her own publishing company, Klavia Press,[6][9] and joined Graphite Publishing in 2022.[2] In 2014, she was commissioned by Spelman College to write a choral piece, “We Sing as One,” for their 133rd Anniversary, celebrated at the Founders Day Convocation that year.[9][7][1] She was also included in The Oxford Book of Choral Music by Black Composers, published in February 2023 by Oxford University Press.[10] Boykin is Assistant Professor of Music at the Georgia Institute of Technology,[1][2][9] as well as the assistant director of the Spelman College Glee Club,[9] director of the treble choir at the Georgia Institute of Technology,[9] interim director of choral activities at Agnes Scott College,[9] and a teaching artist at The Atlanta Opera.[11]

Awards & Recognition

During high school, Boykin won first place three consecutive years in the NAACP's Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics.[7][5][9] She won the Washington Post 'Music and Dance Award' in 2007.[5][7][9]

While at Spelman College, Boykin also won first place at the 2009 James A. Hefner HBCU Piano Competition, held at Tennessee State University.[5][7] In the summer of 2010, Boykin travelled to Grumo, Italy to perform in the Grumo Music Festival.[3][9] During her time at Westminster she was awarded the R & R Young Composition Prize just a few months before graduating.[6][2][1]

In 2026, two of the albums nominated for a Grammy in the Best Classical Music Vocal Album category, feature work by Boykin: Black Pierrot (Sidney Outlaw and Warren Jones) and In This Short Life (Devony Smith and Danny Zelibor).[7][12][13]

Style and influence

Boykin mainly writes choral music but in 2023 she had her first opera debut.[3] The lyrics of many of Boykin's works draw on themes of resilience, community empowerment, and racial justice.[9][14] She was inspired by the poems of Maya Angelou from a young age[4] and has used Angelou's poetry as lyrics[4][8]. Boykin was also influenced by the Black Lives Matter movement[2]. Notably, her piece "Stardust" honors several Black American killed by police violence in 2020[14].

Works

Selected compositions and arrangements[14]

Composition Title Voicing and Instrumentation Text Source
American Prophecy SSA, cello, piano, percussion Brittny Ray Crowell
Ave Maria SSAA, a cappella Traditional Latin
Beyond What I See SSAA, djembe, cello, piano adopted from Jarrod Lee
Holding the Light SATB, piano Stuart Kestenbaum
i am SSA div., piano Brittny Ray Crowell
In the Stillness SATB div., piano Elizabeth Mills
It's a Long Way SATB, piano William Stanley Braithwaite
O Magnum Mysterium SSAA or TTBB a cappella Traditional Latin
Sing for Joy SATB div., piano Psalm 5:11
Stand Up SAB, piano Mary Church Terrell
Stardust SATB, SSA, or TBB piano and djembe Brittny Ray Crowell
The Space Within SATB div., piano Elizabeth Mills
The Star-Spangled Banner SSAA, a cappella Francis Scott Key

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "B.E. Boykin - American Choral Directors Association". acda.org. 2022-08-23. Retrieved 2024-04-09.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Welcome to Graphite: B.E. Boykin!". choralnet.org. Retrieved 2024-04-09.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Brittney Boykin | School of Music". music.gatech.edu. Retrieved 2024-04-09.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Bell, Robert. "Finger Lakes Opera to present world premier of 'Moments of Sonder' in Rochester". Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved 2024-04-09.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. "B. E. Boykin | Atlanta Symphony Orchestra". www.aso.org. Retrieved 2024-04-09.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Studio, Familiar. "B.E. Boykin". Atlanta Contemporary. Retrieved 2024-04-09.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Boykin". Song of America. Retrieved 2024-04-09.
  8. 1 2 Raymond, David (2024-03-01). "Concert to showcase Black classical musicians in Rochester". Rochester Beacon. Retrieved 2024-04-09.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "Brittney Boykin | Kennedy Center". The Kennedy Center. Retrieved 2024-04-09.
  10. ↑ "Garrett publishes choral music anthology by Black composers". news.unl.edu. 2023-03-13. Retrieved 2024-04-09.
  11. ↑ Rebecca (2021-03-31). "Artist Spotlight: B.E. Boykin". The Atlanta Opera. Retrieved 2024-04-09.
  12. ↑ "B.E. Boykin". Minnesota Opera. Retrieved 2026-04-04.
  13. ↑ "Klavia Press (B.E. Boykin) - Graphite Publishing". 2026-01-19. Retrieved 2026-04-04.
  14. 1 2 3 "B.E. Boykin - Graphite Publishing". 2021-09-24. Retrieved 2026-03-28.
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