About
Dapper as always.
Chip Broze, baritone and conductor, has always been an impassioned advocate for individual pursuit of singing and group pursuit of choral excellence. He currently sings with the St. Louis Symphony Chorus, where he has performed under the skilled direction of Amy Kaiser. Additionally, he is the hired director of More Fools Than Wise, a Washington University chamber choir.
Early as an undergraduate, Chip became music director for The Stereotypes, a popular student-run all-male a cappella group. During his tenure there, he served as chief arranger, musical director, and (secular) spiritual leader.
He currently has a number of capable students of all voice parts, for whom he offers the finest in innovative vocal training.
Dressed slightly better than usual.
Yuri Broze is a pianist, vocalist, composer, songwriter, arranger, multi-instrumentalist, and general Music Guru.
Pursuing piano with instruction and independently from an early age, he has built a keen understanding of music and the best methods by which to explore it. By the age of 12, his instrumental horizons had broadened to include clarinet, oboe, harmonica, and guitar studies; by the age of 16 the trumpet and saxophone were added to the mix — he has performed extensively as a clarinetist and trumpeter throughout his time at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry, with an additional major in Music. As a pianist, he performed with the select Missouri All-State Jazz Ensemble as well as a specially-formed High School All-Star Band for the Coleman Hawkins Jazz Festival in St. Joseph, Missouri. He has performed professionally for many years, including time with the Original Knights of Swing, a St. Louis area professional Big Band.
While a student at the University of North Carolina under the tutelage of Dr. Daniel Huff, he served as Music Director, and resident vocal percussionist for the UNC Achordants, a 16-member male a cappella choir, where he trained the group in vocalization, performance techniques, and directed over one hundred stage performances. During this time, the Achordants rose to international acclaim through an increased emphasis on vocal pedagogy, hosting innovative and entertaining concerts, application of creative goal-oriented original arrangements, and extensive marketing, corporate image, and public outreach efforts. His eighty-plus arrangements have won him wide acclaim, including an award at the 2005 International Competition of Collegiate A Cappella finals in New York City for best arrangement (”Mala Gente”). His animated and insightful conducting has made him a sought-after clinician for male a cappella groups.
Yuri also studied jazz piano with Ed Paolantonio (who transmitted the teachings of Lennie Tristano) and participated in numerous performing ensembles, including the Symphonic Band, Wind Symphony, Marching Band, Jazz Lab Band, Jazz Combos, and the Men’s Glee Club. Through his participation in Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia — a national men’s musician’s fraternity — he gained a strong appreciation for the cause of advancing music in America.
Having been awarded a Medical Scientist Training Program fellowship by the Univerisity of Michigan at Ann Arbor, Yuri began work on an MD/PhD dual-degree program; however, he has since resigned his position in order to pursue music full-time. While in Ann Arbor, he formed, arranged music for, and directed a 12-part mixed choir of medical students as well as participating in the University’s Men’s Glee Club.
Over the years, Yuri has performed as a multi-instrumentalist with two St. Louis County bands, Handsome Joe and Stranded Cactus, and remains a singer and songwriter. He has engineered and produced two full-length albums and continues to explore the interface of technology with the arts.
Owing to his roots in music, Yuri advocates strongly the principles of autodidacticism in any pursuit and believes that the role of the educator should be one of inspiration, motivation, and empowerment of novices.