Abigail "Abby" Burke, M.Ed. HR Administrator/AA III
Email: abigail.b.burke@vanderbilt.edu Phone: 615.936.6760 Fax: 615.936.2601	Vanderbilt University Medical Center, School of Medicine Department of Biostatistics, Cancer Biostatistics Division 571 Preston Research Building Nashville, TN 37232-2158

If have an urgent matter and are unable to reach me, please contact either Regina Smith or Joanne Goodwin

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And now a little about the Educator and Performing Artist: Abby Burke

“When Abby Burke sings, rooms fall silent. She is irrepressible with a multi-octave range overshadowed only by the depth of her tone and the drama in her physical delivery. Whether teaching at the Nashville Jazz Workshop or recording with the Nashville Symphony, singing the music of Ray Charles or the simplicity of a Spiritual, her love for what she does flows through each and every fiber of her being.” Drew Walen, Nashville City Paper

Abby Burke holds a BA and a M.Ed. in the study of the psychology and affect of music on the human psyche. She is presently working on a Ph.D. in Divinity where she has branched out into the ritual component of Praise and Worship and its affect on the human soul. A 1982-83 Opryland USA Nashville alumna Abby returned to Nashville in1998. In the past decade, Abby has been afforded several wonderful experiences; from creating a Christian Cabaret Singers Society to establishing an arts ministry at Oasis Church Nashville. Her professional life has allowed performances and recordings with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra Nashville, on the 2006 Grammy winning album “Songs from the Neighborhood: the music of Mister Rogers”; being the first Nashville vocalist to sing in the new NSO performance home- the Schemerhorn Symphony Center on a “Tribute to Ray Charles with Maestro Albert George Schram.” Her performances with the Paducah KY, Tucson AZ and Charlotte NC Symphonies along with her recent July 4^th appearance with the Columbus OH Symphony and at the 2009 TN Arts Academy Convention, Abby marked 40+ years as an active performer! The TN Arts commission honored Abby with an Individual Artists Grant in 2005, and in 2008 asked her to represent the state at the National Arts Council Conference in Chattanooga, TN.

Ordained by The United New Testament Church in 2008, Abby is an active member of the Oasis Church Nashville and a vital part of their arts ministry. She is an ASCAP writer whose take on “the Blues” can be heard monthly at the French Quarter Café in Nashville accompanied by her husband of 19 years Glenn Burke on saxophone and the Soul Catchers. Saving more than 200 souls in 2008, Abby Burke and the Soul Cathcers' “Praise Filled Blues” has been lauded as a “Catching for the Soul.” Her belief is “God gave me his music and I will use this most precious gift to spread the gospel of unity and peace.”