Dr. Kellie Brown has been a member of the Milligan University music faculty since 1998, where she serves as Chair of the Music Department, Professor of Music, and conductor of the Milligan Orchestra. Dr. Brown is an accomplished clinician and performer, frequently sharing her expertise across the country. She also holds the positions of assistant conductor and associate concertmaster of the Johnson City Symphony Orchestra.
A gifted soloist, Dr. Brown has performed several world premieres, including An Encounter for Violin and Piano by Jane Perry, and has conducted numerous world premieres, such as Genesis by composer Kenton Coe. Her passion for musical theater has made her a sought-after violinist, conductor, and music director throughout the region.
Dr. Brown is a respected educator with over 30 years of teaching experience, impacting thousands of music students from preschool to adult. She is a dedicated advocate for the arts in her community, receiving numerous awards for her teaching and contributions, including the 2023 Arts Achievement Award from the Arts Alliance of the Mountain Empire and the Outstanding Teaching Award from the Tennessee Governor’s School of the Arts in 2011.
In addition to her teaching, Dr. Brown is an accomplished writer, with published research on violin performance practice and pedagogy. As an internationally recognized authority on music during the Holocaust, she has presented at conferences and academic institutions worldwide. Her book, The Sound of Hope: Music as Solace, Resistance and Salvation during the Holocaust and World War II, released by McFarland Publishing in 2020, received national and international acclaim, including a Choice Outstanding Academic Title award. She is currently working on a new project about music and hope, which will be published by Oxford University Press in 2025.
Dr. Brown’s faith plays an integral role in her life and teaching. With generations of Methodist ministers in her family, including her great-great-grandfather who was a circuit rider, Dr. Brown has served in music ministry for over 30 years. She is also a certified lay minister in the United Methodist Church, where she preaches, leads worship, and facilitates a spiritual writing group.
Her faith is integral to her teaching at Milligan where she leads services and guides students in their personal spiritual formation and in their faithful use of music as followers of Christ.
Education:
BME, summa cum laude, East Tennessee State University
MM, Violin Performance and Pedagogy, Appalachian State University
EdD, Education, East Tennessee State University