Anthony Cabrera enjoys a versatile career as a teacher and singer. Since receiving his degree in music from the University of Miami in 1999, he has worked under the baton of a number of conductors including James Judd (Florida Philharmonic Orchestra) Michael Tilson Thomas (The New World Symphony) and Alain Lombard (Florida Concert Association). He has had two successful tours in Spain singing the music of George Gershwin, Cole Porter and Irving Berlin.

 

Cabrera is the Assistant Director of Music Ministries at Coral Gables Congregational United Church of Christ (UCC) where he directs Cantáte – the youth performance ensemble - and the Youth and Adult Bell Choirs.  He is a singer with the Chancel Choir and CGCC’s professional vocal ensemble in residence.  For the national UCC, he sits on the Praise Song Advisory Team as well as the General Synod Worship Planning Advisory Team.

 

He is the Choral Director at the Young Women’s Preparatory Academy – Miami Dade County Public Schools’ single gender public preparatory academy for girls where he also teaches Humanities, AP Music Theory and AP European History. In his career as a teacher, he has been named Rookie Teacher of the Year (Coral Gables High School 2000) and Teacher of the Year (Coral Gables High School 2006 and Young Women’s Preparatory Academy 2008)

 

Cabrera is a member of Jubilate a vocal ensemble that specialized in Gospel music, African American Spirituals and the music of the Caribbean.

 

He has conducted performances of West Side Story (Leonard Bernstein) and Lucia de Lamermoor (Gaetano Donizetti).  He has also been at the podium as a conductor for the MDCPS Superintendents Honors Festival Middle School Choir (2005) and from 2002 – 2005 for the University Of Miami Frost School Of Music Choral Camp.

 

He is a member of the America Choral Directors Association (ACDA).

Now in his fourth season with MGMC, Chris is a nationally recognized keyboard artist, composer and arranger in South Florida, and owner of Shorecrest Studios, Inc.  He has worked with prominent vocalists and choral groups for nearly 20 years. His exciting career has included work as producer of CDs for current hot gay recording couple “Jason & deMarco” and music director for legendary gay icon Pamala Stanley.  He was also selected to be swing keyboard player for the first national tour of “Mama Mia” while in Florida. Chris has served as an accompanist and commissioned arranger for the renowned Nova Singers, was artist-in-residence for many years at Ft. Lauderdale MCC, and he accompanied the South Florida Lambda Chorale for several seasons.  In 1988, Chris received the U.S. President’s Award for musical arrangements in the nationwide “Take Pride in America” campaign. 

 

In October 2003, Chris was commissioned to orchestrate and perform in Seattle with the Kirkland Symphony Orchestra a series of re-discovered works of Sergei Rachmaninoff known as “Sophie’s Songs.”  An upcoming PBS special is planned to feature the world premier of the performance.  Chris continues an 18-year relationship with Alfred Publishing (formerly Warner Bros. Publishing) with over 25 books of piano arrangements in worldwide distribution. Most recently, he signed on with The FJH Music Company as a featured arranger for their In Recitalâ piano series; the first six books to include his arrangements will be released in Fall 2009.  Currently he is also the Music Director at Fulford United Methodist Church in North Miami Beach.

 

Thanks to his extensive talent and experience, Chris is a key contributor to MGMC’s growth and artistic quality. For the MGMC Holiday Concert in December 2008, he premiered his just-completed arrangement of “Carol of the Bells”, a fresh interpretation of a traditional holiday favorite. He was commissioned to write “My Own Creation” (with text by Jerry Chasen) for our performance at the 2008 GALA Choruses International Conference in Miami.