Charlene Miranda Thomas

 Charlene Miranda Thomas is a native of Brooklyn, New York. An accomplished pianist and vocalist, her eclectic and soulful style influenced by her personal background has many facets.  It creates a kaleidoscope of sounds that can reach the soul of listeners far and wide. It was her unique childhood experience that has shaped and influenced her musical style. She states: 
“I attended a church on the east side of Manhattan from the time I was born until I was about twelve. I would hear a hired quartet singing beautiful Bach Cantatas and chorales. Sometimes we would then go to my paternal grandmother’s Pentecostal church in Brooklyn. The music was quite the opposite of the reserved Bach chorales I had just heard. It was energetic and extremely loud. Lots of drums, lots of tambourines, lots of organ and a whole lot of shouting! It was a little daunting as a young child to experience such a dichotomy of music all in one day. Then again, it was also not unusual to hear anything from the Beatles to Johnny Cash to Miles Davis or Aretha Franklin in my home as well. I guess I come from a musically eclectic family.”  

Charlene attended the High School of Performing Arts in New York City as a piano major and studied privately with Maestro Carlo Faria. Her conservatory style training at Performing Arts helped hone her skills in classical piano. She also sang a lot. All the time. In the stairs of her pre-war building (because it has great reverb). She sang in church, she sang at school and sometimes even at Lincoln Center or Carnegie Hall from time to time.  
“My friends and I used to sing on the New York City subways on the way home from school. We sang everywhere and I still do!”  

It was at Berklee College of Music in Boston that she began the rigors of developing her skills in jazz piano, songwriting, arranging, voice and music production. She studied jazz piano with Donald Brown and her eclectic style became even more eclectic when her classical training began to meld with the influential styles of jazz, rock, pop and rhythm and blues. Charlene earned her Bachelor of Music from Berklee and later went on to receive her Masters in Music Education from Columbia University in New York City. 

Charlene taught music in the public school education system of New York City for almost 15 years until she and her husband moved to the Charlotte area in 2005. She was a part of the worship team at Carmel Baptist Church in Matthews, NC for several years and played keyboard for worship teams at Victory Christian Center in Pineville, NC for a few years as well. She was the Worship Minister for Contemporary Worship at Pineville United Methodist Church. She is often requested as guest worship leader for various churches in the Charlotte area.  

Charlene has been an arts educator for over 20 years. She has taught music in the NYC School system. She taught choir and theatre in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School System and private schools. She currently works as a Teaching Artist for various arts organizations here in Charlotte. When Charlene is not teaching upcoming artists, you can find her working with her band MarvelUs and other local artists. You might also find her in the pit as Music Director for some of the local theaters in Charlotte as well.  
“Someone recently called me a unicorn. I understand that I am a rare breed...  I am ready to direct, to play or to sing anything that peaks my interest. Jazz, Gospel, Pop, R&B, Classical, Musical Theatre, you name it. I am all for it and I try to inspire my students to learn how to appreciate and perform many genres of music, not just pop. I encourage them to develop their talents with solid training, commitment and good, old-fashioned hard work. It has allowed me so many opportunities and I am looking forward to many more opportunities to continue to do what I love for a long time.”