DENNA PURDIE

Biography

Ms. Purdie, a native of Washington, DC, has been teaching and playing the cello for many years. She was a music major at McKinley High School before there was a high school for the arts. While there, she was listed in the Who's Who book of outstanding high school musicians. As a member of the D.C. Youth Orchestra, she traveled to Berlin, Germany, Aberdeen, Scotland and London,
England. While in London, she auditioned for the International Youth Orchestra . Ms. Purdie is the Director of Strings and the Cello Technique Instructor at Duke
Ellington School of the Performing Arts. Outside of DC, she teaches cello for the PG Philharmonic Symphony Kids.

Ms. Purdie studied cello with Ronald Feldman of the Boston Symphony (1975), Robert Newkirk at Catholic University (1975-1976) and with Russian Cellist, Sieva Lezhnev for many years. She was the first black female to join the U.S. Marine Band, called "The President's Own" in 1977, and the first black to retire after twenty years of service. She has received a certificate of recognition from Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton. Ms. Purdie is co-founder of "Strings for Christ Ministries". She is a member of the Soulful Symphony conducted by Darin Atwater. She has played with the Pan American Symphony Orchestra, the
American Studio Orchestra, Colour of Music Symphony and is currently playing with PG Philharmonic.

Mrs. Purdie has traveled outside of the States playing and teaching in Trinidad & Tobago and the Ukraine. She has performed with many major artists such as: Chelsey Greene, Patti Labelle, O’Jay’s, Denyce Graves, Amy Grant, Larry Graham, Michael W. Smith, Richard
Smallwood and Joshua Bell to name a few.