Testimonials
What people are saying about the music
What people are saying about collaborating
What people are saying about the commissions
What people are saying about the Music
I have come to know Teresa as a deeply committed musician, gifted pianist, inventive composer, and a joyful and inspirational conductor. Her music is always well crafted, expressive and highly effective. Ms. Tedder has brought great energy and drive to all of my work with her and I highly recommend her.
Teresa Tedder is a dynamic and spiritually gifted musician whose compositions sing with emotion and energy. Her work is inspired by her love of life. Teresa’s choral music is eminently singable, rhythmically energetic, and graciously crafted with singers’ voices in mind.
I have worked with Teresa for over 15 years. I have seen firsthand when Teresa did not like an arrangement and come back in a few days with a totally rewritten piece of music that worked much better with choir and instruments. Her ability to know just the right arrangement for a choir is phenomenal.
Over the 13 years in which I have been associated with Teresa Tedder, I have learned a great deal not only about music, but also about her. Teresa’s music comes from her intense experience of life; indeed, music is life to her. That quality enables her to bring artistry from an amazingly broad range of subject matter: from a work for jazz ensemble based on the experience of incarcerated felons, to the faith of the biblical Mary of Nazareth. Teresa has taken iconic prose texts from Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Jr., and the monk Thomas Merton and released their power through cantata for chorus. Her music speaks to the lives of her listeners, because what they are hearing/experiencing comes from the soul of Teresa Tedder.
Teresa Tedder’s compositions have a magically complex style of their own. In all my years of music, I am amazed by the movements and nuances in her melodies, and the deep passion that she writes from. It is as moving to sing it, as it is to listen and experience it. Every note, word, timing, and inflection is intentional and impactful. I am so deeply moved when I get to performone of her compositions – because they are so beautifully and thoughtfully written from the heart.
Teresa’s new work, Let Us Come Alive, is based on the writings of Thomas Merton. It is a phenomenal composition which features trio, cello and choir, expressing gratitude at a profound level for all that God has done for humanity.
Teresa Tedder is a musical genius, as evidenced by her original compositions, arrangements, conducting and performing in both live performances and studio recordings. She is admired and respected by thousands of friends and fans who have the privilege to be included in her musical world. I am blessed to have experienced her many skills and will forever be grateful for such an honor.
Teresa’s music has delighted and moved people for many years. Her dedication to her art reveals itself in every composition and performance.
Teresa Tedder combines her gift of musicality with that of composition, both instrumental and vocal. Her ability to weave these gifts together in an approachable way cannot be overstated. She brings artistic excellence and creativity to her vocal compositions which are a great contribution to the enjoyment and appeal of the music.
A versatile maestro, she masterfully weaves her talents as a composer, arranger, and conductor, creating both sacred and secular compositions that resonate deeply with audiences. Her tenure at Mid-Kentucky Arts showcases her exceptional ability to blend tradition with innovation, enriching the musical landscape.
Teresa is a wonderful composer. The variety of her musical compositions continues to amaze me. Several of them bring me to tears every time we sing them. Her ability to match the music to the words and produce deep feeling is such a gift!
Not only is Teresa a gifted composer and conductor, but she also possesses a rare ability to engage and connect with her audiences. Her performances are not just musical events but emotional experiences that leave a lasting impact from the beauty of her music.
What people are saying about the commissions
The pieces she wrote in 2020 and 2022 and directed for our National Association of Pastoral Musicians conventions were as powerful to sing and perform as they were to experience in the audience. Teresa is not only an excellent musician, director and composer, she has the unique ability to capture history through her music so we can be inspired again and again with every performance.
It has been my privilege to work with Teresa Tedder. My church commissioned an original work for the 50th anniversary of the Hanging of the Green, composed by Teresa. This piece is amazing! We will use this original piece each year to close the program. The attention to detail is remarkable, the words and music outstanding and lastly, this piece is filled with the Holy Spirit.
Teresa Tedder was an absolute delight to work with on the 200th Anniversary celebration at St. Catharine in May, 2022. We commissioned Teresa to compose an original theme song for the event, and it is spectacular. She captured perfectly the tone and the spirit of what we wanted in the music and was ever-so-patient with our committee’s tinkering with the lyrics! Teresa is exceptionally talented, extremely hard-working, reliable, and a lot of fun to work with! Don’t miss the opportunity to collaborate with her for YOUR special event!”
Upon receiving his commissioned piece: “This is fantastic! I love the piece! It is great and I know the organ part is going to make it even better. The setting of the text is fantastic.
Upon receiving his commissioned piece: “I love it! I love it! I love it! Well done! Bravo! Bravo! Bravo!
One show that I created was a night club style show which required arrangements of pop, and more contemporary songs. Teresa was able to accommodate easily, the needs of this music. Teresa’s amazing versatility makes her suited to whatever musical need arises!
Her latest commissioned composition “Let Us Come Alive” received much acclaim both from our choir and the Bellarmine University Choir. It is a great example of perfect harmony meeting great poetry.
Teresa was commissioned to write “Garden of Peace” which uniquely celebrates our history with roots in Kentucky. Teresa has gifted our Dominican community through her musical interpretation of our Mission to preach peace. We are most grateful.
What people are saying about collaborating
I have been a collaborator with Ms. Tedder for over 25 years. Every collaboration is a lifechanging musical experience. Performing under Teresa’s leadership makes you a better musician. Her approach both in rehearsal and in performance is to shape the music into an experience that connects the musicians to the audience. Ms. Tedder is in tune with the emotion and message of music which she translates flawlessly to her ensembles. It’s why audiences are thrilled and touched with every note sung.
Having worked closely with Teresa in various musical capacities. Our collaborations have allowed me to witness firsthand her exceptional talents and dedication to her craft. As a composer, Teresa’s work is nothing short of extraordinary. Her compositions are both melodic and deeply emotive, with thoughtful lyrics that resonate with audiences on a profound level. Whether she is conducting or playing the piano, Teresa brings a level of artistry and passion that is truly captivating.
Teresa’s choir performances are infused with the energy, brightness, and charisma of its wonderful director. Her passion for choral music is obvious, and the joy that her singers radiate in performance is representative of the great musician and choral music advocate that they have as their director.
I can’t say enough good things about Teresa’s leadership, encouragement, and ability to draw out the best in each of us to make the experience a wonderful one!
At the beginning of new music I think, “yeah right, we will never get this.” Then several months later at concert time, the blending of the different voices makes your heart sing and your eyes tear up. I just love the harmonies Teresa is able to pull out of us.
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As a songwriter, playwright and performer I have been privileged to collaborate with Teresa on many of her works and have sought her experience and advice on many of my own. One of our first experiences was an historical musical that I was writing called “Hoofprints on the Stairs.”Teresa arranged many of the songs used and when a scene needed a song that didn’t exist, she simply created it!
I’ve been in music all my life, and sang in different choirs and groups, and Teresa Tedder is the very best conductor I have ever sung for. She is clear and blunt, without being critical or condescending. She is so very encouraging, but also clearly communicates her expectations for excellence and perfection. Conducting can be like herding kittens, but Teresa maintains perfect control of the choir in a well-balanced mix of dry humor and clear direction of the work that needs to be accomplished.
Teresa, as a conductor, is energy personified. She feels the music with every molecule of her being and conducts and dances her way through each performance. She creates an atmosphere of joy about the musical compositions which is unprecedented! Being a part of Teresa’s Mid Kentucky chorus is a bit like being a kid in a candy store. Pure joy.
Teresa was commissioned to write “Garden of Peace” which uniquely celebrates our history with roots in Kentucky. Teresa has gifted our Dominican community through her musical interpretation of our Mission to preach peace. We are most grateful.
People were thrilled with your concert! Just as I expected, they loved your great positive energy and great playing!!!
Teresa Tedder is an energetic and engaging director that brings out the very best in her choir!