When Yvette Brandy is asked, “How long have you been a storyteller?” she often replies, “I have been telling stories all my life. I just didn’t know it.” Yvette was born and raised on the rich storytelling traditions of the Caribbean. She grew up on St. Thomas, United States Virgin Islands, where her imagination was fed with, “I remember when….”, “My grandmother used to say….”, and “Do you know why…” stories. This mesmerizing performer received a Bachelor of Science and Master of Arts degrees in speech-language pathology from Carlow University and Hofstra University respectively. She has provided speech therapy services to children and adults for over twenty years.
Yvette’s shares West Indian Anansi, “Jumbie” (Ghost), historical, multicultural, as well as personal and original stories. Among her list of accomplishments, she has performed on National Public Radio’s-“Living on Earth, television talk show-"Literary Speak", Los Angeles Storytelling Festival, 2013 Bay Area Storytelling Festival, Griot Black History Month Celebration, Tellers and Talkers 2011 production, and various libraries in Southern California. She was also a regular teller with the Los Angeles Reading Project for four years and performed at the 2011 Equinox Festival. She has created performances for Californian and Caribbean elementary and middle schools. In addition, she was featured on Union Bank’s audio CD - "Storytellers: From a Whisper to a Shout". She continues to promote storytelling at annual philanthropic events throughout Southern California.
Audiences have been transfixed in Yvette’s self-authored stage plays and musicals such as, "Caribbean Gems", "Saltfish and Dumplings", “Calypso Born Me”, “The Awakening”, and “Under the Mango Tree.” She has performed her original music at the San Gabriel Mission Playhouse and was part of an ensemble cast for "Unsung Heroes: Legends of Los Angeles". In addition, her four-part harmony choral composition, “Virgin Islands Christmas,” was performed by the prestigious Caribbean Chorale and inducted into the Alton Adams Music Research Institute and the Center for Black Music Research at Columbia College Chicago. Yvette’s expansive vocal range enables her to sing classical, pop, reggae, calypso, R & B, and jazz musical forms. She has sung with the San Gabriel Valley Choral Company and the California Philharmonic Chorale and Orchestra at the Disney Concert Hall.
In addition to Yvette’s writing and stage performances, she conducts ongoing seminars and workshops for parents, professionals, and aspiring storytellers. Seminar topics include nurturing pre-literacy and literacy skills, code-switching and professional language usage, speech and language development, and storytelling for children and adults.
