MUSE • Musicians United for Social Equity

Biography

Natalie Brown is a composer, playwright, and performer who works across theatre, contemporary songwriting, and classical music. Grounded in historical inquiry, her work writes between the lines of traditional archives to explore questions of memory, narrative, and identity. Through music, theatre, and research, she seeks to amplify voices historically excluded from dominant narratives and use the arts as a means for community-driven social change.

Notable projects include “for colored girls,” a musical reimagining of Ntozake Shange’s 1976 play; “little white lies,” an original musical about racial passing; and “insomni/black,” a Carnegie Hall-commissioned chamber piece. Her work has been presented at venues including Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and New York City Center, and recognized by organizations including the Eugene O’Neill Center and Write Out Loud Project. Natalie is an Artist in Residence with tall poPpy and a member of the 2026-27 BringAbout Development Artist Cohort. She holds degrees in Music and African American Studies from Yale University, where she was an Edward A. Bouchet Fellow and a Swensen Scholar in the Arts. She’s rooted in Yekepa and Bratislava, raised in Houston, and currently based in Brooklyn. More on her website: nataliebrownmusic.com.