Life

Rosephanye Dunn was born in Lanett, Alabama

Alabama

Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...

, and studied piano and sang in choirs as a child. She graduated from Alabama State University

Alabama State University

Alabama State University, founded 1867, is a historically black university located in Montgomery, Alabama. ASU is a member school of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund.- History :...

 with a Bachelor of Music degree, from Westminster Choir College

Westminster Choir College

Westminster Choir College is a residential college of music, part of Rider University, located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States.Westminster Choir College educates men and women at the undergraduate and graduate levels for musical careers in music education, voice performance, piano...

 with a Master's degree and from The Florida State University with a Doctor of Music degree.

After completing her studies, Dunn taught at Philander Smith College

Philander Smith College

Philander Smith College is a private, historically black college that is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. It is located in Little Rock, Arkansas. The student body averages around 850 attendees, with around 30% of that figure attending part time. Although known historically as a school...

 and Georgia Southern University

Georgia Southern University

Georgia Southern University is a national public university located on a campus in Statesboro, Georgia, USA. Founded in 1906, it is part of the University System of Georgia and is the largest center of higher education in the southern half of Georgia offering 117 academic majors in a comprehensive...

 before accepting a position as Professor of Voice at Auburn University

Auburn University

Auburn University is a public university located in Auburn, Alabama, United States. With more than 25,000 students and 1,200 faculty members, it is one of the largest universities in the state. Auburn was chartered on February 7, 1856, as the East Alabama Male College, a private liberal arts...

. She married choral arranger William C. Powell and had two daughters.

Powell performs as a singer and conducts research on the African-American spiritual, in particular the songs of William Grant Still

William Grant Still

William Grant Still was an African-American classical composer who wrote more than 150 compositions. He was the first African American to conduct a major American symphony orchestra, the first to have a symphony performed by a leading orchestra, the first to have an opera performed by a major...

. She acted as editor and wrote the introduction for the book William Grant Still: An Art Song Collection and has a weekly radio segment Living History on the nationally-syndicated The Donnie McClurkin Show.

In 2009 Powell was presented with the Living Legend Award at the California State University

California State University

The California State University is a public university system in the state of California. It is one of three public higher education systems in the state, the other two being the University of California system and the California Community College system. It is incorporated as The Trustees of the...

 African Diaspora Sacred Music Festival in Los Angeles

Los Ángeles

Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

.

Works

Powell composes secular and sacred works for mixed chorus, men and women’s chorus and children’s voices. Selected works include:

• I’m Gonna Sing: Twelve Spirituals for Upper Voices]] (with William C. Powell)
• Christmas Give, suite of five songs for SATB (2009)
• Be Glad in the Lord (2009)
• Hope Come True, a suite of five songs for SSAA and SATB (2008)
• Rejoice!, for chorus, organ, trumpets, and timpani (2007)
• Lullaby, jazz ballad for women’s chorus (2007)
• Children of the Rainbow, children’s choir (2005)
• Pete, Pete (2005)
• Sicut Cervus for women's voices (2004)
• Still I Rise (2004)

Her music has been recorded and issued on CD, including:

• Motherless Child

Powell has published professional articles on music topics, including:

• "Keeping the Choir", Showchoir
• "William Grant Still: His Life and His Songs", NATS Journal of Singing
• "The African-American Spritual: Preparation and Performance Considerations", NATS Journal of Singing