ASSOCIATION OF DOMINICAN
CLASSICAL ARTISTS (ADCA)
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Copyright 2011 Association of Dominican Classical Artists (ADCA) ®
Cathedral Station, P.O. Box 350636
New York, NY 10025-1389
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Tilsia Caridad Brens
On December 17, 2010, the Association of Dominican Classical Artists presented a memorial concert to honor Doña Tilsia Brens, founder and first president of the Association, who passed away in 2009.
Tilsia Caridad Brens, pianist, composer, teacher, and passionate advocate for the classical music tradition. Doña Tilsia was born in La Vega, Dominican Republic, on August 16, 1918. She began her music studies at the age of 15 at the Santa Cecilia Academy directed by Professor Rafael Martinez Alba. Her stellar performances as a student took her to the National Conservatory of Music where her talent as a pianist was quickly recognized. In the 1950s, she travelled to the United States to continue advanced studies in piano. She developed a wide repertoire that included the great European masters—Beethoven, Chopin, Schubert, Mozart, Rachmaninoff—and also the work of the great Dominican composer Rafael “Bullumba” Landestoy, among others.
In 1959, Doña Tilsia became a music teacher at Washington Irving High School in Manhattan, imparting her love and knowledge of music to new generations of students. Her commitment to raising awareness of classical music among Dominicans and Hispanics in general, led her to establish the Association of Dominican Classical Artists (ADCA). She dedicated herself tirelessly to organizing three annual concerts by which ADCA accomplished its primary mission of presenting Dominican
musicians and composers in New York City’s most famous concert halls, including Carnegie Hall, Cami Hall, Merkin Concert Hall, and Town Hall.
In addition to being a performer and teacher, Doña Tilsia was also a composer. In 2008, at the Association’s 2008 Gala concert, she performed Sollozando en Re Mayor, one of her pieces for solo piano.
Doña Tilsia was also a writer, a talent she developed at an early age. She wrote several books over the years, including, Sin odio y sin lagrimas, Amargo contraste, and Mi pecado. Her writing has been a source of inspiration for many, and intellectual growth for others. Among her many honors and awards, Dona Tilsia was particularly delighted by the recognition accorded to her organization by the City of New York when, in 1996, the President of the City Council issued an official proclamation
declaring June 16 as “Association of the Dominican Classical Artists Day.” Recognition came also from her own community. In 1999, the Asociacion de Mujeres Progresistas, under the leadership of Milagros Méndez, honored Dona Tilsia for her extraordinary musical talent and her dedication to promoting the arts through her teaching and the presentation of Dominican artists. In 2000 and again in 2005, Dona Tilsia was honored by the Consulate General of the Dominican Republic in
New York for her brilliant artistic career and for her important contributions to the diffusion of Dominican culture internationally.
Doña Tilsia has left a rich legacy from a life well lived. Even in her 90s, Doña Tilsia was still actively writing, teaching, composing and playing the piano. Her humanity, her devotion to her culture and her people, and
her extraordinary musical and literary talent have left an indelible mark on all who had the privilege of knowing her.
Founder and First President
