The founder and director of Consort is Bram Wayman. Born in 1986, Bram is currently studying choral conducting under umkc's Dr. Robert Bode.
Bram has a strong education in conducting, composition, and choral literature. He holds his undergraduate degree (B.A. in Music — intensive, with honors) from Yale University, where he studied under Jeffrey Douma and Toshiyuki Shimada, and sang in the Yale Glee Club and its select subset, the Chamber Singers. Bram's graduate work began at the University of Texas at Austin, from which he holds a master's degree (M.M., Composition) with a secondary focus in choral conducting. At the University of Texas, Bram founded and directed the Collegium Musicum, which, under his direction, won the University's award for Best Artistic Organization in 2012. Bram also served for two years as the Assistant Conductor of the ut Men's Chorus, alongside a year-long independent study with John Wiles. Bram is a graduate of the Walden School's Creative Musicians Retreat and Teacher Training Institute programs, and has taken part in the University of Michigan choral conducting symposium under Jerry Blackstone, as well as the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival's chamber chorus workshop under Simon Carrington.
A strong supporter of music in the community, Bram has brought his work to many people and places beyond the traditional concert hall. From 2012 to 2014, he served as the Director of Music Ministries at Kansas City's Second Presbyterian Church, directing music in both traditional and experimental worship; he currently serves as the conductor intern at Village Presbyterian Church, aiding in programming, arranging, and conducting non-traditional music. He has conducted in a variety of provocative venues at umkc, the University of Texas, and at Yale, including bars, libraries, outdoor stages, and on student television. His particular approach to concert environment and program notes has been consistently praised, and he seeks to push the boundaries of the concert setting to be as inclusive and as intriguing as possible.
Bram aspires to earn his second Master's degree in choral conducting, to continue his studies at the doctoral level, and to make his career in academic music.