Nickerson Memorial Lecture Features Renowned Violinist, Author

BREWSTER – Brendan Slocumb is a man of many talents, but the passion that started it all wasn’t necessarily innate. 

Slocumb, a violinist, author and educator, will be the speaker at the annual Frances Mapes Nickerson Memorial Lecture, hosted by the Brewster Ladies’ Library on Saturday, Oct. 11. His story is unique, one that is worth the primetime spot. 

Slocumb grew up in North Carolina. At the age of 9, and with the eagerness every child displays, he decided to take music class to get out of his math courses. Before that, he said, he hadn’t yearned to play an instrument. It was a means to an end: avoid math class twice a week. 

While his love for the violin came gradually, Slocumb said his teacher’s encouragement and his ability to pick up the music rather quickly is what kept him coming back for more. 

“We learned this little song the very first day,” he said. “And in retrospect, it wasn’t a lot, but at the time I was like, ‘I can play a song on the violin.’” 

He recounts that story with a sense of magic. He credits the action of picking up a violin with every opportunity he has had since. 

Slocumb has performed with the Washington Metropolitan Symphony, the McLean Symphony, the Prince George’s Philharmonic, and the Alexandria Symphony. He has served as the concertmaster for the NOVA-Annandale Symphony Orchestra and regularly performs chamber music with members of the Alexandria Chamber Music Society. He also serves as an educational consultant for the Kennedy Center and is among the less than 2 percent of professional musicians in the United States who are Black.

Over a 20-year period, Slocumb taught music for kindergarten through 12th grade, earning himself the title of Teacher of the Year and a Nobel Teacher of Distinction. He started teaching when he was just 22 and left the job with a number of profound friendships with his students. 

“We formed a family,” he said. “We formed a very safe space.” 

Music was what brought his classes together, but Slocumb built a community where students felt safe to be themselves and rely on each other. 

By 2020, Slocumb wasn’t able to perform anymore due to COVID-19, so he decided to focus on a childhood dream: becoming an author. He has published three novels, all in the mystery genre, that have been largely influenced by his own life. Although they are not autobiographical, Slocumb said he puts a bit of himself and the people he knows into his characters. 

All three books take place in the same universe and are centered around music. 

Saturday’s lecture will be held at the Brewster Baptist Church at 12:30 and 5:30 p.m. Following the lectures, he will be available for book signings, questions or just to chat with attendees.

“I want to connect,” he said. “I want to know what I can do to keep them entertained.”

When asked about the impact of sharing his story, Slocumb said it gives him a chance to talk with people who normally wouldn’t have the same viewpoint as he does. 

“I get to reach people with a totally different perspective than they’re accustomed to,” he said. “I’ve been able to reach people and they’ve been willing to open themselves, put themselves in vulnerable positions to accept different perspectives that they had no idea about.” 

The annual Nickerson event is sponsored by the Brewster Ladies’ Library Association in memory and honor of Frances Mapes Nickerson, a long-time Brewster resident and library benefactor.

This will be Slocumb’s first visit to Cape Cod.