Valerie Joi’s music emanates a joy rooted in freedom and
authenticity. Dedicated to the power of collective song, she invites listeners
to join her with their most authentic selves. Through her music, Valerie Joi
conveys a powerful message of social justice, challenging people to go deeper,
to heal and to forgive. She asks us to remember the planet, our ancestors and
elders, and the children. And she reminds us to trust ourselves and each other,
knowing that just like the choirs she directs, we are much more powerful when
we join our voices together as one.
Valerie Joi grew up in a family of ministers, teachers and
musicians and has been around music all her life. She studied classical piano
and jazz voice, and has sung in and directed numerous choirs. A gifted and
multifaceted musician, Valerie Joi has worked with many recording artists as a
pianist, vocalist, composer, vocal coach, arranger and producer. She was
featured as one of the Director’s Top Ten Picks at the 47th Annual Monterey
Jazz Festival and her original music can be heard on the television show In
the Light, and in the films Jumpin’
the Broom and God and Gays:
Bridging the Gap. A featured artist and
guest soloist, Valerie Joi also leads musical ensembles, including her current
band VJQ (the Valerie Joi Quartet) – where improvisation and funky grooves meet
her version of ministry, which she defines as the intent to bless and be
blessed.
Reflecting her passion for education, Valerie Joi developed
a 9-week workshop entitled the Singing Circle Music Ministry Experience, which
teaches ministry through music. She applies these principles as the Director of
the UC Santa Cruz Gospel Choir, where she has directed since 2004 and was recently
named a Porter College Faculty Fellow.
As the founding Music Director for Inner Light Ministries
in Santa Cruz, CA, and the former director of the Inner Light Choir, Valerie
Joi established a musical ministry renowned for its excellence, vision and creativity.
During her 16-year tenure, she featured, accompanied and sang alongside artists
such as Rickie Byars-Beckwith, Jacqueline Hairston, Linda Tillery, Broadway
performer Charles Holt, and many more.
This commitment to excellence resulted in an invitation
for the Inner Light Choir to perform on the stage of Carnegie Hall in February
2012, “a clear reflection of their exceptional director, Valerie Joi Fiddmont”
(Dennis Loy, Conductor-in-Residence). Valerie Joi received the further honor of
singing the solo on one of her compositions “Living Grace” at the Carnegie Hall
performance.
With an MBA in Finance and Entrepreneurship from Rice
University, Valerie Joi combines her passion for music and education with
expertise in business management. To this end, she also works with the
Institute for Women’s Leadership (womensleadership.com) in San Rafael CA to
promote gender partnership and encourage diversity and inclusion in the
workplace.
First and foremost, Valerie Joi is a music minister, teaching
and preaching music as ministry and connection. Her CD of original
compositions, Singing the Sacred Yes, is
an invitation to deepen our relationship with the Divine. Her most recent
release with the incomparable pianist Tammy Hall, Remembering to
Remember: Hymns for the Soul, pays
beautiful tribute to the spiritual heritage of our country.
When Valerie Joi plays, sings, or conducts music, she
becomes the music. It is visible, visceral and inspirational. She is committed
to sharing her ministry of love and music with students from all walks of life,
as she invites them to bless and be blessed through song. A consummate
expression of music and Spirit, Valerie Joi uplifts her audiences and inspires
them to experience their own sense of Divine Connection.