Linda Twine, a native of Muskogee, OK, graduated from Oklahoma City University in 1966, with a bachelor
of arts degree in music. There, she studied piano with the esteemed Dr. Clarence Burg and Professor Nancy
Apgar. After graduating from OCU, Twine studied at the Manhattan School of Music in New York, where
she earned a master’s degree, and made New York her home. She began her musical career in New York,
teaching music in public school by day and accompanying classical and jazz artists at night. At one of these
engagements, she was asked if she would like to substitute for the keyboardist of the Tony Award winning
Broadway hit, “The Wiz.” Her positive response began a long career in Broadway musicals from keyboard
substitute to assistant conductor of Broadway orchestras. In 1981, Twine transitioned to conductor when
Lena Horne asked her to conduct her one-woman hit, “Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music.” This
garnered Twine the respect of her peers and as a much sought-after Broadway musical conductor. In addition
to “The Wiz” and “Lena Horne,” Twine’s Broadway credits include, “Ain’t Misbehavin’,” “Big River” (the
score composed by Oklahoman Roger Miller), “Jelly’s Last Jam,” “Frog and Toad,” “Caroline or Change,”
“Purlie,” and the current “The Color Purple,” starring Fantasia. Not only a distinguished conductor, Twine is
also a composer and arranger. She composed “Changed My Name,” a cantata inspired by slave women
Sojourner Truth and Harriet Tubman, and written for two actresses, four soloists, and a chorus. Her popular
spiritual arrangements are published by Hinshaw. As a producer, instrumental and vocal arranger, her work
can be seen and heard in the books and CDs of the Silver Burdett Publishing company, which are used by
many public schools in the United States. Community commitment and involvement have also marked
Twine’s outstanding career. She has arranged and composed for the renowned Boys Choir of Harlem, and
she served for 14 years as minister of music for St. James Presbyterian Church of New York. Among her
many awards and honors is the “Personal Best Award for Achievement and the Pursuit of Excellence,” for
her role as a writer and arranger for the Boys Choir of Harlem, her artistic achievements in the world of
Musical Theatre, and her concern for humanity. Twine, a proud Oklahoman, is the granddaughter of William
Henry Twine, a pioneer lawyer who made a homestead claim in the 1891 Sac and Fox Run, and along with
G.W.F. Sawner and E.I. Saddler established the first black law partnership in Oklahoma Territory.