Strummer Steele (she/he/they) is an avid performer of living history, combining their passion for early and contemporary music with their unwavering enthusiasm for teaching. As a member and featured soloist of West Chester University of Pennsylvania’s early music ensemble Collegium Musicum from 2018-2020, Strummer performed Renaissance and Baroque music as a soprano, lutenist, and cittern player. In 2020, Strummer debuted James Devor’s song cycle for high voice and piano Songs of the Wood, which was composed to showcase Strummer’s vivid characterization, wide vocal range, and skill with extended techniques. 

Strummer is the founder and director of the Bhakail Yule Singers, a community ensemble that performs Medieval and Renaissance music as part of the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA). Within the SCA, Strummer regularly sings with the Known World Choir, whose most recent performances included repertoire by Palestrina, Morley, Dowland, and Josquin. Recently, Strummer won the 2025 SCA Bhakail Bardic Championship Competition, wherein they arranged and sang a medley of compositions both by and contemporary with Henry VIII, accompanying themself on lute. 

Strummer is a private voice teacher in both Pennsylvania and Delaware. From 2023-2025, they directed the Valotta Studios middle grades a capella group Voice Squad, wherein they conducted surveys of the history of a capella music and musical theater, as well as arranged and directed contemporary pop a capella repertoire. Within the SCA, Strummer provides introductory lectures on early music for non-musicians. 

Strummer is currently pursuing their M.M. in Musicology at the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University, where they study lute with Richard Stone and research the impacts of the sheet music printing industry on 16^th century English repertoire. They earned their B.M. in Vocal Performance from West Chester University of Pennsylvania, where they studied under Stephen Ng.