Brewer Residency Week Focused on Asian Composers

World-renowned soprano Christine Brewer held her annual residency Feb. 28-March 4, 2022 at Webster University. For more than a decade, Brewer has been visiting professor of music in the Leigh Gerdine College of Fine Arts. She conducts master classes each Fall semester, and spends a week each Spring semester teaching voice lessons, giving talks, coaching students, and joining students for a themed concert.

Each Brewer Residency focuses on a narrow range of literature. This year’s focus on Asian composers gave us the ability to understand our commonalities of human expression across cultures. The week featured music by composers from China, Japan, and Vietnam to learn about these ancient cultures through poetry and music and to gain a greater appreciation of these composers and their music. Fourteen Department of Music students engaged in a conversation about their selected composer, had private sessions and sang in a masterclass setting with Brewer throughout the week.

The final concert on Friday, March 4, was open to the public and the students presented their pieces with beauty and dignity.  Brewer performed the world premiere of Kim Portnoy's "Call Me By My True Names" (text by Thich Nhat Hanh). Professor Portnoy is Director of Composition in the Department of Music. Students in the final concert program represented several degree programs in the Department of Music, including the Bachelor of Arts in Music, the Bachelor of Music Education, the Bachelor of Music in Performance, and the Master of Music in Performance. Faculty collaborative pianists Mieko Hironaka Bergt, Nancy Mayo and Donna Vince were the accompanists for the concert. Assistance for the pronunciation of texts was provided by Mieko Hironaka Bergt and Ju Ruiqi (Eva Hart).

“We wanted to bring attention to the horrific Anti-Asian sentiment and acts of violence that have increased due to misinformation and misunderstanding during the pandemic," said Martha J. Hart, director of Vocal Studies. "We, as artists, have a responsibility to shed light on our commonalities of human expression in the creation of art. Christine continually referenced the themes of the repertoire being performed: nature, love, longing, children, and working for a more peaceful co-existence. Christine's genuine personality and generous spirit, plus her extraordinary artistry all serve as prime examples to our students of how to be a complete artist.”

About Christine Brewer

Grammy Award-winning American soprano Christine Brewer is a resident of Lebanon, Illinois. Her appearances in opera, concert, and recital are marked by her own unique timbre, at once warm and brilliant, combined with a vibrant personality and emotional honesty reminiscent of the great sopranos of the past. Named one of the top 20 sopranos of all time (BBC Music), her range, golden tone, boundless power, and control make her a favorite of the stage and a highly sought-after recording artist. A philanthropist and humanitarian, Brewer is increasingly turning to where she began her career, in teaching and guiding young singers in finding their voice.