Opera Soprano Christine Brewer Conducts Master Class at McKendree

(LEBANON, Ill., January 14, 2015) — Watch, listen and learn as internationally renowned soprano Christine Brewer coaches four McKendree University voice students on Monday, Jan. 26. The public is welcome to observe the master class, free of charge, from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Hettenhausen Center for the Arts on campus.

Brewer, a Lebanon resident and McKendree alumna, has been named “one of the top 20 sopranos of all time” by BBC Music. The Grammy Award-winning recording artist is known for her soaring range, boundless power and control, and vibrant personality. She has performed with the Metropolitan Opera, English National Opera, and the philharmonics and orchestras of major American and European cities. She studied music education at McKendree and taught at Marissa Elementary School for several years before embarking on her professional career as a performer.

Students from the university’s Division of Visual and Performing Arts will perform the following:

• • • Emeri Farnum, a sophomore music education- vocal emphasis major from Benton, Ill. – “Dream-Land,” composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams

• • • Dawn Schmid, a senior music-theater major from Columbia, Ill. – “What a Movie,” from “Trouble in Tahiti,” composed by Leonard Bernstein

• • • Megan Schmid, a, senior music education-vocal emphasis major, from Columbia, Ill. – “Oh! quand je dors,” composed by Franz Liszt

• • • Haleigh Stevenson, a first-year vocal performance major from Troy, Ill. – “Spring Sorrow,” composed by John Ireland

For more information, contact Dr. Nancy Ypma, professor of music and chair of the Division of Visual and Performing Arts, at 618-537-6922 or nypma@mckendree.edu.

 

-McK-

 

The Russel E. and Fern M. Hettenhausen Center for the Arts - “The Hett” - is Southern Illinois’ premier performing arts venue, presenting world class dance, drama, classical music and jazz.  The 488-seat auditorium is located on the McKendree University campus in Lebanon, Illinois, 25 miles from downtown St. Louis. www.theHett.com