If you attended the exciting WomenSing fundraiser this fall, you saw the hand of singer Amy Bruhmuller at work. As event chair for the second year, Amy brought together many volunteers to provide the delightful auction items, delicious refreshments, vivid decor and vigorous rhythms that made this year’s gala so enjoyable. Working hard and making it look easy, Amy remained calm and unflappable.
WomenSing is an important part of Amy’s life. Most of her time is spent at home caring for her three children or volunteering at the school of her two older daughters, and when Wednesday evening arrives she is often weary and tempted to go to bed early. Instead, she heads for rehearsal and is immediately gratified by the energy that fills her. “The music and the community are invigorating!” she exclaims. “It is incredibly rewarding to be able to spend three hours focusing on MY art, passion and self-expression.”
A gifted soprano, Amy majored in music at Scripps, then earned an M.F.A. in vocal music at U.C. Irvine. She sang in several professional choirs in Northern and Southern California before joining WomenSing in 2008. Since then, her sweet and beautifully trained voice has been featured in more than one WomenSing performance. Listen to the last WomenSing CD, for example, and you will delight in Amy’s solo in the carol Ivy, Chief of Trees.
Determination? Amy has it. Six months pregnant in May 2011, she endured miserable hip pain along with her extra pounds in order to travel with the chorus to Washington, D.C. She couldn’t manage much sightseeing, she says, “BUT it was thrilling to sing in the National Cathedral and I loved traveling with WomenSing and felt as though I had forty sisters and mothers looking out for me during that trip.”
The blend of a “high level of artistry” and “flexibility, nurturing, and kindness” draws Amy back to WomenSing each semester. “My kids enjoy coming to the WomenSing concerts to see me perform. I think it is important for my girls to see me doing something that I am passionate about (other than them!) and to see me committing to a regular rehearsal schedule to work toward a successful performance… In WomenSing I am challenged and pushed out of my comfort zone weekly and I am becoming a better musician because of it. What more could you ask for in a choir?”
