Soprano Christine Brewer has joined such other St. Louis greats as Chuck Berry, William Burroughs and Kate Chopin on the St. Louis Walk of Fame. At the ceremony, she said Opera Theatre of St. Louis and the city contributed greatly to her success.
“I was in a place where I was nurtured and guided and mentored by some of the greatest people in the world, who are still my friends and still my mentors,” said Brewer.
Brewer is the third inductee to the Walk of Fame this April. The induction ceremony was held in the Delmar Loop, where the stars can be found embedded in the sidewalk. Brewer’s star began to shine in 1981 when she worked at Opera Theatre.
Since then, she has sung at such places as the Metropolitan Opera in New York and The Royal Opera in England. In 2006, Brewer won a Grammy for her album Songs of Innocence and Experience. Her work at OTSL has included "Peter Grimes," "Dialogues of the Carmelites" and "Gloriana."
Opera Theatre founder Richard Gaddes introduced Brewer during the induction ceremony. He said he wasn’t surprised by the news of her inclusion in the walk of fame.
“My immediate response was ‘Of course, she’s an obvious choice,” he said, laughing.
Gaddes said he’s proud that his history and success in the music business is often related to Brewer’s own career. He said Opera Theatre played a major role in Brewer’s success and the singer has been integral in furthering Opera Theatre’s achievements.
“For any opera company to be able to lay claim to having really played a major role in the career of a singer like Christine Brewer, that is a wonderful thing,” he said.
Brewer performed two songs at the end of the ceremony before shaking hands and hugging admirers and loved-ones.
