We walk into rooms daily. Each one has a different tone, mood, atmosphere, etc., set by its contents and surroundings (or lack thereof). Once we step in, we might take a second to assess the space. Are the lights on? Does that coat rack look like a person? Where’s the front desk? Do I feel comfortable here? Is it cold, or is it just me?
Teaching
I offer both piano lessons and coaching in physical health for musicians. Having struggled with tension, injury, and chronic pain for years, I have unique insight into the process of alleviating these issues through a specific, targeted approach which focuses on the where and why of pain.
I create tailored teaching plans for my students which touch on every element of music making: technical facility, physical conditioning, mental health, practice methods, musical expression, artistic development, historical context, and more.
I believe anyone can learn anything if they set appropriate goals and approach them in a non-judgmental manner. Furthermore, I believe in educating in a way which encourages all types of students to succeed, rather than only the cherry-picked golden few. I do not believe in talent. I believe in skill, developed carefully over time.
My goal as a teacher is to encourage the same passion I have for learning in my students, for them to develop a deep and meaningful relationship with music, while picking up tools along the way which will contribute to a happy and rewarding life.
I strive to provide quality learning through online lessons. If you are in the Boston area, I may be able to offer in-person solutions as well. Before starting lessons with me, I suggest a consultation meeting, during which we can discuss your goals, interests, and determine if we're a good match!
For more information on my rates, lessons with me, and more, check out my teaching page! If you have any questions, feel free to contact me!
What's New
Cineshape is a term coined by Williams to describe pieces of hers which are inspired by cinematography. The Cineshape series is made up of 5 pieces, with Cineshape 4 being the only piece for solo piano. It was inspired by the 1998 German movie Run Lola Run, an exciting crime thriller in which Lola has 20 minutes to come up with 100,000 Deutschmarks (about $160,000 at the time) or else her boyfriend is going to be killed by his criminal boss. A noteable element to the movie is that it restarts multiples times, with events replaying themselves, albeit slightly differently. Lola makes different choices, trying to figure out how to get ahold of the 100,000 DM.
Williams took this restarting narrative device, the quick-cut action style of the movie, as well as the theme of Lola running everywhere and produced an exciting and energizing piece of music!
REIKO FÜTING: FIVE MEDITATIONS ON MUSIC FROM LUIGI ROSSI'S COLLECTION
This set of five meditations reflects on specific pieces by Italian Baroque composer Luigi Rossi (c. 1597 – 1653). The meditations vary in character, but they all have a very interesting sense of space that I feel is unique to Füting's style and they are all quite quiet. The source material is sometimes apparent, and at other times heavily obscured. Füting's music feels like you're flying through a distance nebula made of fragments of musical memories. While you float through, you recognize bits and pieces as they brush past, moving out of your way as unobtrusively as possible.
CLAUDE DEBUSSY: ARIETTES OUBLIÉES
The Ariettes oubliées are a cycle of six art songs written by Debussy, with poetry by Paul Verlaine. Typical of Debussy, the cycle's title is taken from Verlaine's works.
The set explores topics of sensuality, dread, new love, loneliness, and takes a break for a moment of fun in the middle. Debussy complements Verlaine's rich descriptions with musical imagery of his own, creating entire worlds of sound from piece to piece; the stillness of L'ombre des arbres, the chaos of Chevaux de bois, the excitement of Green.
I highly recommend looking at the text while listening to this piece. You can find a translation here, though I might suggest translating for yourself, if that's your thing:
CLAUDE DEBUSSY: FÊTES GALANTES
Debussy's Fêtes galantes is a set of six art songs based on a collection of poetry by the same name, written by Paul Verlaine.
Fête galante is a style of painting from the early 18th century, created by painter Antoine Watteau (1684 - 1721), which came about as a compromise between the wants of Watteau's patrons and the values of the government's Academy of Painting and Sculpture. Watteau's paintings depicted the the wealthy French aristocracy of the time enjoying themselves in park-like settings, while maintaining an element of fantasty, mythology, and history.
Verlaine's Fêtes galantes describes various scenes one would expect to see in Watteau's paintings, except that he imagines the internal emotional experiences of these people, creating rich background stories to these characters. Debussy's music takes this humanization one step further, enveloping the listener in a mist, leading you through magical, spectral, and deeply moving experiences.
BRIAN RAPHAEL NABORS: PIANO SONATA
Nabors writes music with a focus on color and imagery. His style is eclectic, influenced by Jazz Funk, R&B, Gospel, and contemporary classical music. The Piano Sonata is rich in atmosphere and character. Its narrative meaning is left open, to be decided by the performer. The piece is, to me, deeply evocative and a joy to play.
LEOŠ JANÁČEEK: 1. X. 1905, FROM THE STREET
At this time, the Czech population of Brno was protesting in support of the creation of a second Czech university. The majority German population of the area was against anything non-German. And so, German and Czech protesters clashed, with the local German police focusing all their energy on quelling the Czech population. Local young Czech carpenter František Pavlík was bayonetted by a police officer as a protest was ending. Janáček, who had been demonstrating in the protests during the past few days, wrote this piece in response to this tragedy.
Janáček eventually accompanied this piece with the following inscription:
The white marble of the steps of the Besední dům in Brno. The ordinary labourer František Pavlík falls, stained with blood. He came merely to champion higher learning and has been slain by cruel murderers.
BIO
Nicholas Brewer is not only a pianist, but a musical artist and educator. They are a specialist in technique and injury recovery, using a method informed by sports medicine, physical therapy, calisthenics, psychology, and mindfulness.
Brewer’s playing is marked by an attention to emotion and atmosphere. Comfortable in the worlds of contemporary music, canonical repertoire, and the underappreciated, Brewer is chiefly interested in creating immersive performance experiences through careful musical curation and the use of Teaching Artistry practices.
An active collaborator, Brewer sees working with others as the most rewarding form of music making. They are particularly predisposed to art song as well as working with contemporary composers/performers.
As an educator, Brewer stands firmly in the belief that anyone can learn to play an instrument, should they set appropriate goals and approach them in a non-judgemental manner. They believe in teaching with compassion; to educate through positivity and encourage treating musical practice as an act of self-love, rather than one fraught with criticism and negativity.
Brewer is also the Webmaster and Social Media manager at the Charles Ives Society, where they develop new projects at CharlesIves.org to help make information on Ives more accessible.
Nicholas Brewer’s teachers include Jennifer Hayghe, Sara Laimon, Donald Berman, Benjamin Hochman, and Sar-Shalom Strong. They have been in masterclasses and coachings with Amy Williams, Andrew Norman, Mazz Swift, Chris Otto and John Richards of JACK Quartet, Michael McMahon, Michael Finnissy, Peter Serkin, Stephen Drury, Dawn Upshaw, and the members of Loadbang.
Brewer's alma mater is Hamilton College, where they studied Computer Science, Music, and Art. Brewer received their master's degree in piano performance from Longy School of Music of Bard College and their Graduate Diploma in performance from McGill University. They are currently a DMA student at University of Colorado, Boulder.
PHOTOS BY DANA J. QUIGLEY & NICHOLAS BREWER
Contact
Nicholas Brewer is available for online piano lessons, performances, accompanying, coachings, etc.
General Inquiries
nicholas@nobrewer.com