Wingate music students to serve as backing choir at Sarah Brightman show

By Chuck Gordon

On Wednesday, 16 Wingate University voice students will learn firsthand what it means to perform as professional musicians on a big stage.

The lucky 16 - handpicked from among the music department's best singers - will serve as the backing choir for world-renowned soprano Sarah Brightman during her holiday-tour stop in Charlotte. Sarah Brightman in Concert: A Winter Symphony is Dec. 10 at 8 p.m. at Ovens Auditorium.

After releasing a few solo disco records, Brightman rose to fame as the originator of the role of Christine Daaé in Phantom of the Opera in the 1980s, which she performed in the West End of London and on Broadway. Her appeal across the opera, musical-theater and pop-music worlds made her the first "crossover soprano." The singer, who has a three-octave range, is the world's best-selling soprano, having sold more than 25 million albums

Dr. Kody Wallace

"I couldn't have imagined a better opportunity than something like this," says Dr. Kody Wallace, associate director of choral activities. "They won't only sing as a choir, but they'll sing along with the full orchestra, and they'll sing along with someone who's at the height of what professional music has to offer."

Wallace only found out two weeks ago that he had been chosen to serve as chorus master for the show, which means he is responsible for finding and training the singers. Following the lead of chorus masters on other stops on the tour, he chose college students to fill the choir.

So far, he's held one rehearsal with the singers, running through about a quarter of the 100-page program of Christmas classics ("Joy to the World," "Do You Hear What I Hear?," "Silent Night" and others), show pieces (such as "Masquerade" from Phantom of the Opera) and a few lesser-known holiday songs. The show is slated to be two and a half hours, including a short intermission.

The first rehearsal served as an eye-opener for the students, who will have only two more rehearsals in which to master the repertoire, which includes songs in five languages, before rehearsing with Brightman on Wednesday and then performing that evening.

All of the students are getting paid as professional singers.

"It's more than just oohs and aahs," Wallace says. "They're going to do a really heavy lift of singing on stage with her."

Wallace says the concert is an ideal soft introduction to the professional music world. The students have been training their entire music careers with friendly instructors, taking weeks to perfect their performances. Professional musicians, Wallace says, are expected to be able to hit their notes with little preparation. "The professional world is, 'Can you show up and sing the notes on the day? If not, I've got a list of 10 other people,'" he says.

With that in mind, Wallace is putting his charges through their paces.

"In our first rehearsal I had hoped to impress upon them what a herculean task this was, and I was successful in that goal," he says. "Right now, I'm not their best friend. I've got to really ride them. Right now we're not in the fun part."

All the hard work will be worth it on Wednesday night, when the students experience an experiential-learning opportunity like no other: performing with a world-class singer in a nearly 2,500-seat venue.

"Because we have a strong program, our students do get to go around and perform at other places, but this will be a venue most of them haven't had an opportunity to perform in before, and a crowd unlike any most of them have had an opportunity to sing for," Wallace says. "It's great for our students to get a real professional experience and see what that world looks like."

Tickets are still available for the show.

Learn more about studying music at Wingate University.

Dec. 7, 2025