WHEN Anna Fegi was a kid growing up in Lutopan, a quaint town far from the bustling Cebu metropolis, she had this dream of enrolling in a legitimate music school.
“I wanted to go to a school that would help and guide me on how to sing properly. It was something that I wished for.”
Anna recalled there were two forces that kept her passion for music burning during her younger years: her father, Gaudencio, and her godmother, Mila Loyola, who was also a music teacher.
“They guided me and really started teaching me the basics of singing. They gave me songs to study and started me on basic vocal techniques. Through this process, I ended up knowing so many songs; I memorized and mastered them by listening to the original artist. But through the process of learning by listening to the original artist, I caught myself trying to find my own voice, something that would set me apart from everyone else. But what was my original voice?
As a young singer, she remembered mastering the song “Greatest Love of All,” the Whitney Houston version. “I was praised for singing it like she did, how I hit the high notes just like Whitney. For a young girl, all the adulation was definitely flattering and it made me feel good about my singing skills.”
But Anna was growing in years and experience, and her understanding about music deepened. “At the back of my head, I was looking for myself, I wanted to hear my own voice. I started to wonder if people would see me as me, rather than praising me for singing the songs as they were originally or famously recorded. That stayed on with me for some time, and I was struggling to find the answer. I was craving for opportunities for me to put myself into the songs I sung, so those who see me perform would see me as me.”
Anna joined many singing contests and took part in many events that involved music. Her voice was her weapon and she used it wonderfully.
For many years, Anna was a staple performer in many events on TV, the musical theater stage, concert halls, and a hundred-and-one corporate shows. She had two albums to her credit, both under the now defunct Sony-BMG music label.
When she was searching for better opportunities, Disney beckoned and she grabbed the offer to perform as Nala in Hong Kong Disneyland’s Festival of The Lion King. She finished three full contracts before returning to Cebu to finish her studies.
She then took on performing for international cruise liners that brought her to many places beyond her dreams.
“While I was performing onboard a cruise ship in Europe, I met a man who would eventually become my husband, Adam Brown, who is a music educator from the US with a degree in Music Education and a Masters in Education. One of our first conversations was about my dream, to eventually build a music school. While I had already been performing for over two decades, I knew I wanted to build a school to share what I had learned and experienced. Talking about my dream of running a music school was definitely one of the topics that brought us closer as we started dating.”
Anna married Adam in August 2012 and both finished performing abroad in July 2015. “During our last six months of traveling and performing, we firmed up all the plans for a new music school that we would eventually open in Cebu. We had the chance to visit over 60 countries and we tried to experience music everywhere we could. We got to visit a music conservatory in St. Petersburg, Russia; a family of musicians playing in a pub in Dublin, Ireland; and a performing arts school in Cincinnati, Ohio, just to name a few. We saw how music fit into different cultures and we knew we wanted to bring a little of each place back to the Philippines.”
All of these experiences led Anna and Adam to start Brown Academy of Music in Banilad, Cebu City. She described it as a place for students to find their own voice while learning the fundamentals of music. “All of our students learn the basics of reading music. For our first concert on April 9 [at Ayala Center Cebu], we had students as young as 6 reading music charts. Recently, we also developed a new program for students under the age of 6. They learn the fundamentals, including starting to read music, and this will lay a foundation for when they get older and want to sing or play an instrument.”
This summer, Brown Academy of Music already has over 100 new enrollees, and it’s time to start planning the next performance. “We are also excited to host a songwriting workshop being taught by award-winning Cebuano songwriter, producer and musical director Jude Gitamondoc. Jude is also one of the founders and is the musical director of the Vispop songwriting competition, so we are really looking forward to see what he will share with the students,” she added.
What was once a dream for Anna has now turned into a reality. “I’m thankful for all those who guided me through the years. I am grateful for those who taught me to find my own voice. I am blessed to have met and married Adam, who not only shares my life but also shares the same passion I have in music and teaching music to the next generation.”