Photo credit: Uma Nambiar

Choir and a cappella Director Bri Holland practices a song at the piano in the choir room. “I’m excited to be in a space where I can see students for up to seven years at a time,” Holland said. “I’m excited to cultivate that relationship.”

With the dawn of a new school year, many things are changing. Sixth graders have had their first day of middle school, lunch tables are being claimed and homework is starting to stack up again. But it is not just a different time for students — the staff is also experiencing change, one being welcoming new faces to their community. This year, Bri Holland has taken on the role of choir and a cappella director.

Choir member Abby Borstein (’25) said that Holland’s musical talent is “amazing”, and says they’re a caring teacher and understand students’ needs.

“I only just met Mx. Holland yesterday, but as of now, I can already tell how passionate they are about choir and teaching us what they already know,” Borstein said. “It feels like they want to get a sense of where we’re at, and not just assume that we know certain things. They truly want to get to know us as people and as musicians, which I appreciate.”

Holland said they have always loved being involved in the music community. Holland grew up surrounded by music and said they have been singing for as long as they can remember.

“I started with singing in choirs, in my church, in my community and in my school,” Holland said. “I also did musical theater a lot as a kid, and I was the president of my thespian club.”

Holland grew up in Southwestern Pennsylvania, where they said they weren’t encouraged to pursue a career in music. Holland went to college for linguistics at the University of Chicago. During college, they started to experiment with a cappella singing and music production. They said they fell in love with music engineering and recording vocalists at college.

After college, Holland moved to Los Angeles to pursue music and record vocal groups, which launched their career in the professional music industry and helped them find a music community.

“I started recording vocalists, a cappella groups and other types of groups and bands,” Holland said. “In the a cappella groups I was in, we didn’t have the money to hire somebody to come in and produce, but we wanted to put out some music.”

Connected by people in the music industry, Holland started working in music production for film and television. They worked on “Vivo,” an animated kids film with music created by Lin Manuel Miranda. They also worked on the musical “Tick, Tick…Boom!”

Holland has won acquired accolades in the music industry, including The Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards, a nomination for a Grammy on the Broadway rendition of “Sweeney Todd” and a nomination for a Golden Reel Award for “Tick, Tick…Boom!”

Holland said while they love being in the professional music industry, they also are passionate about exploring music on a smaller scale through teaching. Throughout their sophomore year at college, Holland focused on creating an a cappella summer camp, which ran for six consecutive years. Holland said this is what launched their love for education, and that sexism was a big motive for teaching music to girls. According to the BBC, “women are also eight times more likely to face discrimination than men [in the music industry].”

“Teaching became inseparable from the rest of my career,” Holland said. “I’ve always been excited to pass on the information that I’ve gained, especially to other girls and young women who are not as represented in the music industry as much as you would like to see.”

Holland has worked with Archer alumni who were a part of the music program with former choir and a cappella director Kate Burns. Holland said that experience was what sparked her desire to work with Archer girls.

“The camaraderie was very clear,” Holland said. “The level of musicianship was outstanding. The resources that we have available at Archer to purchase music are great. But beyond all of that, I love the enthusiasm from the students.”

Junior Emerson Cohen, a member of choir and a student in the songwriting class, said she loves Holland’s excited and joyful attitude. Cohen said Holland is willing to get to know their students on a deeper level, and that they are a perceptive songwriting teacher as well.

“They have done a great job with getting to know everyone, reaching out and knowing everyone’s names, especially in songwriting,” Cohen said. “I’m super excited because she’s so attentive and eager. I’ve only had a couple check-ins with her so far, but she has so many ideas for how we can work together on production and writing.”

When asked what they are looking forward to in her music career at Archer, Holland said they are excited to contribute to the creative scene at Archer.

“I’m going to be the faculty advisor for the Archer Council of Artists, and I’m excited to invite students who aren’t necessarily enrolled in music classes to contribute to the art space on campus,” Holland said. “I’m also really excited to see the students who I’m working with also shine as soloists and hear some of their original music.”