Michael Curtis Brewer (born 1945) is a convicted sex offender and former British music teacher and choral conductor. He was the founding

musical director A music director, musical director or director of music is a person responsible for the musical aspects of a performance, production, or organization. This would include the artistic director and usually chief conductor of an orchestra or concert ...

of the

National Youth Choirs of Great Britain National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

and had been Director of Music for

Chetham's School of Music Chetham's School of Music () is a private co-educational boarding and day music school in Manchester, England. Chetham's educates pupils between the ages of 8 and 18, all of whom enter via musical auditions. The music school was established i ...

in the 1980s and early 1990s. He was appointed an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

in 1995, but was stripped of the honour in 2013 following his conviction on five counts of

indecent assault Indecent assault is an offence of aggravated assault in some common law-based jurisdictions. It is characterised as a sex crime and has significant overlap with offences referred to as sexual assault. England and Wales Indecent assault was a broa ...

against a girl who had been one of his pupils. He was jailed for six years.

Life and career

Brewer began his career as a schoolteacher. In 1966 he was appointed Head of Music at the Royal Liberty Grammar School in

Romford Romford is a large List of places in London, town in east London, east London, England, located northeast of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Havering, the town is one of the major Metropolitan centres of London, metropolitan centr ...

, London, where he established a large choir. During his time in Romford, he also founded the Havering Youth Choir. In 1969 he co-wrote an opera, ''The Sword In The Stone'', a modern work based upon the legend of King Arthur. In 1970 he moved to become Head of Music at

The Latymer School The Latymer School is a Voluntary aided school, voluntary aided, Selective school, selective, Mixed-sex education, co-educational grammar school located in Edmonton, London. It was founded in 1624 by the will of Edward Latymer to provide educat ...

and was later Director of Music for

. In 1983 he founded with Carl Browning the

National Youth Choir of Great Britain The National Youth Choir, formerly known as the National Youth Choirs of Great Britain and the British Youth Choir, is a family of choirs for outstanding young singers, and those with outstanding potential, in the United Kingdom. It comprises fiv ...

. Brewer also worked as a consultant for various UK choirs and was adjudicator for the finals of "Choir of the Year" and the National Festival of Music for Youth in the UK and in international competitions. In 1983, he conducted The World Youth Choir and was later a guest judge on the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

programme ''

Last Choir Standing ''Last Choir Standing'' is a 2008 talent show-themed television series produced by the BBC in the United Kingdom. Broadcast on BBC One in July and August 2008, the series saw amateur choirs competing each week to be the 'last choir standing'. The ...

''. He was appointed an

in 1995.

Conviction

On 8 February 2013, Brewer and his former wife, Hilary Kay Brewer, were both found guilty of indecently assaulting a pupil at Chetham's School of Music between 1978 (when she was 14) and 1982. A fortnight earlier, on 24 January 2013, the victim had died of an overdose of antidepressants after giving evidence during the trial; it was unclear whether the overdose was accidental or she had committed suicide. It was claimed by prosecutors that in a separate incident Brewer had been forced to resign from Chetham's in the 1990s after an inappropriate relationship with a 17-year-old girl. In March 2013, Judge Martin Rudland sentenced Michael Brewer to six years imprisonment on five counts of indecent assault; he sentenced Hilary Brewer to 21 months. On 28 May 2013, Brewer was stripped of his

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brewer, Michael C. 1945 births Living people 20th-century British criminals 21st-century British conductors (music) 21st-century British criminals 21st-century British male musicians British music educators English people convicted of indecent assault English people convicted of child sexual abuse People stripped of a British Commonwealth honour Prisoners and detainees of England and Wales School sexual abuse scandals Sex scandals in the United Kingdom