About Emily R. Brink
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Biography
Emily R. Brink (b. 1940) served as a senior research fellow, program director, and resources development specialist for congregational song at the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship (CICW) until her retirement in 2021. She joined CICW in 2002, after spending twenty years as music and liturgy editor for the Christian Reformed Church in North America (CRCNA) and nearly as long as founding editor of the quarterly journal Reformed Worship. Brink is known for her love of congregational song and her study of the heritage of psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs from all times and places. She has traveled globally, especially in Asia, as a worship and church music consultant.
Brink was the editor of five hymnals: Psalter Hymnal (1987); With Heart and Voice: Songs for All God's Children (1989); Songs for LiFE, a children’s hymnal (1994); Songs for LiFE Leader’s Edition (1995); and Sing! A New Creation (2001), a joint songbook of the CRCNA and the Reformed Church in America. She has written, edited, or contributed to several other publications, including Authentic Worship in a Changing Culture (1997), Psalter Hymnal Handbook (1998), Prayers of the People (2004), The Worship Sourcebook (2004), The Worship Sourcebook, Second Edition (2013), and Wise Church (2013).
Brink began her career as an educator, teaching music in Montana, New York, and Illinois (Trinity Christian College and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign) before moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan, to join the CRCNA staff. She later also served as an adjunct professor of church music and worship at Calvin Theological Seminary.
Brink has been an active member of The Hymn Society in the United States and Canada, an organization for whom she served as the first female president from 1990 through 1992. In 2004 she was named a Fellow of The Hymn Society in recognition of distinguished service to hymnody and hymnology. Hymnary.org lists Brink as composer, arranger, harmonizer, adapter, translator, or versifier of dozens of tunes and texts. She has also served in local and national offices of the American Guild of Organists. Brink has a bachelor’s degree in music from Calvin College, a master’s degree in organ and church music from the University of Michigan, and a PhD in music theory from Northwestern University.
Publication Date
7-15-2024
Keywords
hymnody
Disciplines
Ethnomusicology | Liturgy and Worship | Missions and World Christianity
Recommended Citation
Brink, Emily R., "About Emily R. Brink" (2024). CICW Emeriti Staff. 1.
https://digitalcommons.calvin.edu/cicw-staff-work/1
Significant Works on Calvin Digital Commons (click author name above for full search results)