Christian Reif and Julia Bullock perform "Songs of Comfort" throughout the pandemic

Christian Reif and Julia Bullock perform “Songs of Comfort” from their living room

Christian Reif and his wife, soprano Julia Bullock have performed a series of “Songs of Comfort” from their home in Munich throughout the pandemic. The social media initiative #SongsOfComfort was launched at the beginning of the pandemic by cellist Yo-Yo Ma in an effort to bring comfort during this global crisis. Artists from around the world have contributed to this initiative by uploading videos of themselves performing and using the hashtag #SongsOfComfort.

The New York Times featured Julia Bullock on their “Best Classical Music of 2020” list for the memorable “Songs of Comfort” that she and Christian Reif posted from their residence in Munich: “One of the few opera stars who retains her voice’s seductive potency as she scales down for small rooms, this American soprano was in Germany with her husband, the conductor Christian Reif, for the first part of lockdown. He joined her on piano in a memorable series of songs they posted on social media. None was more moving than a dreamy, quietly commanding version of Gerry Goffin and Carole King’s Brill Building classic “Up on the Roof,” rising to rapture. Like Mx. Bond’s “Calling Occupants,” it was a love letter to New York as the crisis was at its most intense.”