Westmont Magazine Seeing with the Eyes of Grace

When Bree Yaeger Noble ’94 sings “You Are My Vision,” she has more than spiritual insight in mind. A lifetime of glaucoma has left her legally blind, and she shares her struggles with sight — and with faith — through her music. A songwriter and singer, she has released three CDs and embarked on a solo music ministry performing at church concerts, worship services and women’s retreats throughout California.

Her suffering with a different ailment — Crohn’s disease — led her to be more outspoken about her experiences. “I felt God was calling me to start speaking to groups about my visual difficulty,” she says. “When I recovered from Crohn’s, I decided to reach out in ministry. My message is not to limit yourself despite the limitations you may have. God doesn’t limit us, he thinks we have unlimited potential.”

When Bree shares her story, she gives a lot of credit to her parents, who never treated her differently than her siblings. “They didn’t send me to a special school, I went to public school like everyone else,” she says. “They always made sure I had what I needed to be on the same level as others.” Bree has some sight, which allows her to read with a special magnifying machine — and to see the face of her young daughter, Julia. In fact, Bree and her husband, Chris Noble ’94, have built a life together unhindered by the limitations of her vision. The couple met as fellow members of the Westmont College Choir and got married in 1994. Chris completed a doctorate in English literature at UC Irvine and has taught at Azusa Pacific University for six years.

Bree earned degrees in both music and economics and business at Westmont, and her knowledge of accounting helps her manage her music career. After graduating, she worked as an accountant for three years before becoming the director of finance of Opera Pacific for five years. She scaled back her hours to care for her daughter after her birth in 2002, and she plans her performing schedule to spend as much time as possible with Julia.

Not only does she write most of the music she performs, but Bree has also worked on a Broadway-style musical, “Little Italian Girl,” co-writing many of the songs. Her CD “Can You See the Stars?” features the 10 best tunes. Her collaborators hope to stage the work in Australia. To hear some of these songs and works from her other CDs, “Healing Waters” and “Overwhelmed,” go to www.breenoble.com.