Voices of Concinnity finds connection through universal experiences on AWAITING GOLDEN LIGHT. Seeking connection through the isolation of a global pandemic, their members took inspiration from gazing at the glowing moon, experiencing the renewal of a new golden sunrise, anticipating wonder at the perseverance of a bulb blooming in spring, and finding solace in shining stars after the loss of a beloved.
Today, Voices of Concinnity is our featured ensemble on the “Inside Story,” a blog series exploring the inner workings and personalities of our composers and performers. Read on to learn how they discovered their signature sound as an ensemble, and how they aim to create music as “a conduit to the emotive state…”
What have been your biggest inspirations on your musical journey?
One of our biggest inspirations on this musical journey as Concinnity is having the freedom to experiment with our ensemble sound and craft a unique choral sound that is reflective of everyone’s voices in the group. Voices of Concinnity was formed to help create affordable access for the community to experience professional-level choral music and to curate an ensemble with flexible rehearsal schedules to include singers with varying career and family commitments. But, most importantly, Concinnity was created as a professional vocal chamber ensemble that embraced the unique timbral qualities of each voice, encouraging singers to sing freely — together. The word “concinnity” means the harmonious arrangement or fitting together of the different parts of something, which encompasses our approach to ensemble singing. Creating an honest choral sound that can also be connected with a group of individuals has been extremely inspiring in our journey as an ensemble.
Tell us about your first performance.
About six years ago, our parent organization began to form with a mission to build community through choral music in Connecticut through the sponsoring of choirs of varying ages and levels of ability called Consonare Choral Community. In early spring of 2018, Sarah Kaufold gathered a group of 10 singers to perform as Voices of Concinnity with Choir Matrix, a brand new women’s choir also created under the Consonare umbrella, to raise funds for a local organization that provided financial support for immigrant families. For this inaugural concert, called “Requiem for the Middle Class,” Voices of Concinnity performed Herbert Howell’s Requiem, the iconic Cruxicifus by Antonio Lotti, and a few more vast unaccompanied works that fit the theme. This concert was performed unaccompanied because we could not afford a collaborative pianist for Concinnity or Choir Matrix at the time. However, we discovered that singing unaccompanied repertoire highlighted our vision of ensemble singing. The concert was warmly received, giving us the encouragement to not only become Voices of Concinnity, but for Consonare Choral Community to incorporate and become a non-profit organization sponsoring Concinnity, Choir Matrix, youth choirs, and now a community choir.
How do you prepare for a performance?
Our preparation for a performance begins with each of the singers conducting their own score study and initial practice of the choral scores at home. We meet together for only a few rehearsals before a performance to allow for the greatest flexibility in scheduling since none of our singers are full-time performers and have other career commitments. Our rehearsals together are focused on coming to agreement on balance, tuning, dynamics, phrasing, and emotive qualities of the music. Individual singers fix problem sections in between rehearsals so that our time together can be focused on creating a vibrant collective and balanced sound. Our rehearsals are guided by our artistic director, but all singers are invited to have a voice in the direction of the music and discussions often result. Varying interpretations may lead to mistakes during the rehearsal process, but we try to approach such occasions with humor. Recordings from our rehearsals almost always include good-natured laughter.
What emotions do you hope listeners will experience after hearing your work?
After a concert, a dedicated audience member once said, “Voices of Concinnity remains my favorite group. I am always transcended to a place of peace, reflection, or joy.” As performers, we hope the listener experiences a chance to be transformed by the music as similarly expressed by this audience member. We strive to craft a meaningful performance to hold space so the music can serve as a conduit to the emotive state that the listener needs in that moment. Our performances are thoughtfully crafted to hopefully allow for a listener experience to not only soothe and transport, but to inspire. As one of our singers, Jermaine, expressed, “I want the listener to be able to retreat to the quieter corners of their mind, discovering a healing calm that rejuvenates and allows them to just ‘be.’”
Take us on a walk through your musical library. What record gets the most plays? Are there any “deep cuts” that you particularly enjoy?
Our musical library is eclectic, representing historical choral works by known and forgotten composers alongside new works by living composers. We strive for balanced programming, where the composers performed are more reflective of the general population. Concinnity actively supports the creation of new choral music by commissioning composers and creating the Choral Composer Amplify Project in 2021 to help composers record their work. Since AWAITING GOLDEN LIGHT is our first album, we only have views on our videos posted to social media to use as a metric to which music listeners appear to be drawn. But, we have a number of “deep cuts” on this album that we truly enjoy singing and that we know will become popular once more audiences hear this music. Media Vita, composed by Kerensa Briggs is such a delightful, almost jazzy setting of an old sacred text with close harmonies and rich, emotive moments. It May Be was composed by one of our singers, Brian Jones, and it is an inspiration to sing, as it evokes a feeling of hope, strength, and resilience. Lastly, Alma beata et bella, composed by Edie Hill, creates beautiful colors and oscillating overtones, with a shimmering quality reflective of the words being sung.
Where and when are you at your most creative?
In early spring 2020, Voices of Concinnity was still so new as an ensemble that we had not even performed two full seasons yet. At a moment in our history when performances were canceled due to the pandemic, we brainstormed how we could continue to make music together. Our first endeavor was to commission a song to be recorded remotely, in a layering fashion to mimic singing together. We approached composer Cheryl B. Engelhardt, who composed The Breadth of Blossoms for us on a text she wrote that reflected our experiences as singers at the beginning of the pandemic. We continued to experiment with singing outside safely with face masks and social distancing. As a result, we discovered that we can sing in spaces with limited acoustic vibrancy such as outside and create a meaningful performance. As a result, we have stepped out of the concert hall and performed in spaces we had not considered beforehand, reaching a new audience.
Described by audience members as “silky smooth butter in musical form” and “voices like I imagine angels might sound,” Voices of Concinnity is Connecticut’s versatile professional vocal chamber ensemble illuminating the breadth of choral music through innovative programming and richness of choral sound. Sponsored by Consonare Choral Community, Voices of Concinnity consists of 12 dedicated, seasoned choral artists from diverse backgrounds with a mission to connect with the community through exquisitely crafted, innovative choral programming that fosters inclusion, promotes collaboration, illuminates variety, and ensures affordable access. As an ensemble, Concinnity focuses on individual expression within a cohesive whole, harnessing each singer’s unique vocal qualities into a rich collective sound; thus embracing an honesty that enhances the listening experience and resonates with audiences.
