Nightingale Vocal Ensemble
Imagine a group formed of classically trained vocalists who are also composers. Naturally this group performs the music written by its members, but now imagine the same group throws out the rulebook and chooses to improvise freely. This is Nightingale Vocal Ensemble, an innovative collective based in Boston. Their first album, Composition Sped Up draws as much from Ornette Coleman, in spirit, as it does from centuries of tradition in vocal performance.
Meet them in the podcast episode below.
The brainchild of Boston Conservatory students Kelvyn Koning, Fran Daniel Laucerica, Jennifer Muñoz, Laura Nevitt, and Benjamin Perry, NVE has grown and expanded its vision.
In the words of producer/member Nathan Halbur, “Improvisation empowers performers. Instead of relying on the genius of an individual composer, each musician possesses the agency to create the music that they wish to hear.” The results sing for themselves… Composition Sped Up is a unique statement that delights the ears, even while occasionally boggling the mind.
The album draws its name from a Wayne Shorter quote about free improvisation. The group has crafted and captured a series of spontaneous works that is rare in the world of classical music. We’re thrilled to welcome the Ensemble to RBR!
Play the podcast link above to meet Ben, Nathan and Angela Yam, and hear NVE.
Hear Composition Sped Up on Bandcamp.
“We were so entranced while recording that I’m now incredulous that we really produced all of these sounds acoustically and spontaneously, and that every sound was generated within the human vocal tract.”