ClevelandClassical.com Header
Ad
Ad

CD Review —
Everybody Sang: Vocal Music of David Conte

by

by Mike Telin

While many in the Cleveland area may be familiar with the choral works of Lakewood native David Conte — his music is regularly performed by ensembles such as Good Company — his recent CD, Everyone Sang, offers another side of his vocal-writing talents. Released in August on the Arsis label, this two-disc set comprises engaging works for solo voice and piano, as well as voice and instrumental ensembles.

Conte, who chairs the composition department at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, opens the album with four American Death Ballads. Written for tenor Brian Thorsett, the songs are inspired by Copland’s Old American Songs. Thorsett brings a warm tone, thoughtful phrasing, and perfect diction to Wicked Polly, The Unquiet Grave, The Dying Californian, and Captain Kid. Pianist John Churchill provides colorful support throughout. [Read more…]

Roomful of Teeth to perform twice in Northeast Ohio: a conversation with founder Brad Wells

by

by Mike Telin

ROOMFULL-OF-TEETHPortions of this article are reprinted from an interview in March of 2015 before Roomful of Teeth performed at the Cleveland Museum of Art.

When Brad Wells founded the innovative vocal ensemble Roomful of Teeth in 2009, he wanted to explore all the possibilities of the human voice. “Initially, before I studied classical technique, my experience with the voice was pop, rock, and jazz,” Wells said during a recent telephone conversation.

“When I got into choral and solo singing, as well as composing for the voice, on the one hand the Western classical style struck me as very powerful, beautiful, and expressive. But at the same time, I felt that from a composer’s point of view, there were all sorts of colors, gestures, and timbres that were out there still waiting to be harnessed.” [Read more…]

Roomful of Teeth at CMA (March 20)

by

by Timothy Robson

ROOMFULL-OF-TEETHThe a cappella vocal group Roomful of Teeth made a big roomful of noise at the Cleveland Museum of Art’s Gartner Auditorium on Friday, March 20 before a large, enthusiastic audience. This remarkable group, founded in 2009, has won a Grammy for their 2012 eponymous first album, and one of the major works on the program, Partita for 8 voices by member Caroline Shaw, won the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for music. [Read more…]

Follow ClevelandClassical.com

Contact us