ANNUAL REPORT 2014 – 2015 SEASON SEVEN
The Mission of Choral Chameleon is to reinvent the art of choral music from every perspective. Our Values L Innovation: We fearlessly explore and bring new possibilities in choral music to our members and audiences
L Excellence: We pursue the highest standards in preparation, performance, and repertoire L Collaboration: We foster and celebrate diverse partnerships with composers, conductors, and organizations to expand our reach in the community we serve
L Enrichment: We strive to touch the lives of our audiences, while preserving fun and gratifying experiences for our performers
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Education: We are committed to providing mentorship and practicing the care of the musician as whole person
Our Strategic Imperatives Commission new work every season Bring audiences a dynamic blend of musical genres and art forms Nurture artistic growth of all singers, conductors, and composers Encourage fun, openness, and joy in the process of learning and performing
Strategic Planning 2015: In Spring 2015, the Board of Choral Chameleon began a fresh Strategic Planning Initiative
inspired by the need to create clarity around the purpose of our organization’s three arms, focusing on the rising complexity of our live productions and ambitions for a growing
digital presence. The updated Mission, Values, and Strategic Imperatives are the result of this process.
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The activities of Choral Chameleon, Inc. comprise of: Choral Chameleon A professional group of 12 singers that champions new music within amalgamated programming that inspires creative collaborations
Chameleonic An auditioned volunteer chorus of 30 to 40 people that provides an environment of learning and exploration for singers, composers, and conductors alike
Choral Chameleon Institute An intensive 8-day workshop for conductors and composers of choral music held annually in June, which culminates in a performance of premieres of the music written and developed during the session, sung by Choral Chameleon and recorded live
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President’s Note The 2014–2015 Season was an extraordinary one that stretched the organization both artistically and administratively. I accepted Vince Peterson’s invitation to join the Board and consider the Presidency at the beginning of this season, after just one year of singing with Chameleonic—having witnessed Choral Chameleon’s tremendous Taste concert and their expert level of musicianship when working interactively with students at our Summer Institute. It was very clear to me that our organization was pushing the envelope and nurturing the art form of choral music in a truly hands-on and unique way. But as a professional marketer, I felt that the organization also needed to expand and stretch our audience: by exploring a more diverse set of venues and conducting a more concerted online outreach effort through the creation of compelling digital content. Thus, with an aligned vision and a very brave Board of fellow singers, kept in line by Treasurer Michael Squitieri, we pushed ourselves to produce and fund 2 ambitious site-specific events and to invest in highquality videography and social media activity throughout the season. In anticipation of welcoming an expanded audience base, our Secretary Alex Canovas sought out and implemented new back-end software called Artful.ly that will allow us to improve ticketing and donor communications. We completed an audit of our inherited records to date and are excited to see and appreciate the names of so many people who have attended concerts and supported the organization over time. I thank Cara Caponi for agreeing to represent our volunteer chorus’ best interests on the Board in the newly created role of Chameleonic President. Chameleonic had a banner year, going far beyond the twoconcerts-per-season calendar, participating in seven highly varied performing opportunities, including acting and dancing in one production and improvising for a packed audience in an off-Broadway theater in another!
The Institute continues to be one of the most consistently strong aspects of our organization, nurturing some exceptional conducting and composition talent. We are highly encouraged to see a number of students returning for a second, or even third, time. True to Choral Chameleon’s mission, we saw another strong commissioning year with some truly memorable works premiered by both choruses. At Season’s end, representing us in Boston at the Chorus America annual conference, I gained great perspective as to how much this organization has been able to do with our incredibly lean infrastructure, joyful curiosity, and can-do attitude—all made possible with the support of a really terrific community of fellow musicians, composers, collaborators, family, and friends.
Nicole Belmont, Board President 4
February saw Chameleonic singing in multiple performances of The Events, a new hit play presented at The New York Theatre Workshop, which the New York Times called “sharp and eloquent,” depicting the mass shooting in Norway in 2011. I was glad to see us doing more social justice work through choral singing, which for me is such an important part of this organization.
Artistic Director’s Note Season Seven was such an exciting and multifaceted year for Choral Chameleon! I am so deeply grateful for the opportunities that were given to us, as well as the profound artistic growth we experienced together. Here are some of the artistic highlights: Choral Chameleon began the year with the first of a two-concert series we call Storytime, exploring various narrative works for chorus. Highlights of this concert included the premiere of Liz Hanna’s charming two-part work: “The Story of Jumping Mouse,” adapted from a traditional American Indian fable, which left the audience on the edges of their seats in a unique musical cliff-hanger. Choral Chameleon also performed a wonderful and fiery Spanish court ensalada of Mateo Flecha el Viejo, “El Fuego,” as well as Irving Fine’s “Alice in Wonderland – Set 1.” Chameleonic gave a contemplative and meaningful free public outreach performance of a new program called Earthsong that featured speaker and board member Keith Edwards sharing some of the facts and realities about climate change in tandem with the music of Imogen Heap, Harry Belafonte, Frank Tichelli, and J. Aaron McDermid, among others. In December, for the first time since the inception of Chameleonic, both of our stellar ensembles came together for Mysterium, which explored five different settings of the profound “O magnum mysterium” text from across five centuries. It was particularly gratifying and moving for me to have the whole Chameleon family together in one place making music, and a reminder of why we starting this organization to begin with. Mutual love and learning abounded!
March marked the first time we gave a full-scale choral orchestral performance, Roxanna Panufnik’s Dance of Life: Tallinn Mass, which brought us all together in a way that I didn’t expect and taught us valuable things about life, music, collaboration, and organizational values. The message of the piece that we all have a choice and a hand in our own lives and what becomes of them couldn’t have come at a better time for Choral Chameleon. I’m particularly grateful to Empire City Men’s Chorus as well as the orchestra from St. Paul’s Carroll Street who realized Roxanna’s creation with such color and curiosity, so as to transport the audience and the cast to Tallinn and to stop time so we could experience the profundity of this piece in a neutral and peaceful realm. The performance resulted in an invitation for a future performance of our version of this piece in a renowned music festival in Poland! May brought the second installment of Storytime at the whimsical ACME Studio in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. This performance also integrated the brilliant work of director, writer, and puppet builder Liz Ostler to create an immersive multimedia experience. It also gave the premiere of Rob Mosher’s “Adventures of Cow,” based on a children’s book of the same name by Marshall Taylor and Lori Korchek. The audience mooed and bayed right along with us, which was both fun and hilarious—two words you don’t often hear in descriptions of choral concerts. June’s Summer Institute was better than ever, with returning faculty and students as well as many new faces. I always say it’s my favorite eight days of the year, and this year was no exception. Student works included Brian Rosen’s enigmatic “Google Variations – This Heart,” a heartwarming sympathy between his life as a composer and in the tech world of Silicon Valley, and many more innovative new styles and ideas representing a whole new generation of composers of choral music. What a great reason to get out of bed in the morning!
Vince Peterson, Founding Artistic Director 5
2014-2015 Season. Our Mission in Action. A truly boundary-pushing year for both choirs: incorporating theatre, site-specific production, outreach, festivals, and a national award!
SEPTEMBER – CHORAL CHAMELEON - STORYTIME PART ONE The pros kicked off the season at St. Paul’s Carroll Street with two performances in the first part of a series of mostly secular works from across the ages with strong storytelling narratives. Part one of Liz Hanna’s “The Story of the Jumping Mouse” was premiered, containing a cliffhanger for part two. Milk and cookies were served.
OCTOBER – CHAMELEONIC – EARTHSONG Two free concerts were performed at St. Paul’s Carroll Street with music built around the theme of Climate Change. The concert was interspersed with a presentation by the Climate Reality organization. Ayumi Okada’s arrangement of Imogen Heap’s “Earth” was premiered.
OCTOBER – CHORAL CHAMELEON – MYTHOS LIVE Members of the ensemble performed at this unique event at the 92nd St. Y, as part of New York Comic Con’s inaugural Super Week. The concert featured music from video games and film, including works by Austin Wintory.
DECEMBER – CHORAL CHAMELEON and CHAMELEONIC – MYSTERIUM Both choirs were featured at St. Paul’s Carroll Street and St. Luke in the Fields in Manhattan. The program was built around 5 versions of “O Magnum Mysterium” and saw premieres by Kenji Oh and Evan Crawford. Vince Peterson co-conducted with Julie Waters and Evan Crawford.
FEBRUARY – CHAMELEONIC – THE EVENTS New York Theatre Workshop presented this NY Times Critics’ Pick hit play, which featured a live choir on stage every night with the two lead actors. Chameleonic participated during preview week and closing night. Our singers were more than open to the physical improvisation that was required of them.
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MARCH – CHORAL CHAMELEON and CHAMELEONIC – DANCE OF LIFE Our choirs joined forces with Empire City Men’s Chorus and The Choir and Orchestra of St. Paul’s Carroll Street at The DiMenna Center for Classical Music in Manhattan to present a staged version and the U.S. Premiere of Roxanna Panufnik’s Mass/Oratorio Dance of Life: Tallinn Mass, our largest site-specific project to date.
APRIL and MAY – CHAMELEONIC – EARTHSONG The outreach program was able to reach more ears, and other Boroughs in the city, via a reprise of the program at the Sunnyside Episcopal Church in Queens, and with an appearance with the children of the Lycée Français de New York in Manhattan.
MAY – CHORAL CHAMELEON – STORYTIME PART TWO Choral music came to Williamsburg, Brooklyn, for more site-specific work: this time with visuals and puppetry, staged in a photo studio. Premiere highlights were part two of Liz Hanna’s “Jumping Mouse” and a hilarious piece called “The Adventures of Cow” by Rob Mosher. Brooklyn Brewery’s donation was well received!
JUNE – CHAMELEONIC – CHORALFEST USA To finish their season, Chameleonic was invited to be one of the participating choirs at the first-ever ChoralFest USA, held at Symphony Space in Manhattan. It was an all-day marathon showcase of NY-area choirs and all-American choral music.
JUNE – CHORUS AMERICA Vince Peterson accepted Choral Chameleon’s Chorus America/ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming at the conference in Boston, accompanied by Board President Nicole Belmont, who also attended the Chorus Management Institute.
JUNE – CHORAL CHAMELEON – SUMMER INSTITUTE Finishing off the year in the way we like best, giving voice to brand-new music and showcasing emerging conductors, Choral Chameleon performed a free concert at St. Paul’s Carroll Street, which we live-streamed online via the Periscope app.
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Education: Summer Institute There is not a more gratifying close to a Choral Chameleon season than our Summer Institute for Composers and Conductors. The Institute is an emblem of everything the organization stands for: brand new works, diverse performance genres, visible learning and growth of our artists, and joyful curiosity within the processes of learning and performing. The culminating concert continues to be one of the most exciting new music discovery experiences in New York City. FACULTY AND CURRICULUM HIGHLIGHTS Now in its fifth year, we welcomed back to the faculty the co-founder of the Institute, Steve Smith, who led the full group of students in morning dictation classes and coached composition students in individual and group lessons throughout the week.
Matt Oltman, conductor emeritus of Chanticleer, continued to lead Choral Chameleon in the reading and rehearsals of our composers’ brand new works and provided feedback for conductors in rehearsal and group lessons Vance George, conductor emeritus of the San Francisco Symphony Chorus, worked with our conducting students one-on-one and in full group settings. Vance also taught a conducting masterclass for the full group of students, incorporating the history of American Choral Music Gates Thomas, Associate Professor in Contemporary Writing and Production at the Berklee College of Music, presented an enlightening masterclass on combining composition with interests that lie outside of music. As illustration, he brought us a work-in-progress, a new cantata on the written correspondence of George Washington as an illustration of how he has brought his history degree to bear in his work Voces Nordicae, a dazzling Stockholm-based professional ensemble under the direction of Lone Larson, gave a private performance and masterclass to our students. Voces Nordicae specialize in large group improvisation, taking physical and verbal cues from the audience to create dynamic new works on the spot
COMPOSITIONS Students wrote at an extremely high caliber this year. All seven of our composition students this year made strides as artists and had a truly fine piece of work to be proud of at the end of the week. Some highlights:
Brian Rosen, a Pixar animator and returning student, continued his Google Variations: a method of creating a new text by taking a public domain poem, running it through Google Translate in multiple languages, and then returning to English Yuhan Su, a jazz mallet percussionist, wrote a stunningly beautiful and atmospheric piece for choir and vibraphone with improvisation Rob Mosher, composer of Storytime Part Two’s “Adventures of Cow,” reimagined the alphabet as a means for birthing the universe in a unique composition titled “Next”
CONDUCTORS Following his performance, returning student Jacob Stensberg was invited to join the Choral Chameleon organization as Chameleonic’s first ever Assistant Conductor
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Performance Highlight: U.S. Premiere of Dance of Life: Tallinn Mass
by Roxanna Panufnik — The DiMenna Center for Classical Music, March 2015
Choral Chameleon brought this incredible piece to life for the first English-language live performances since its original commission by the Tallinn Philharmonic in 2011 and subsequent translation for a recording on Warner Classics/Naxos. To date, Dance of Life is one of the major achievements for this pre-eminent living composer from the UK, and we felt a palpable sense of excitement to have this work as our first project working with a composer from outside of the US. Our production combined the women of the Choral Chameleon ensemble with Chameleonic, Empire City Men’s Chorus, and The Choir and Orchestra of St. Paul’s Carroll Street (all of whom are currently directed by Vince Peterson). Heather Michele Myer played the lead Soprano soloist role of Elu, Spirit of Life. Vince Peterson’s vision was to take the piece—which combines mass movement chorales and solo soprano with monologues of different characters spoken by a single narrator—and present these stories theatrically with actors and dancers to really connect the audience with the characters’ humanity. The music was challenging for all singers, stretching their musicianship within a tight 6-week rehearsal window. Roxanna Panufnik and Stage Director Natalie Greene came to spend a week with us early on in the process to cast the actors and dancers from within the ranks of both The Empire City Men’s Chorus and Chameleonic, plus a couple of professional actors. These performers rehearsed extensively during weekends in addition to music rehearsals. Dance rehearsals required investment in choreographers, a stage manager, and studio space rental, which allowed us to create the dramatic aspects of the stories and give the cast enough space to move in rehearsal, as the performances would take place in a larger venue. The venue itself, and scale of infrastructural logistics and marketing required, represented a significant change from what we had been used to at our modest church venues. The learning curve was steep, but it has prepared us for producing complex performing concepts with more ease and providing a better quality box office and front of house experience for audiences. “Now I don’t think I will ever want to see it done in a concert way ever again!”—Roxanna Panufnik
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Highlight: Our Interdisciplinary Collaborators Elizabeth Ostler
Stage Director and Puppet Designer Liz collaborated with us for the second time (Tamar of the River in 2013) for our Storytime Part Two concert held in Acme Photo Studio in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, in May. The blank backdrop of the studio provided the canvas for Liz and her team’s imagination to enhance the presentation of each song via the drama of hand-made shadow puppetry, projected image VJ-ing, lighting effects, and in one case, contorting singers’ bodies to form the shapes of curious animals behind a screen—truly delighting the audience.
Natalie Greene
Stage Director and Choreographer We called upon our friend Natalie Greene, based in San Francisco, to bring Roxanna Panufnik’s Dance of Life to life. We were inspired by her choreographic projects with diverse groups of people who aren’t professional dancers, as well as the work she does as a member of the innovative devised theater ensemble Mugwumpin, where she collaborates on the creation of site-specific, immersive theater. You can watch Natalie talk about her approach to Dance of Life on our YouTube Channel!
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Recognition: Award for Adventurous Programming The Chorus America/ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming recognizes member choruses that demonstrate a commitment to fostering and promoting new music. The panel considers the number of works performed that have been written in the last 25 years and the variety and creativity of new music performed during the most recently completed season, giving special attention to commissioned works and to world, North American, and regional premieres. Winners are selected by an anonymous panel of choral composers appointed by Chorus America and are newly chosen each year. Choral Chameleon was honored with this award at the 2015 Chorus America conference. Artistic Director Vince Peterson and Board President Nicole Belmont traveled to Boston to attend the conference and gratefully accepted the award in a gathering of hundreds of great choral musicians and administrators, including several important artists who we admire and emulate in our work. Of particular note was the presence of Vince’s conducting teacher, Mark Shapiro, a four-time winner of this award and also-winner of another ASCAP sponsored award this season for his monumental work with the Cecilia Chorus of New York. Choral Chameleon will perform a joint celebratory performance with this chorus in the spring of 2016 by invitation of Maestro Shapiro. Other winners of the award this year were The San Francisco Choral Artists, under the direction of Magen Solomon, and the Portland Symphonic Girlchoir, under the co-direction of Roberta Jackson and Debra Burgess.Choral Chameleon was honored for having presented a sixth season full of innovative new work, but in particular, our concert Taste, which combined the culinary arts with choral music and invited audiences to experience harmony and vocal sounds in tandem with flavor profiles co-designed by Vince Peterson and rising celebrity chef Lish Steiling (The TODAY Show, Giada DiLaurentiis Culinary Director). Winning this award means a great deal for the organization. It puts us in the national spotlight by publicly and widely celebrating the musical virtue of our work. Says Vince Peterson: “This award belongs as much or more to the dedicated and brave singers of Choral Chameleon as it does to me. Without their fearlessness and drive, we would never be able to accomplish all that we do to help change choral music from every perspective. I am forever grateful to them, and particularly to our founding members who have been in this with me since day one. I’m filled with joy and gratitude as well as a sense of pride for the whole Choral Chameleon family. Here’s to many more!”
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Treasurer’s Report
Institutional Donors Empire City Men's Chorus Lycée Français de New York Union Street Builders Association Inc. Ferguson and Shamamian Architects Barclays (individual corporate match) In-Kind Non-Profit Support Programs Brooklyn Brewery Google Slack
In-Kind Donation of Professional Graphic Design Services Kelly Baxter Golding Ariel Estrada
We gratefully acknowledge the generosity and support of everyone who donated money and time to us this year.
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Patrons July 2014 to June 2015 $1000+ Nicole Belmont Robyn and Vince Caponi Alan Ahles David Delauro Ralph Crispino, Jr. Jackie Perez Tracy Shupp Michael Squitieri Erik Mouthaan $500 to $999 Alex Canovas Zara Ruelle Jessica Wong Roxanna Panufnik Anonymous Vince Peterson $200 to $499 John Prince Lisa Neigut Cathy Solomon Prabhat Soni Traci Turnout Cara Caponi Bebe and Peter Landis Michelle Coladonato Richard Carson Winnie Lee Nathalie Blachere $100 to $199 Lynn Peterson Jacquelin Belany Stephanie Tuck Richard Tuck Diana Russo Rita and Angelo Coladonato Kristen and Ryan Darmody Richard D'Egidio Abner Greene Janet Griffin-Canovas Joan Kedziora James and Jane Kostelc Kate Kostelc Donna Lee Lancy Low Robert Low
$100-$199 (Cont’d) Carmen and Mark Lynes Pat Newkirk Gina and Gary Parnaby Alan and Helen Reiffe Pat and Sal Russo Beccafico family Tyler Wayne Smith Mary Speers Fran and Larry Squitieri Stephanie Teitelbaum Monika Torrey Donald and Nanci Tuck Joanne Tuck John Olsen Up to $99 Nancy and James Fernandez Kathy and Ron Zaffrann Boreta Singleton Maryann Russo Sue Feingold Scott Brown Tiffany Anne Chiang Luba and Jeff Kravchenko Matthew Albert George and Mary Allin Micha and Faye Brym Carol Burley Lynn Casey Chad Jones Hal Juul Fabienne and Damien Lamoril Pam and Rocky Levkulbich Christine Michal Julie and Ronny Mintz Clay Morris Frank and Enza Pesce Paul and Krissy Pesce Lauren Sommer David and Michele Whiteman David Wiggins Kathryn Squitieri Carrie Radna Kris Vasquez Cynthia DeLauro Zach and Ciara Rubin Kelly Baxter Golding Jocelyn Bonadio
Up to $99 (Cont’d) Elizabeth Bradley Vance George Liz Hanna Aricka Martinez Kenji Oh Ayumi Okada Matt Oltman Jake Stensberg Samuel Taylor Jeffrey Thyer Angela Travino Amy Waschenfelder George Weisman Glenn and Eve Williams Katie Zaffrann Margie Borges Skye Schell Alexander Clare Brandon and Tiffany Anderson Joan Bredthauer Jen and Michael Campanaro Susan Due Debbie and Art Friedson Sarah and Mike Hattrup Gus Kallinikos Jenny Lin Michael Morton Geri Travins Nell Archer Nancy Collazo Jeremy Davidson Amy Dyer Gabrielle Gianelli Betty LoForese John Maclay Brian Mummert April Neal Hilary Parker Rocco Seccafico Margaret Hagen Samuel Kessler Beth Allin Kannan Vasudevan Marlene Donnelly
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2014-2015 Board of Directors Nicole Belmont Vince Peterson Michael Squitieri Alex Canovas Cara Caponi Alan Ahles Zara Ruelle Tracy Shupp Traci Tournoux
President Founder and Artistic Director Treasurer Secretary President, Chameleonic Member Member Member Member
Paid Administrative Staff Michelle Coladonato
Chorus Manager
Artistic Advisory Board Vance George Matthew Oltman Bruce MacIntyre Emily Keeler Stephen Goldstine David Conte Conrad Susa
Symphony Chorus Director Emeritus, San Francisco Symphony Music Director Emeritus, Chanticleer Musicologist; Director, Brooklyn College Conservatory of Music Artistic Director, San Francisco Arts Education Project Photographer; Consultant Composer; San Francisco Conservatory of Music Composer; San Francisco Conservatory of Music (In Memoriam)
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@choralchameleon @chameleonicnyc
@choralchameleon @chameleonicnyc
Choral Chameleon, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) organization. Registered Address: 199 Carroll Street Brooklyn, NY 11231 Info@choralchameleon.com
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