I’m not interested in a platonic ideal of sound. I’m interested in what we sound like.
Every year, the ensembles I conduct have different people in them. Sometimes it’s small changes, sometimes it’s large. But no matter how small, the ensemble sound should reflect it. Change one person in a 16-person group, and the sound should change.
I’m drawn to ensembles that demonstrate that individual sound. Change one member of New York Voices or The Singers Unlimited, The Real Group or Manhattan Transfer, and the sound will change. I hope that the sound of Voces8 and the Swingles changes each time they have a personnel change. I hope that each member feels like they have brought all of their voice to the ensemble.
For scholastic ensembles, the fall is – among other things – about discovering the sound of a specific group of people. It’s a learning, listening, experimental process to find that sound. But once it’s found, the music-making gets better and stays better for the rest of the year.