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| Vermont Philharmonic Choir | |
|---|---|
| Name | Vermont Philharmonic Choir |
| Origin | Burlington, Vermont |
| Founded | 1970s |
| Genre | Choral music |
| Members | Volunteer singers |
| Years active | 1970s–present |
Vermont Philharmonic Choir is a community-based choral ensemble active in Burlington, Vermont. The choir performs large-scale choral-orchestral works, seasonal programs, and contemporary commissions, engaging audiences in the New England region. It draws singers from the University of Vermont, Middlebury College, and area conservatories and collaborates with orchestras, conductors, and guest soloists from across the United States and Canada.
The ensemble traces roots to the cultural milieu that produced ensembles like the Boston Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, and San Francisco Symphony during the 20th century. Its formative years paralleled civic ensembles such as the Boston Pops Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, National Symphony Orchestra (United States), and regional groups including the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, Portland Symphony Orchestra (Maine), Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, and Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. The choir’s timeline intersects with festival traditions exemplified by the Tanglewood Music Festival, Aspen Music Festival and School, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Spoleto Festival USA, and the Marlboro Music Festival. Early programming reflected influences from canonical works performed by the Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera House, La Scala, and revolutionary choral traditions of the Monteverdi Choir and King's College, Cambridge Choir. Over decades the choir adapted repertory trends evident in recordings issued by Deutsche Grammophon, EMI Classics, Sony Classical, Naxos, and Hyperion Records.
Governance follows models used by ensembles like the Chicago Symphony Chorus, Los Angeles Master Chorale, St. Olaf Choir, Choir of Trinity College, Cambridge, and Monteverdi Choir. Artistic direction has involved collaborations with conductors trained at institutions such as the Juilliard School, Curtis Institute of Music, New England Conservatory, Peabody Institute, and Royal Conservatory of Music (Toronto). Administrative structure mirrors nonprofit practices found at the Carnegie Hall administrative offices, the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and regional arts councils like the Vermont Arts Council. Board members often include alumni of Harvard University, Yale University, Princeton University, Columbia University, and Brown University as well as professionals associated with University of Vermont, Middlebury College, Burlington School District, and local cultural institutions.
Repertoire spans from early music staples by Claudio Monteverdi, Johann Sebastian Bach, George Frideric Handel, and Henry Purcell to Romantic masterworks by Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz Schubert, Felix Mendelssohn, Johannes Brahms, and Gustav Mahler. The choir programs major choral-orchestral works such as Gabriel Fauré's Requiem, Giuseppe Verdi's Requiem, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Requiem, Johannes Brahms' A German Requiem, Carl Orff's Carmina Burana, Igor Stravinsky's Symphony of Psalms, and Sergei Rachmaninoff's The Bells. Seasonal concerts draw on traditions popularized by ensembles like the Baylor University] choral programs], featuring arrangements by John Rutter, Benjamin Britten, Eric Whitacre, Morten Lauridsen, and Arvo Pärt. Performance venues include sanctuaries and halls akin to Cathedral of St. Paul (Saint Paul, Minnesota), St. Thomas Church (New York City), Eisemann Center, and college venues similar to Ira Allen Chapel and regional auditoria.
The choir has partnered with orchestras and ensembles in the manner of collaborations between the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and the Atlanta Symphony Chorus, or the Cleveland Orchestra and the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus. Guest soloists and conductors have backgrounds connected to the Metropolitan Opera, New York City Opera, Glyndebourne Festival Opera, and conservatory faculties from the Royal College of Music, Royal Academy of Music, Eastman School of Music, and Berklee College of Music. Commissioned works follow a lineage of premieres by community choirs commissioning composers like Dominick Argento, Paul Hindemith, Samuel Barber, Ned Rorem, and contemporary composers such as Jake Heggie, Jennifer Higdon, William Bolcom, John Adams, Caroline Shaw, David Lang, Missy Mazzoli, and Tania León. Collaborations also extend to festivals and presenters like the Tanglewood Music Center, Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, and Bard Music Festival.
Education programs reflect practices of outreach used by the New York Philharmonic's education division, Los Angeles Philharmonic's Youth Orchestra Los Angeles, and university-affiliated choirs at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance. Initiatives include workshops inspired by the El Sistema model, masterclasses with faculty from the Royal College of Music, Juilliard School, and Royal Conservatory of Music (Toronto), and partnerships with local school districts, libraries like the Burlington Public Library, and community centers modeled after YMCA programs. Youth choruses and scholarship efforts echo structures at the Children's Chorus of Washington, Young People’s Chorus of New York City, and Chicago Children's Choir.
Discography practices align with regional ensembles issuing live and studio recordings on labels similar to Naxos, Deutsche Grammophon, Albany Records, Bridge Records, and New World Records. Media appearances have included broadcasts modeled on those of the Metropolitan Opera Radio, WFMT, BBC Radio 3, NPR, and streaming partnerships comparable to Medici.tv and YouTube Music. Archives and program notes draw on library resources like the Library of Congress, Vermont Historical Society, and university special collections at University of Vermont Libraries.
Category:Choral groups from Vermont