Choral Chameleon Ensemble: Installation

Choral Chameleon treats our audience to an outside-the-box concert experience! Listeners will move through the Mahaney Arts Center lobbies to hear “I AM,” a world premiere, large scale choral installation written just for Middlebury by Choral Chameleon’s Founder and Artistic Director Vince Peterson. Imagine being guided through choral vignettes around the building, much as you would move through exhibits in a gallery. Featuring singers drawn from the Middlebury student body and the greater community, coordinated by Ronnie Romano ’20, performing alongside the professional ensemble. This special event is free and open to all. Come see and hear what unfolds!  

Choral Chameleon is a dynamic ensemble renowned for their innovative programming and fearless exploration of vocal artistry. Sometimes called “America’s Test Kitchen for choral music,” they fearlessly experiment and champion unexpected and new combinations of music. Back by popular demand after their 2023 choral sound bath and concert performances at Middlebury.

SPECIAL NOTES TO SHARE WITH THOSE ATTENDING THE “I AM” INSTALLATION:

1. “I AM” is free, with no tickets required, starting at 7:30 PM and running until 9:00 PM.
2. We recommend staggering arrivals anytime during the 90-minute window—as traveling through the installation in smaller groups optimizes the experience.
3. Visitors are encouraged to experience the work at their own pace, and we recommend allowing 20-30 minutes to walk through the full installation. 
4. Audience members should enter the installation via the MAC’s parking lot entrance.

“A spirited and soulful sounding ensemble”— Westport Journal 

More from Vince Peterson: 

This is an exclusive first look at select treatments from my forthcoming large-scale choral work “I AM,” based on a libretto by the multi-disciplinary artist Ryan Bauer-Walsh. During this choral “installation,” listeners will be invited to move through a mapped pathway in the beautiful atrium of the Mahaney Arts Center and even participate briefly in the music making of a spacial and responsive texture. 

The work celebrates the individuality and autonomy of human beings mixed with the phenomena of physics and the depth of the soul in a watercolor-like tapestry of voices from both Choral Chameleon and the Middlebury Community. This freeform portion of the larger composition will eventually become part of a hybrid work that combines this kind of singing with more structured, orchestrated sections and movements. 

Be with us as we uncover what this work asks us to be and lend your name and your steps on its initial path. 

Program:

I AM 

A choral installation by Vince Peterson, with libretto by Ryan Bauer-Walsh. 

Free. No tickets required. 

Approximate running time: The installation will run for 90 minutes, but patrons may move through it at their own pace. 

Sponsored by the Performing Arts Series, the Paul Nelson Performance Endowment, and the Rothrock Family Residency Fund. 

Learn more about the artists: https://choralchameleon.com/home 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/choralchameleon 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/choralchameleon 
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdUUNAw1ti61uOYb_E2ooFg 
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/73f6KBnuTfWl9Is4ocuQY8 

Watch a video: https://youtu.be/61y1Nt_PIj8?si=hJ14a0-OQ3WXcymn 

Performance subject to change.