"The Birds Take Flight!"
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Nightingale Vocal Ensemble is a Boston-based professional musical organization dedicated to creating and premiering new music, engaging in innovative collaborations, and curating unique concert experiences involving diverse artforms. Nightingale started in 2019 as the brainchild of five intrepid Masters students at The Boston Conservatory at Berklee (pictured above from left to right: Jennifer Muñoz, Laura Nevitt, Kelvyn Koning, Fran Daniel Laucerica, Benjamin Perry). After a successful debut concert (An Exploration of the Senses) featuring almost exclusively new music written by the quintet, the group expanded to an octet, and the next season a group of 12. The pandemic halted live concerts, but that didn't stop the group from creating music. During that time, they created over 2.5 hours of new music in the form of virtual concerts, recorded individually from home and put together asynchronously. In 2021, the group gained 501c3 non-profit status, and the next year professionalized in order to pay singers. Since then the group's roster has expanded to a network of over 50 professional singers and composers. Throughout its existence, Nightingale has always been a place of equitable leadership, representation, social relevance, and professionalism, and members are proud of the camaraderie felt in rehearsal and on stage. This season, the organization has an annual budget of 60,000, and is looking to secure more support in order to engage in more ambitious programming. Nightingale is spreading its wings, evidenced by its feature last June in a long-form piece in The Boston Globe. The 24-25 season is Nightingale's most ambitious yet, and you are more than invited to join us for the programs to come in December, March, and May.

Artistic Director,
Benjamin Perry

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C0-ARTISTIC DIRECTORSHIP FOR 3 YEARS
BENJAMIN PERRY AND LAURA NEVITT​

One aspect that makes Nightingale unique is that, since its inception, the leadership model was shared. From the first concert in early 2019 to the summer of 2022, Laura Nevitt and I shared the responsibility of programming, recruiting, and shaping the musical experiences that Nightingale offers. We led with a 50-50 leadership style, and we balanced each other in many ways (often with one of us being the dreamer and the other the practical one, and vice-versa). In Nightingale's fourth season, Laura Nevitt is no longer an artistic director as she heads up her new treble ensemble: Lilith. We wish her the best and thank her for her invaluable and inspiring leadership over the years. Nightingale could not be what it is without her skillful conducting, thoughtful programming eye, and sheer musical passion. Laura wrote a moving piece entitled "Clean Air and Clean Water", setting the words of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, for our Fall 2022 concert "Winds of Change". Laura was recently commissioned by Nightingale in 2024 for a piece for 12 voices and string quartet, I will show you how the Sun rose, which premiered at ECLIPTIC at the Museum of Science Planetarium on May 1st, 2024.

I am honored to work with an insanely talented team of artists, composers, conductors, and singers, which is why artistic leadership rests on multiple shoulders in the form of Project Lead roles. Each Project Lead takes charge in the curation and production of an individual concert experience. It is this co-creation and collective trust in our members that continue to make Nightingale an innovative voice in Boston's musical world.

Artistic Director, 
Benjamin Perry

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Nightingale is led by Artistic Director, Benjamin Perry (he/him). Ben is a Boston-based choral conductor, educator, tenor, and yoga instructor. He received a Masters degree in Choral Conducting at The Boston Conservatory at Berklee under the tutelage of Dr. George Case and Dr. Nathan Reiff. Ben also holds a Bachelor's degree in Vocal Performance where he studied with Dr. Reed Criddle and Dr. Melissa Heath. Ben has been the Director of Choirs at St. John Lutheran Church in Sudbury, MA since 2019, and he was the Assistant Conductor of The Boston Cecilia from 2018 to 2020. He was the Interim Resident Conductor for the Harvard Glee Club last season, and he is now the Choir Instructor at Cristo Rey Boston High School. Ben was recently selected as a finalist for the 2024 American Prize in Choral Conducting (Community Choir). Ben teaches yoga at the Boston-based studio Down Under School of Yoga.​