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"The Birds Take Flight!"

Nightingale began as the brainchild of five intrepid musicians: Kelvyn Koning, Fran Daniel Laucerica, Jennifer Muñoz, Laura Nevitt, and Benjamin Perry. We met as Master’s students in the Conductor’s Choir at The Boston Conservatory at Berklee and found that we shared similar passions for taking choral music in a new direction. We held a meeting on Monday, December 11, 2018 at 3:15pm at Woody’s Grill and Tap to discuss the formation of a vocal ensemble that would perform a variety of music, particularly our own compositions. We explored how we wanted to be different from other vocal and choral groups, as well as what we could contribute to the musical world with our voices. Unique programming, original compositions, and tight harmonies were the name of our game. In May 2019 we performed our premiere concert, An Exploration of the Senses, which included music, poetry, and sensory elements such as grapes and essential oils. 

By our next concert in December 2019, Sacred: A Life’s Journey, we grew to an octet, adding Peter Fletcher, John Haukoos, and Alissa Voth to the nest. We branched out into collaborations, first recording established composer Andrew Maxfield’s vocal compositions for SALT Contemporary Dance, then joining the Cøda Ensemble for their concert, The Invisible and Eternal, culminating with the performance of Arvo Pärt’s Stabat Mater. In January 2020, while Fran and Jennifer moved on to other pursuits, we expanded further to thirteen members, adding Mason Bynes, Katheryn Currie, Nicholas Ford, Josephine Kraemer, Jeannette Lee, Daniel Esteban Lugo, and John Moorman. By March 2020 we were well into rehearsing music for two spring concerts, one on the concept of Space and the other comprised of music by Andrew Maxfield. Our work on these concerts was halted by the Covid-19 pandemic. Although these concerts were cancelled, we continued meeting virtually to remain connected as an ensemble. 

During the summer of 2020 we began laying the foundation for our organization and planning our 2020-2021 concert season for the virtual world. Going forward, we are excited to see how we will continue to evolve as we explore virtual performances, become a professional ensemble, and push the boundaries of the concert experience.

~Written August 2020 by Founding members,
Kelvyn Koning, Laura Nevitt, and Benjamin Perry

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Directors' Note - July 2021
from Co-Artistic Directors Benjamin Perry and Laura Nevitt

During our last season, we were proud to present five different virtual concert programs: Stardust: Songs of the Cosmos, Reflections, The Divine in Nature (premiered at the International Ketevan Sacred Music Festival), trUSt (A collaboration with composer Andrew Maxfield), and ending our season with Madrigales Reimagined: A New Love Story. We are so thankful to our members and our patrons that worked so hard to make these concerts possible - and to spread our music not just to Boston, but around the world. As the next concert season approaches, we are eager to begin making music again in person. We are performing four concert programs for this season, performed live in the Boston area, exploring unique themes of dreams, mythology, the ocean, and haunted stories. Stay tuned for more details about our exciting upcoming season!