IF I LEFT THE ZOO
A concert statement on running away, only to find yourself right where you have always belonged.
When we turn on the news, it doesn’t matter if we are leaning to the right or to the left. We throw up our hands and dream out loud about moving somewhere else where we can start over again.
But what if the slate were actually wiped clean? What if we could just put all of our foregone national pride behind us and pretend like none of this ever happened? What if we left this zoo? Would we each eventually find Utopia or would we fall into the same never-ending search as the rest of humanity since the beginning of creation?
The Choral Chameleon Ensemble explores the primal instincts in humans and the stories and fables of earth’s creatures and transformations in this epic narrative concert.
At the center, the profound “Prayers from the Ark” of British composer, Ivor R. Davies gives a vulnerable empathetic voice to bird, cat, raven, mouse, and dove – but only after showing us a mirror of ourselves in Noah, ever complaining of his exhaustion from the daily grind of work and the world around him.
Added to the program are the world premiere of Edward Thompson's whimsical new a cappella trilogy, “Aphorisms of the Zookeeper,” Lauren Bydalek's deeply moving “Pieces of My Heart” and musical comments from our friends, John Lennon and Paul McCartney in the form of “Blackbird” and “I Am the Walrus.”
Don’t miss this shape-shifting and life-affirming concert event with one of New York's best award-winning ensembles.
But what if the slate were actually wiped clean? What if we could just put all of our foregone national pride behind us and pretend like none of this ever happened? What if we left this zoo? Would we each eventually find Utopia or would we fall into the same never-ending search as the rest of humanity since the beginning of creation?
The Choral Chameleon Ensemble explores the primal instincts in humans and the stories and fables of earth’s creatures and transformations in this epic narrative concert.
At the center, the profound “Prayers from the Ark” of British composer, Ivor R. Davies gives a vulnerable empathetic voice to bird, cat, raven, mouse, and dove – but only after showing us a mirror of ourselves in Noah, ever complaining of his exhaustion from the daily grind of work and the world around him.
Added to the program are the world premiere of Edward Thompson's whimsical new a cappella trilogy, “Aphorisms of the Zookeeper,” Lauren Bydalek's deeply moving “Pieces of My Heart” and musical comments from our friends, John Lennon and Paul McCartney in the form of “Blackbird” and “I Am the Walrus.”
Don’t miss this shape-shifting and life-affirming concert event with one of New York's best award-winning ensembles.
TOURING SCHEDULE
Saturday, January 18, 2020 | 7:00 PM
St Nicholas Roman Catholic Church I Brooklyn, NY
MAP
Saturday, February 22, 2020 | 7:30 PM
Unitarian Church | Westport, CT
Tickets
MAP
Saturday, March 21, 2020 I 3pm & 7pm
Jesuit Center for Spiritual Growth I Wernersville, PA
Tickets
MAP
Sunday April 26, 2020 I 3pm
Mead Memorial Chapel | Middlebury, VT
Ticket Info To Come
MAP
Additional dates may be added
Saturday, January 18, 2020 | 7:00 PM
St Nicholas Roman Catholic Church I Brooklyn, NY
MAP
Saturday, February 22, 2020 | 7:30 PM
Unitarian Church | Westport, CT
Tickets
MAP
Saturday, March 21, 2020 I 3pm & 7pm
Jesuit Center for Spiritual Growth I Wernersville, PA
Tickets
MAP
Sunday April 26, 2020 I 3pm
Mead Memorial Chapel | Middlebury, VT
Ticket Info To Come
MAP
Additional dates may be added
CONCERT REPERTOIRE
*Please note: program subject to change.
|
What Is Our Life?
Prayers from the Ark Save The Country Adaptation commissioned for this program 2019 Aphorisms of the Zookeeper Commissioned for this program 2019 Pieces of My Heart Premiered by Choral Chameleon 2018 Selections from the Following: I Am The Walrus Blackbird Hallelujah Commissioned by Chanticleer 2015 America the Beautiful |
Orlando Gibbons
Ivor R. Davies Laura Nyro Arr: Billy Childs Adapted by Matt Robbins Edward Thompson Lauren Bydalek John Lennon & Paul McCartney Arr: Jonathan Rathbone John Lennon & Paul McCartney Arr: Arr. Daryl Runswick Leonard Cohen Arr: Vince Peterson Katharine Lee Bates and Samuel Ward Arr: Vince Peterson |