*After 6 years I have resigned my post at Ensemble Bellechose, an ensemble I founded and absolutely loved. I’m very happy to report that they will move on with my friend and colleague Douglas Kirk. I couldn’t be more pleased, they are a lovely ensemble that has grown so much. Below are some remembrances of our wonderful times together.
Ensemble Bellechose is an auditioned choir dedicated to music before 1750. We rehearse about 10 times before each concert, sometimes even less, and have made the commitment to each other and the music to sightread as little as possible. We take pride on being very well prepared for our rehearsals and being able to sing our parts alone when called upon. The benefit of this approach, aside from musical accuracy, is musical exploration and building trust within the ensemble. When we give a concert we are intimately aware of our musical material.
We rehearse on Sundays in the afternoon at St. Matthias Church, and we perform three concerts a year.
These musical samples were made a few years ago when Ensemble Bellechose and St. Matthias joined forced to perform Eleanor Daley’s Requiem.
John Wiens, Conductor 