Stefan Amidon

Children’s Choir

Stefan Amidon grew up in a world where singing was a part of everyday life, and started performing with his parents, Peter and Mary Alice, and brother, Sam, from an early age. Family trips to grandparents always ended with family style singalongs of You are My Sunshine, camp songs and Christmas carols. He was in the original Brattleboro Children’s Choir, directed by Peter Amidon, and was part of the group of kids who sang Bach’s St. Matthew Passion with the Blanche Moyse Chorale.

Starting at age 11 Stefan went on tour in Europe with the singing group Northern Harmony and attended a memorable singing workshop with Ysaye Barnwell of Sweet Honey and the Rock, who treated the young singer as a peer as much as any of the adults present. Village Harmony singing camps brought more specialized instruction with on-site study of South African and Corsican singing traditions. Stefan and some fellow Northern Harmony alums started the Starry Mountain Singers who went on tour, recorded three albums, gave workshops, and had an artist residency that delved deeper into communal singing practices.

Stefan has always enjoyed making music with children; as a teacher at family camps, as the music teacher for Halifax Elementary and Signal Pine Play School, as a music director for the Wings summer musical, in one-on-one lessons and with his own children at home. He brings to those experiences a strong background in music education, from first with Steve Rice (recently retired music teacher of Brattleboro Union High School), then at Oberlin Conservatory as a jazz performance major.

In leading the Brattleboro Children’s Choir Stefan hopes to carry on a love of singing for all ages, in the strong belief that singing together makes people feel more connected and in tune with each other.