Performance Groups
Over the years, the Brattleboro Music Center’s performance groups have offered so many memorable musical moments. Audiences have come to expect concerts and performances that move and inspire them.
The Blanche Moyse Chorale was founded in 1978 by Blanche Moyse as a chamber choir which focused primarily on the Church Cantatas and other choral works of J.S. Bach, and was showcased in the annual New England Bach Festival, as well as in other concert settings. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Mary Westbrook-Geha, the Chorale has expanded on its beloved Bach background, now exploring an ever-widening range of repertoire with a fresh commitment to the highest level of choral excellence, precision and beauty of tone.
The Brattleboro Concert Choir performs an exciting and challenging repertoire, ranging from classic choral masterpieces to rarely heard or newly commissioned works. Its far-ranging and adventurous programming involves innovative collaborations and presentations, and presents dynamic concerts to packed audiences twice yearly.
In residence for the 2020-21 season, the Juno Orchestra is Vermont’s newest professional chamber orchestra, engaging musicians from the tri-state area surrounding Brattleboro, a small, startlingly vibrant arts community. The convergence of a number of felicitous events (secure funding, new performance venue, and planning time) created a particular moment for the Juno Orchestra Project to flourish. The Orchestra is pleased indeed to find a home at the BMC this year.
The Brattleboro Music Center has launched the EOS (Educate. Open. Strengthen.) Concert Series, as a direct response to questions about social justice as it pertains to the world of classical music and institutions such as the BMC. The ongoing concert series is envisioned as a collaborative effort of BMC Music School faculty and other local musicians to actively seek out and intentionally perform music by composers who are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, as well as composers who identify as anything other than cis male.
The series recognizes that as our country reckons with its history of oppression, we as individuals must work to understand our own implicit bias. In the music world, this bias can be seen in concert halls, both on stage and in the music performed. Composers of color, as well as composers who are not cis male, have historically been excluded from the musical canon.
The Brattleboro Camerata is a new vocal ensemble, a chamber choir consisting of 12 to 16 singers, specializing in both Renaissance-era and Renaissance-inspired music.
In collaboration with Music Director Jonathan Harvey, the Brattleboro Camerata will explore both beloved classics and under-performed gems through innovative and energetic programming and performance.
The Camerata’s fall/winter repertoire will include seasonal works by Josquin, Palestrina, Morales, Lusitano, and more.
Season Guest Concerts offer a wonderful variety of artists and performance groups. Our BMC community members should check this site regularly for news about features Season Guests concerts, and make plans to join us for what is sure to be a wonderful, magical, musical mix of talent.
The Brattleboro Music Center relies on volunteers in the community who give generously of their time. We are pleased to honor the following for their help in recent months: