As a choral singer-for-hire in NYC, one of my great joys is the wide range of styles and genres I have the opportunity to sing from day to day. From Gregorian chant or Renaissance polyphony one day, to folk-rock or jazz the next. My voice and my spirit thrive on variety, and I feel most at home when I’m able to lean into my versatility. But as a solo artist, that very desire for musical diversity has often left me struggling to decide where to focus my energies — on more classical repertoire, jazz, American roots music, or songwriting — when it comes to creating a specific project.

When I proposed an idea for my October 6th recital at St. Bartholomew's Church (where I sing in the professional choir on Sundays), I decided not to choose between my varied musical interests, and instead conceived an eclectic program that embraces many facets of my musical personality.

Underpinning this program is the idea of the voice as an instrument at home within the lush accompaniment of bowed strings throughout the centuries, regardless of genre.

Joined by Parthenia Viol Consort, I will inhabit the multilayered sound world of the Renaissance, with songs for voice and viols by Byrd, Gibbons, and other masters.

This exploration jumps forward some 400 years with songs by Kate Bush, Elvis Costello, and Catie Curtis in exquisite arrangements for voice and modern string quartet.

Songs by Joni Mitchell, Randy Newman, and Lucy Kaplansky will feature broad themes of home through the lens of familial or romantic love — home is where the heart is, after all.

The viols and modern strings will ultimately come together to form a unique, timeless ensemble to play songs by Michael Nyman; The Beatles; and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young — with the human voice at the heart of it all — at home.

This ambitious project will carry a price tag reflective of its value. Your contribution will go toward paying incredibly talented working musicians to collaborate and perform this collection of moving music. $500 will cover one of our eight string players, or our pianist, and $750 will help pay my generous singing colleagues to lend their beautiful voices to this program. You'll also help me capture a recording of the live performance, which will provide me with audio clips for my website and social media, or to use for audition materials.

Looking beyond this project, I’m hopeful that the process of preparing and performing this decidedly omnivorous selection of music will help me to determine where I would like to focus my energies on a future recording project.

Whatever you’re able to give (even if it’s just buying a ticket and coming to share in the music in person) will go to support musicians and live music in a time when the value of real, human creativity is imperiled. And you’ll be giving me the truly priceless gift of sharing music I love — in community with other musicians and music lovers — in a space that has become a musical home for me. I’ll be so grateful for your generosity.