Chamber Music Pittsburgh – JUST SUMMER Concert – Roomful of Teeth

Hope Academy families are invited to a JUST SUMMER concert featuring Grammy-award-winning vocal ensemble Roomful of Teeth, who perform a program of globally diverse music that explores the expressive potential of the human voice. Tickets have been generously donated to us by our partner, Chamber Music Pittsburgh. This performance is recommended for students whose attention span and behavior is equivalent to an 8 year old.

Please read about the performance, so that you know what to expect; and the etiquette guidelines, so that you understand the expectations; then  RSVP here.

Roomful of Teeth is a GRAMMY-winning vocal project dedicated to mining the expressive potential of the human voice. Through study with masters from singing traditions the world over, the eight-voice ensemble continually expands its vocabulary of singing techniques and, through an ongoing commissioning process, forges a new repertoire without borders.  

Founded in 2009 by Brad Wells, the group gathers annually at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA) in North Adams, Massachusetts, where they’ve studied Tuvan throat singing, yodeling, belting, Inuit throat singing, Korean P’ansori, Georgian singing, Sardinian cantu a tenore, Hindustani music and Persian classical singing with some of the world’s top performers and teachers. Commissioned composers include Rinde Eckert, Judd Greenstein, Caleb Burhans, Merrill Garbus (of tUnE-yArDs), William Brittelle, Anna Clyne, Fred Hersch, Wally Gunn, Sarah Kirkland Snider, Missy Mazzoli, Michael Harrison, Sam Amidon, and Ted Hearne.

Projects in 2015-2016 included The Colorado, a music-driven documentary film that explores water, land and survival in the Colorado River Basin (featuring former Kronos Quartet cellist Jeffrey Zeigler and Wilco’s Glenn Kotche); collaborations with NOW Ensemble, Kanye West and the American Contemporary Music Ensemble (ACME); performances with the Seattle Symphony featuring Luciano Berio’s Sinfonia, appearances at new music festivals in the US, Mexico and Canada; and partnerships with over a dozen higher education institutions across the country.

Here is a video of Roomful of Teeth to give you an idea about what to expect.

How to be a good audience member

It is important that audience members remain quiet during the performance. Since music is mostly a listening activity, any extra sounds that are not part of the music can get in the way and will distract and disturb the musicians and other audience members.

Before the Concert

• JUST SUMMER performances at the Kelly Strayhorn Theater are more casual and relaxed than concerts we’ve been attending at Carnegie Music Hall, so there isn’t a dress code. Just don’t wear anything that will be distracting (light up shoes, clanging jewelry, etc)
• Arrive no later than 7:00 pm to get your tickets. There is a mixer that starts at 6:30 pm, with snacks from The Livermore, so you are welcome to come early if you would like.

Before You Take Your Seat

• Take care of all rest room needs.
• Leave all food, drink, and gum outside, in the lobby.
• Leave all cameras and recording devices outside, as well. There are strict copyright guidelines about recording concerts.
• Turn off all cell phones, pagers, ipads, watch sounds, alarms, or anything that might make a noise. The only sounds that should be heard are the ones that appear in the musical score (and the audience reaction after the music).

Once You Take Your Seat

• A parent or guardian must sit next to each child.
• Remain seated and quiet while the musicians are playing. Do not get up during the concert or change seats.
• No talking, whispering, sighing, tapping or kicking feet, or rattling of programs or papers.
• Be sure to sit without fidgeting so you don’t distract your neighbors or the performers on stage.