Singer

Caramoor is thrilled to welcome back the Grammy-winning male vocal ensemble Chanticleer, known globally as “an orchestra of voices.”  In Music of a silent world, Chanticleer sings the songs of the natural world and gives a voice to the otherwise voiceless rocks and stones and trees and rivers that share our planet with us. The program centers around a new arrangement of Majel Connery’s The Rivers are our Brothers, and alsoincludes music by Heinrich Isaac, Joni Mitchell, Max Reger,  Stephen Sondheim, Kurt Weill, and Ayanna Woods.

Chanticleer

The Rosen House at Caramoor

Be a part of this world premiere event! Elderflora (meaning “old trees”) is a song cycle telling the life story of a single tree, from birth to death, and is also a metaphor for human life. If trees could talk, these are the tales they would tell. Equally comfortable in punk rock clubs and concert halls, composer Majel Connery was inspired by the Indigenous belief that we must interact with the environment as if it is our kin. Elderflora weaves classical influences with electronic soundscapes, inviting us to become better citizens of nature.

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Elderflora

Benaroya Hall

Immerse yourself in the enchanting world of sound art at the FREE Soundscapes event at Caramoor on Sunday, June 9, 2024. This unique experience, set amidst the lush gardens of Caramoor in Katonah, NY, invites you to open your ears and explore a collection of innovative sound art installations from 12:00pm to 4:00pm. 

Discover "Rivers are our Brothers," an electronic song cycle by Majel Connery that delves into ecological responsibility from the land's perspective. Experience the "Safe Space" installation by Darian Donovan Thomas, and enjoy a live set from this genre-bending composer and multi-instrumentalist. Engage with the theremin in workshops led by the New York Theremin Society, and let the enchanting sounds guide you through Caramoor's gardens, awakening your senses to new aural fascinations.

The event features a lineup of distinguished sound artists, including Majel Connery, Darian Donovan Thomas, Rob Schwimmer, and Dorit Chrysler, among others. Their works will be showcased throughout the grounds, offering a deep sensory experience for the whole family.

The schedule includes a variety of performances and workshops, such as the Safe Space installation, a theremin demonstration by Rob Schwimmer, and a theremin workshop where you can learn to coax haunting sounds from the world's first electronic instrument. The day concludes with a special presentation in the Music Room, "When Lucie Rosen Met Theremin: Discovering Caramoor’s Archives" with Dorit Chrysler.

This event is free, making it a perfect opportunity for families, music enthusiasts, and anyone curious about sound art to explore the auditory wonders of Caramoor. Don't miss this chance to experience sound in a new and captivating way.

Soundscapes

The Carmel Bach Festival is excited to expand its activities beyond the July festival with a special concert, “A Season on the Wind,” which celebrates the epic migration of North American birds, performed by The Bowerbird Collective, a stellar musical ensemble from Australia that “makes art for nature.” They combine live music, spectacular visuals, and immersive soundscapes to tell nature stories.

A Season on the Wind: Music for Migratory Birds

Carmel High School

The Cleveland Museum of Art proudly presents the Cleveland premiere of “A Season on the Wind,” a cinematic concert based on author, ornithologist, and conservationist Kenn Kaufman’s book of the same name. This event is an inspiring ode to migratory birds and an unforgettable night of musical storytelling. An artistic journey from the shores of Lake Erie across the Americas, this 50-minute performance stars three internationally acclaimed musicians and features spectacular visuals and soundscapes. Created by the Bowerbird Collective, an award-winning Australia-based organization making art for nature, at the invitation of the Biggest Week in American Birding festival and Kaufman himself, the work highlights a newly commissioned score by the Brothers Balliett (NYC), whose music is praised by The New York Times as “vivid, emotive, with contemporary twists.”

Majel Connery and the Bowerbird Collective

Transformer Station

GatherNYC presents vocalist Majel Connery and cellist Felix Fan in a performance of their work The Rivers are our Brothers. An electronic song cycle on ecological responsibility, told from the point of view of the land, The Rivers are our Brothers is based on a letter from Chief Seattle that urges us to think of the earth as kin. The songs take a first-person view of nature: rocks sing about their mothers, and snowflakes tell about their hearts of sand. Connery’s vocals and Felix Fan’s electric cello combine to tell the story using a “supernatural” sound. “The goal of this music is to give nature a voice” says Connery, “and this isn’t a cute nature documentary. I want to stop people in their tracks and show them the world like they’ve never seen it: as vibrant and thrilling and alive.”

Gathernyc: Majel Connery Felix Fan: Rivers Are Our Brothers

Museum of Arts and Design

Continuing its 45-year tradition of commissioning new choral works, the Grammy-award-winning vocal ensemble Chanticleer presents a concert of new compositions and new arrangements written specifically for the ensemble. The concert features new pieces by Chanticleer's composer-in-residence Ayanna Woods, as well as a choral arrangement of a new song cycle by Majel Connery.

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Majel Connery

Events

Past events

Jul 18, 2025

Chanticleer · Caramoor

Sep 27, 2024

Elderflora · Seattle Symphony

Future and recently performed repertoire

Singer in The Rivers Are Our Brothers by Connery

Carmel Bach Festival

Singer in A Season on the Wind by Balliett

Carmel Bach Festival

About

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