Today we’d like to introduce you to Timbre Cierpke.
Hi Timbre, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
There is something uniquely powerful about Cappella music. Creating music with just the unaccompanied human voice pulls the listener in, as there is nothing separating the music from the musician.
Growing up in choirs, I know this first hand. My most formative time in college was spent in the Trevecca Madrigalians, a world-traveling a-capella choir my father, Dr. Timothy Cierpke, formed at Trevecca University. Those of us who were fortunate enough to be members of his choir cherished the time we spent singing together, touring internationally, singing in such incredible venues as Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, St Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna, and having the honor of being the first protestant choir to sing at St Peter’s Basilica in Rome.
Years later, like professional singers in Nashville, three alumni of the Trevecca Madrigalians found there was no outlet for the form of singing we loved so deeply. So, in 2014, we decided to form our own choir. Together with Tyler Evick, Christopher Anderson, and Melissa Ryan, I co-founded and currently am the Co-Artistic Director and Rehearsal Director of the SONUS choir.
Since forming in 2014, we have toured the east coast, worked with Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Julia Wolfe, recorded and performed with composer Rachel Grimes, performed at the Ryman Auditorium, and have had featured performances at Big Ears Festival and Sewanee Music Festival. We have released two albums and have many projects in the works!
We will be performing our annual Spring Concert on May 5th at 7:30 PM at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Nashville.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The logistics involved in running a 28-member choir have definitely proved challenging. Like most arts organizations, we struggle with funding to pay our singers and cover our costs. And of course, running a choir during a pandemic proved to carry its own challenges, with several performance cancellations and long periods of not being able to rehearse. But our choir members showed such dedication and perseverance, and I think it ended up helping us appreciate even more deeply the music we get to share together.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
SONUS choir is known for its pure, emotive sound. We specialize in straight-tone singing, meaning there is no vibrato to disrupt the overtones created by pure pitches, so the full color of sound can be heard and felt. We also perform in a unique way, singing in an open semi-circle with the conductor singing with us in our midst. This allows a uniquely emotional and dynamic performance, as the separation is removed between choir and conductor. We also are known for singing a lot of music by modern composers, people who are pushing the frontier or choral music. We have had the honor of working with some incredible composers so far, and are hoping to collaborate further.
When I think of what I am most proud of with this choir, I think of the hush that often comes after the end of a song when we perform. I think this music can be transcendent, and when we can feel the audience leaning in with us and feeling the depths of the song with us, it makes all of the work worth it.
What matters most to you? Why?
As a conductor, it matters most to me that the piece we are performing truly comes to life. When we are rehearsing, we can feel it there, under the surface, waiting for us to truly bring it out. We work until we know it has come alive. When we can create true art with our music and share it with our audience, we are fulfilling our purpose as musicians. As a choir, I think what matters most to us is to share beauty with the world. We gravitate towards music that pulls the listener into a deep place. We want to make music that matters.
Contact Info:
- Email: sonuschoir@gmail.com
- Website: sonuschoir.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/sonuschoir
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sonuschoir
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/sonuschoir
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/SonusChoir
- Other: https://sonuschoir.bandcamp.com/
Image Credits
Griffin Dunn
