Latest News

[December 18, 2021] 

Tickets are on sale beginning today for the Una Voce Chamber Choir's return to live performance, "Intimations of Immortality", January 22-23 at Crooker Theater at Brunswick High School. 

To purchase tickets online, visit unavocechamberchoir.brownpaptertickets.com or click the "Tickets" link at the top of the page. Performances will be at 7pm on Saturday, January 22 and 2pm on Sunday, January 23.

About the Concert

The centerpieces of the program will be two large works for chorus and strings.  Gwyneth Walker’s The Golden Harp opens the concert.  Scored for mixed chorus, soloists, string quartet, and reader, The Golden Harp excerpts poems by the Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore.  Bright, earthy, and exuberant, Walker's work expertly illuminates Tagore’s themes; devotion, death as consummation of life, and spirituality that is non-sectarian and inward looking.  Anchoring the second half of the program will be Tarik O’Regan’s majestic Triptych.  Composed in 2005 for chorus and string orchestra, O’Regan’s work juxtaposes texts from a variety of sources, and bristles with a rhythmic energy inspired by North African musical traditions and reflecting the vibrancy of city life. 

The program will also include Alice Parker’s Heavenly Hurt, a slender and modal setting of seven poems by Emily Dickinson scored for four-part chorus and solo cello, and will close with Ola Gjeilo’s Song of the Universal, written for eight-part chorus and string orchestra.  For each of the four major works scored for chorus and strings, UVCC will be joined by members and guest musicians of Palaver Strings, an innovative, musician-led ensemble based in Portland.  An intimate a cappella set will round out the concert, with works by Z. Randall Stroope, Judith Bingham and Elaine Hagelberg.
 

Health & Safety Protocols

Fully vaccinated attendees 5 years of age and older will be permitted to attend Una Voce Chamber Choir performances. Concert goers will be asked to show proof of full vaccination upon entry via a CDC COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card or a photocopy or mobile photo of a CDC COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card. Masking is also required inside of Brunswick High School and Crooker Theater. The vaccine will only be considered currently valid if it was administered within six months of the concert date for Pfizer and Moderna, or two months for Johnson and Johnson. Evidence of vaccination status may be paper, photographic, or a generally accepted digital certificate such as ClearPass, as long as the evidence shows the date of the most recent vaccination. Medical exemptions will not be accepted.

Photo courtesy of  Jeffrey Orth 

 [September 23, 2020] 

Una Voce Chamber Choir is proud to announce its return to singing this month with eyes on a full concert season in 2022.    

The choir’s return performance, Intimations of Immortality, will represent a step forward for UVCC in scope and ambition, and will be performed at Crooker Theater at Brunswick High School on January 22-23, 2022.   

“We are coming back inspired after an 18-month hiatus,” says Artistic Director Virgil Bozeman. “I’m sure that like most groups, UVCC is collectively experiencing both the excitement of the return to our regular rehearsal format, and a little bit of nerves as we “kick the dirt off the proverbial tires”. The fact that we are returning with our most adventurous program yet (and that this prospect excites our membership) tells you everything you need to know about these singers, and why it is such a privilege to work with them.”  

The centerpieces of the program will be two large works for chorus and strings.  Gwyneth Walker’s The Golden Harp opens the concert.  Scored for mixed chorus, soloists, string quartet, and reader, it excerpts poems by the Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore.  Bright and exuberant, Walker’s setting further illuminates Tagore’s themes; devotion, death as consummation of life, and the thread connecting spirituality and earthly love. 

The program will also include Alice Parker’s Heavenly Hurt, a slender and modal setting of seven poems by Emily Dickinson scored for SATB chorus and solo cello, and will close with Ola Gjeilo’s Song of the Universal, written for SSAATTBB chorus and string orchestra. An intimate a cappella set will round out the concert, with works by Z. Randall Stroope, Judith Bingham and Elaine Hagelberg.

“Our Associate Director Drew Albert and I originally planned Intimations of Immortality for performance in January 2021,” according to Bozeman. “We were already quite fond of the program, and the pandemic has only deepened our connection to this music. The collection of texts encompass responses to fear and trauma that are both universal (Whitman) and deeply personal (Tagore, Dickinson).” 

Per updated CDC recommendations, as well as activity-specific guidance from ACDA (American Choral Directors Association), the UVCC Board has adopted a ‘no-vax, no-sing’ policy for the upcoming semester. In order to participate, all singers will attest that they have been fully vaccinated. With the choir fully vaccinated, the group plans to rehearse indoors, with masks out of precaution, beginning on Thursday, September 23.

The choir will also perform a June concert, with title and dates to-be-announced.  

[June 2020] This is a very challenging time in our country. We have witnessed the violent murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers. Mr. Floyd’s murder, and the murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Rayshard Brooks, and countless other Black people are the result of a virus that has plagued our country for centuries – racism.  We must all confront and work to dismantle the harmful systems that perpetuate inequality.

A plan forward starts with all of us acknowledging that we live in a country built on a system of injustice.  What this last month teaches us is that silence is not an option; not for individuals nor for organizations. Each of us, alone and collectively, must stand up and be counted as supporting equality and working to dismantle institutional racism. Black Lives Matter.

Una Voce Chamber Choir stands with every person who exercises the constitutional right to assemble and petition our government for swift and meaningful action to repair broken systems and institutions which lead inexorably to the degradation and humiliation of our fellow citizens.  We hope that this new moment of activism brings about long overdue change, and rededicate ourselves, individually and collectively, to help make it so.  We are invested in doing this work, and committed to using our discipline and resources to make this future possible.

1. UVCC will  seek out, study, perform, and highlight music composed by Black and other marginalized artists — especially music that explores neglected, misrepresented, or suppressed elements of history.
2. UVCC will prioritize inclusion, equity, and diversity, both within our ensemble and in leadership roles.
3. UVCC will continuously reflect on our progress in these areas, and assess its impact on our organization and the communities we serve. We will continue to explore ways to incorporate these ideas into the development of future programming.

We commit to including this work in our strategic plan and defining further targeted action for our organization to take.

For more ways to take action against structural racism, please visit the organizations in this link.

Join the Una Voce Chamber Choir as they present music by contemporary composers in their expressions of ancient texts often sung in traditional Anglican orders of worship. 

Mark your calendar for " Evensong" on Saturday, January 25 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, January 26 at 2.30 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 1 Middle Street, Brunswick, Maine. 

"Evensong," adapted from the traditional Anglican service of prayers and praise at day’s end, presents living composers who give new voices to timeless liturgies. Meditations are sung in prayer, in praise, in love both divine and human. A few highlights are the 16th Century poetry of St John of the Cross composed by Tarik O’Regan (b. 1978), a chant-like Lord’s Prayer in ancient Aramaic (the language of Jesus) by Ilyas Iliya (b. 1963), St. Augustine’s 4th Century Evening Prayer for voices and jazz duo by Ola Gjeilo (b. 1978), and the Virgin Mary’s praise to God in “Magnificat” by Imant Raminsh (b.1943). 

Advance tickets are $15 for adults ($20 at door), $10 for students age 16-21, and free for children age 16  and younger. There is also a Family Ticket (3+ members) for $35 in advance ($45 at the door). To purchase tickets online, visit  https://uvcc-evensong.brownpapertickets.com/ 

Founded in the fall of 2018, Una Voce Chamber Choir traces its origins to the critically acclaimed Vox Nova Chamber Choir, which concluded its ninth concert season in June, 2018. Directed by Virgil Bozeman IV, Una Voce Chamber Choir debuted to critical acclaim in its 2019 premiere season. 

"Evening Song" artwork courtesy of Karen Adrienne

December 16, 2018

Widely praised since 2009 for their performances of contemporary choral music, members of Vox Nova Chamber Choir have reorganized as Una Voce Chamber Choir under the direction of Virgil Bozeman IV, a twenty-year veteran choral conductor.

“New name, same great music,” commented Scott Miller, President of Una Voce’s Board of Directors. “Nearly all Vox Nova singers stayed with us. That brings an established ensemble with amazingly high level musical skills, not to mention enthusiasm, to Una Voce. I’m honored to help lead such an exceptional group of musicians.”

The choir of about 30 singers promotes contemporary choral music by composers from various regions and cultures, including Maine. Una Voce will perform mostly a cappella, but occasionally will be accompanied by solo and ensemble instrumentalists. While not neglecting choral favorites, the choir will specialize in intimate chamber music that employs complex chords, multiple rhythms, and elegant dissonances. Its members, many of whom are trained performers, music educators and professional choir directors, live in mid coast, central and southern Maine.

“In time, we’ll go beyond concerts in southern and mid coast Maine,” added Miller. “We intend to reach underserved areas of the state through audio and video technology and to provide educational programs to Maine’s secondary schools and colleges.”

Bozeman does not shrink from such challenges. Faced last summer with the decision by Vox Nova’s founding director Shannon Chase to pursue other opportunities, Bozeman opened discussions with Miller, an experienced actor, singer and leader of performing arts organizations; his wife Lynn Hannings, a bassist in the Portland Symphony Orchestra; and a few singers associated with Vox Nova Chamber Choir. In fewer than six weeks, the state of Maine and the IRS recognized Una Voce Chamber Choir as a non-profit organization and its first Board of Directors appointed Bozeman as Artistic Director. He began rehearsals in late September. 

Una Voce’s concert season opens on January 19 at 7:30 PM and January 20 at 2:30 PM, in the Chapel on the campus of Bowdoin College. Titled Through the Long Night, the program explores night and the coming dawn as meditative spaces of eerie beauty, spiritual introspection and sensuous dreams, according to Bozeman.

“Continuity with the musical experiences we singers shared in Vox Nova has been my north star as I built this first program.” added Bozeman. “Scandinavian composers, such as Einojuhani Rautavaara, Arvo Pärt, and Gustav Holst, along with Americans Gwyneth Walker, Eric Whitacre, and Morton Lauridsen—these are the musical voices that weave a fabric of continuity.”

Bozeman holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music Literature and Performance from Northeastern University, where he studied choral conducting with Joshua Jacobson. In addition to serving as student conductor of the university’s Choral Society, Bozeman sang with the world-renowned Zamir Chorale of Boston, and was Northeastern University’s inaugural Gideon Klein Scholar.

He earned a Master of Choral Music from the University of Illinois as a student of Fred Stoltzfus, Don V. Moses and Chester Alwes. He also served as Assistant Conductor of the University of Illinois Concert Choir, the school’s top auditioned undergraduate chorus.

Since 2000, Bozeman has been Middle/High School Choral Music Teacher in Richmond and Senior Choir Director at South Parish Congregational Church in Augusta. He became the Artistic Director of the Greater Freeport Community Chorus in 2006 and currently serves in that capacity. An active member of the Maine Music Educators’ Association, Bozeman is Chairman of MMEA District III and Vice-President (Choral Music) for the MMEA State Executive Board. In 2018, the Association named Bozeman the MMEA District III Educator of the Year.