We are the Chamber Singers. We Are.
Hello, my name is Tim Ayres-Kerr, and I sing first tenor in the NEC Chamber Singers.
Being a part of Chamber Singers is simply different than being in any other choir. The difference being that each member is training primarily for a career as a soloist, in opera, oratorio, and even jazz. We all are in the process of mastering the art of bel canto and learning to use our voices in the healthiest way possible, whether it be for classical singing or otherwise. What is especially unique about the Chamber Singers is that as an ensemble, we accept our healthy singing for what it is and all strive individually to find our efficient placement and ring and spin in the sound (we sing with vibrato). We have never been asked by our director to squeeze our voices into a mold to create that “choral” sound we are so likely to hear in the music of modern composers. We take time out of our lessons with our private voice teachers to learn how to mark for rehearsal, and make our unique solo voices work for us in the ensemble, rather than allow us to stick out. Straight tone may make ensembles sound “blended,” but if one were to ask Lamperti, the author of Vocal Wisdom, or any of the old Italian voice teachers whose genius is preserved in their writings, straight pressed tone is not healthy singing, and that’s as simple as it gets.
We are the Chamber Singers. We are training to use our instruments in the most efficient way, and our method of singing choral literature is simply the right way. And we’re going on tour.
