Becky Peterson: We had no idea where this was all going when we, you know, this started.
Doris Ogden: During our first concert we were singing, “How can I keep from singing?” And as we got to the point we were singing about the light, the lights went out.
Dawn Willis: It's true. It's so true. It's just one of the fond memories we have of some live performances with Bella Voce over the years.
James Stewart: This year the Bella Voce Women’s Chorus of Vermont is celebrating their 20th anniversary and ahead of their Spring concerts I had a chance to sit down with a few members of the ensemble and their leadership.
Dawn Willis: I'm Dawn Willis. I'm the artistic director and founder of Bella Voce.
Becky Peterson: I'm Becky Peterson. I have been with Bella Voce since the beginning.
Doris Ogden: Hi. I'm Doris Ogden. I've been with Bella Voce since its inception, and I've been the secretary of the board of directors now for a number of years.
James Stewart: What is Bella Voce and how did it come about?
Dawn Willis: Bella Voce in Italian means “beautiful voice," and we embrace this concept of singing as one voice when we sing together.
Doris Ogden: Becky came to me and she said, "Wait till you hear what Dawn Willis has planned! She's recruiting for a women's chorus. You should audition."
Becky Peterson: Dawn had moved to Vermont in 2003 and I told her about the VSO chorus, and she joined the VSO chorus right away, and got to know Robert DeCormier. And as we started singing with the VSO chorus. Dawn said to Robert, "There's no women's choruses in Vermont. Do you think that there's, you know, do you think that people would want to have a women's chorus?" And he goes, "I don't know, maybe, why don't you ask?" And we got together for our first rehearsal pretty shortly after…
Dawn Willis: …very quickly after that...
Becky Peterson: …after I got that first phone call, I think, in February, and then we had the first rehearsal in March…
Dawn Willis: …and our first concert in May.
James Stewart: Bella Voce has garnered quite a reputation over the years, winning multiple Seven Daysies Awards for best choral ensemble.
Dawn Willis: We have won all five years that that category has existed, and very honored to have been chosen for the Seven Daysies.
James Stewart: What are some of the highlights over the last 20 years for Bella Voce.
Dawn Willis: Obviously, we did a good bit of recording, and we have nine CDs that we have helped produce or that are our own.
Becky Peterson: The recording that we did of, I think, almost all of Gwyneth Walker's compositions for women's chorus. And that was really special, because we got to interact with Gwyneth Walker. She had a huge celebration for her 60th birthday in Randolph and one day was all choral music. And we went and sang at Chandler Music Hall. That was a lot of fun.
Dawn Willis: Other things have been great fun — our wonderful tours, some international, some in the area.
Doris Ogden: Yeah, I mean, what comes to mind for me is, I recall being in Ireland and standing on a balcony at the Waterford Crystal factory, and we sang “The Lake Isle of Innisfree,” which Dawn arranged. And there was a group of Irish folks down below, you know, on the other sales floor, and as we sang it, they were openly weeping. And just to have that impact, you know, it made me feel as though we were ambassadors, and that we were creating this wonderful connection to people around the world.
James Stewart: Bella Voce’s 20th anniversary celebration is taking place May 17th and 18th at St. Michael’s Recital Hall in Colchester. And they’ve planned quite an ambitious performance to start the concerts.
Dawn Willis: One of the works that I love the most, which is the Poulenc “Gloria”, and I think it's the perfect celebratory piece for this 20th anniversary. And of course, I wanted to involve other singers so that we could have this community experience of singing the Poulenc together. It's a wonderful experience to bring together over 70 singers, over 30 instrumentalists, all there in the St Michael's Recital Hall stage.
The second half will feature some of Bella Voce's greatest hits, things that have been very special pieces, including two wonderful pieces we love by Gwyneth Walker. And in those concerts, we'll also feature Robert DeCormier, who we obviously were very deeply connected with; kind of an exciting opportunity to revisit some of our favorite pieces.
Becky Peterson: It’s going to be an exciting concert. The Poulenc “Gloria” is very dramatic in a lot of ways.
Doris Ogden: This music will move you in ways that... it's a communal experience, and you will be moved.
Dawn Willis: We love this community. They have supported Bella Voce for 20 years, and we have felt their support and their love of choral music and what it means to the soul to experience that kind of music.
James Stewart: Join Bella Voce for their 20th anniversary Spring concerts Glorious Celebration on Saturday, May 17th, 7:30 pm and Sunday, May 18th at 3:00 pm. Both performances are taking place at St. Michael’s Recital Hall in Colchester. For tickets and more information, check out their website, bellavocevt.org.
