Third Practice
Brian Bartoldus, dir.
Sunday, March 29
3:00 PM
 
Exploring the madrigal and its impact on the music of our day, vocal chamber ensemble Third Practice features works by Palestrina, Monteverdi, Lotti, Brahms, Bolcom, world premiere compositions by Daniel Felsenfeld and Steven Feigenbaum, as well as the local premiere of Te amo sin saber by Colin Britt.
 
Third Practice is a professional chamber vocal ensemble that seeks to bring the beauty of the human voice to new and broader audiences. Its mission is to bridge the gap between traditional classical and contemporary music through thoughtful and adventurous programming that explores the close connections between today's music and the music of the past. Third Practice is named after a term for the late style of composer Claudio Monteverdi, in which he is said to have fused elements of the older "first practice" with the contemporary "second practice," creating a rich new musical language.
 
Since its founding in 2012, Third Practice has established itself as a leading voice for contemporary vocal music. Its opening benefit concerts of David Lang's little match girl passion raised thousands of dollars to fight homelessness in the local community. During the spring of 2013, Third Practice sang alongside The City Choir of Washington as the echo chorus for the world premiere of Sir John Tavener'sThree Poems of George Herbert. A year later, the group enjoyed a further collaboration with the Great Noise Ensemble and the Children's Chorus of Washington for the performance of Louis Andriessen's tour-de-force oratorio, La Commedia. The ensemble's artful singing won plaudits from the press, commending their "evocative heavy lifting" (Anne Midgette, The Washington Post) and "first-rate" musicality (Corinna da Fonseca-Wollheim, The New York Times).
 
The musicians of Third Practice represent some of the finest vocal talents in the greater Washington area. Each concert draws upon an extensive roster of professional singers, varying in size according to the needs of the repertoire. Concerts seek to equip listeners with the tools necessary to engage with new works through informed programming and in-concert discussion. This approach endeavors to illuminate the inner workings of the music while tearing down barriers that too frequently discourage a first-time listening experience. In creating a safe performance space for listeners to experience new music, Third Practice seeks to build a larger audience for contemporary vocal music in Washington and beyond.