Nightingale Vocal Ensemble Releases Debut Album Composition Sped Up

Boston, MA, January 23, 2023 --(PR.com)-- Critically acclaimed choir Nightingale Vocal Ensemble released their highly anticipated debut album Composition Sped Up Jan. 18 on Bandcamp. The album, consisting of fully improvised performances by eight Nightingale singers, embodies a dynamic form of individual expression, with each track inspired by a different work of art or poetry.

For producer and singer Nathan Halbur, improvisation is exciting because it empowers each individual performer. "Instead of relying on the genius of an individual composer, each musician in an improvising ensemble possesses the agency to create the music that they wish to hear, and which is optimized for their own unique instrument,” he says. “This freedom eliminates the singular vision of an artistic creator, and leaves in its place the potential for absolutely raw expression from every performer.”

The album’s title refers to a quote from jazz saxophonist and composer Wayne Shorter, who says, “Improvisation is just composition sped up.” Nightingale’s repertoire largely consists of new music, much of it composed by singers in the ensemble, and this improvised album continues that trend. “Composition is an essential facet of Nightingale’s identity,” Halbur explains. “It felt natural to attempt it—in Shorter’s words—sped up.”

Nightingale performed to a sold-out standing room crowd at the Museum of Modern Renaissance in Somerville, Mass. on Jan. 14, which The Boston Musical Intelligencer praised as “cosmically celebratory.”

Composition Sped Up is available on Bandcamp now for streaming and download.

“Virtuosic professional choir... Nightingale can be counted on for originality.” — The Boston Musical Intelligencer

Composition Sped Up track list:

1. Ben's Warmup
2. Night Air
3. Rosé Wine
4. Hot
5. Face on the Wall
6. Green Leaves
7. Block Island Seaweed Study
8. Space Triptych
9. The Gray
10. Notes on Danube