Roomful of Teeth proves that sometimes your voice is the only instrument you need.
On Feb. 5, GRAMMY-winning vocal ensemble Roomful of Teeth made their Ontario debut with a performance in the Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts’ Performance Hall. Known for pushing the boundaries of contemporary vocal music, the group delivered a program that highlighted the expressive capabilities of the human voice.
The touring lineup of vocalists: Amber Evans, Mingjia Chen, Martha Cluver, Virginia Kelsey, Steven Bradshaw, Thomas McCargar, Thann Scoggin, and Cameron Beauchamp draw on a wide range of global vocal techniques, from throat singing to yodelling. Together, the ensemble commissions and performs new works that challenge traditional ideas of classical vocal performance.
Ahead of the concert, members of Roomful of Teeth described feeling relaxed, noting that pre-show routines differ from singer to singer.
“Some of us are a little bit more like we pace and kind of are thinking about the show, and some people like to do the opposite of that and not over focus on the show because the show is going to be what it’s going to be,” Bradshaw said in an interview with The Journal.
Those moments before taking the stage, he added, often become “times of togetherness,” marked by “kind of goofing off and kind of being together,” eventually forming a collective “mind meld.”
The sense of cohesion described by Bradshaw was immediately evident in the opening work, Partita for 8 Voices by Caroline Shaw and Roomful of Teeth. Composed over three summers at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, the 2013 Pulitzer Prize–winning piece unfolded with confidence, setting the tone for the evening. Its layered textures were striking to hear live, immediately placing the ensemble’s technical precision and strength on full display.
The performance marked not only the group’s first time in Kingston, but their first appearance anywhere in Ontario. Despite the pressure of performing in a new province, the ensemble spoke highly of the Bader Centre itself.
“The space is gorgeous,” Beauchamp said in an interview with The Journal. “We’re thrilled to be here in such a gorgeous space that sounds incredible and looks incredible, where we’re also treated great.”
As the program progressed, the range of Roomful of Teeth’s repertoire became increasingly apparent. The penultimate piece, On Stochastic: Wave Behavior by Leilehua Lanzilotti, emerged as one of the evening’s most compelling moments. Sung entirely in Hawaiian, the work was calm and ethereal. Its slower pacing offered a moment of reflection, standing in contrast to the sharper works seen earlier in the program.
The concert closed with The Isle by Caroline Shaw, inspired by Shakespeare’s The Tempest. Featuring monologues sung as The Tempest characters Ariel, Caliban, and Prospero, the piece carried a grand yet unsettling tone. At times, the ensemble’s voices took on a menacing edge, creating an unnerving culmination to the evening, which lingered long after the singers left the stage.
For Roomful of Teeth, performing for a largely new audience carried particular significance. In an interview with The Journal, Scoggin described the concert as “a great opportunity to show a new group of people most of what we do and what makes us special.”
Roomful of Teeth ensured the opportunity to perform for a new crowd was fully realized, with the ensemble providing the audience with an unforgettable evening and a reminder to remain open to what the voice can become.
Tags
Isabel Bader Center for Performing Arts, Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, Pulitzer Prize, Roomful of Teeth
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