Choral music is not one of life’s frills. It’s something that goes to the very heart of our humanity, our sense of community, and our souls .… It is a great oak that rises up from the center of the human race and spreads its branches everywhere.

Groups such as Renaissance Voices are a sign of cultural vitality and joy in a community. That as a group devoted to singing music from over 500 years ago we can attract such impressive audiences is a sign that people are convinced of the appeal and the benefits of live performance. Generous audience in our midst translates to generous funds with which we may continue to enliven the arts scene in Central and Southern Maine with confidence. Making the choice to attend and to support us is an honor, enabling us the privilege of continuing our mission of celebrating our shared humanity in song.

I owe a huge debt of gratitude to Miss Emily, the elementary-school music teacher who introduced me to choral music when I was a mere seven-year-old in London. She taught our class to sing songs from plainchant to Bernstein’s There’s A Place For Us. She gave us the key to unlock what I later realized was the ability to experience the timeless mystery of music and its extraordinary power to inspire, delight, console, and connect us, reminding us of our essential place in the arc of human experience. 

Fast forward several decades, and I am feeling profound gratitude to be singing with Renaissance Voices alongside dedicated singers, under the baton and inspired programming of our music director, Harold Stover. By performing a capella repertoire that spans eight centuries, from ethereal mediaeval chant and Renaissance polyphony, to 19th century Impressionism and contemporary compositions, Renaissance Voices provides singers and our audiences with a key to understanding our shared humanity for over 25 years. Particularly over the last few years, such music has helped us navigate unanticipated dislocation, uncertainty, and strife, just as generations of a capella choirs have done before us.

We are in a virtual age where live experiences attended in person amidst other audience members are more and more a novelty.

Renaissance Voices performs without accompaniment, no piano or orchestra, just voices. Our repertoire is extremely varied but somewhat sophisticated, eclectic, perhaps unpredictable. Portland has an active performance community, many groups all vying for what feels like a limited audience of regular concert goers. These considerations, all taken together, make for a challenging atmosphere in which to promote an artistic enterprise like Renaissance Voices.
We need regular attendance. We need the interest of people who might be interested in joining such a group, to insure its future. We need economic support to allow us to buy music, to meet the rental expenses for rehearsal and performance spaces, to fund advertising, program, and ticket production, and to appropriately pay our Music Director.

There are many larger, flashier, perhaps more traditional artistic enterprises in the greater Portland area than Renaissance Voices. We seek to survive and thrive amid this competition for audience and economic support. Our “product” is quite unique, and our standard of performance quality is high. For 30 years we have continuously worked to display and celebrate a cappella singing and we hope to continue that tradition for many more. To do that we need your support.

Experience first-hand a Renaissance Voices’ concert

In an era where the vast majority of music is experienced through ear buds in anonymous spaces, the ability to hear live music in beautiful venues is a treasure. Cathedrals such as Portland, Maine’s Saint Luke's were constructed for both visual and acoustic pleasure, with the music of the ages resounding against its vast, vaulted structures. Being in the presence of live musicians is humanizing and invigorating, as we share the harmonies in person. As the singers share their voices, so do they share their breath, their cadence, their tempo and their message to create an experience unlike any other for both audience and performer.

Consider giving your financial support

Support Renaissance Voices because we exemplify the possibilities of group collaboration to produce beauty in a difficult, fractious, and often isolating world. We are right here,right now, doing it. Say “yes” to our art form and to a local example of the excellence that can come from hard work in the service of beauty. Support for such rich, live, musical appreciation creates community, elevates the spirit, and encourages a culture of participation and creativity that sustains us all.

Renaissance Voices is a small, non-profit organization that files IRS Form 990-N annually. Information about our annual filing can be found at https://apps.irs.gov/app/eos/ by searching for Renaissance Voices, Inc/EIN 01-0540056.