As director, composer, curator and performer, my aim for Dronechoir is to present beautiful musical experiences that provide deeper connections between women of different cultures within our musical community. Dronechoir performances require a group of no fewer than four female vocalists of various ethnic backgrounds and musical interests who perform an unrehearsed piece that I’ve composed. Each singer is given musical and movement cues through earphones. Although the current composition of the piece is a constant, Dronechoir continuously reshapes itself through space-specific movement directions that are fed to generous, adventurous vocalists of diverse backgrounds whose voices vary in volume, range and timbre — which is where the movement directions come into play, physically foregrounding specific singers at different points in the piece. As a result, the singers may move closer to members of the audience than expected, bringing depth to the listener’s experience by challenging comfort barriers and introducing a heightened sense of engagement with the performance. But discomfort is a factor for the performers as well: Dronechoir combines unfamiliar collaborators with an unrehearsed performance, and everyone is singing together for the first time with people they may never have met before. We are given the opportunity to become comfortable with our discomfort, settling into the unknown. Throughout the piece, vocalists learn what their role is within the choir and composition. By committing to this unrehearsed performance the vocalists naturally demonstrate a sense of hope and support, acceptance of the moment, love and respect to our audiences and each other.

www.aronedyer.com