Viva Voce (Nathan Zullinger, conductor)Enduring Harmonies
- BuzzSlayers
- Apr 1
- 2 min read
As this dazzling a cappella album demonstrates with every chord, Viva Voce, the acclaimed professional vocal ensemble, is no mere pick-up choir. Enduring Harmonies, their second release – born from a mission to preserve vital contemporary choral music and celebrate artistic legacies – features world-class performances of significant yet under-represented works: “An impressive and strong embrace of the contemporary choral art” (Richard Coffey, Connecticut Choral Artists).
The breathtaking album showcases music by six distinctive American composers, with a special focus on creators connected to Haverford College, Pennsylvania: two of the pieces were written for college presidential inaugurations.
The recording opens with two ceremonial works by Haverford Professor Emeritus Thomas Lloyd, setting texts by William Saroyan and Marianne Moore. It includes the poignant twelve-tone lament by late alumnus Steven Gerber, based on Dylan Thomas, and a newly commissioned setting of Gerard Manley Hopkins’s “Peace” by current faculty member Ingrid Arauco.
Expanding its scope, Viva Voce presents Dale Trumbore’s inventive Footnotes to a History of Music and gives Charles Fussell’s monumental, 20-year-old Infinite Fraternity its first professional recording—a project championed by conductor Nathan Zullinger through the Charles Fussell Society. The album concludes with David Pegg’s radiant arrangement of the folk hymn “Wondrous Love.” Several pieces are enhanced by the artistry of flutist Susanna Loewy and violist Hannah Nicholas.
True to its name—from the Latin for “with living voice” or “by word of mouth”—Viva Voce is a collective of premier singers from the Philadelphia region. Founded in 2020 by conductor Nathan Zullinger, the ensemble quickly garnered acclaim, earning the 2021 Ernst Bacon Award for its debut recording of Curt Cacioppo’s Seven Women of Ancient Greek Myth on Albany Records.
Dr. Zullinger, an Associate Professor and Chair of the Music Department at Haverford College, is a recognized leader in choral arts. A 2021 recipient of Haverford’s Innovation in Teaching Award and the president-elect of the American Choral Directors Association of Pennsylvania, he curates Viva Voce’s projects with a dual passion for pedagogical excellence and compelling performance.
Enduring Harmonies is more than an album; it is an act of preservation and advocacy. It ensures that these powerful, technically challenging compositions are not only heard but resonate with listeners, securing their place in the living repertoire of American choral music.
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