Every voice changes what the ensemble is.
Resonaré is a professional ad hoc choral ensemble based in Southern California, assembling 16 to 40 of the region's finest vocal artists for each project.
The ensemble in rehearsal
From the Latin resonare: to resound, to echo back.
The name captures the principle at the heart of the ensemble. Every voice changes what the collective sound becomes. Every project assembles a unique configuration of artists, ensuring the music determines who sings, not institutional inertia.
Our Latin motto, A cœlo usque ad centrum terræ, is a compositional principle. Our repertoire spans the full vertical axis of human experience: from the heavens to the center of the earth. Music that reaches toward the transcendent, music grounded in lived reality, and music that excavates what lies beneath.
Fair Compensation
Every singer is paid for every rehearsal and performance. Fair pay ensures that economic barriers do not determine who gets to make music at this level.
New Music
At least one new commission per season from day one. Priority given to composers from underrepresented backgrounds, with equitable fees and collaborative process.
Artistic Excellence
A selective, quality-first roster of extraordinary singers. We would rather have 40 exceptional artists than 200 adequate ones.
The choral landscape is full of ensembles. Here is why we are not redundant.
| Convention | The Resonaré Alternative |
|---|---|
| Fixed roster for years | Ad hoc: every project builds a new ensemble. No one owns a seat. The music determines the voices. |
| Unpaid or underpaid singers | Every artist is compensated at professional rates. Non-negotiable. |
| Heavy rehearsal schedules | 2 to 4 rehearsals (2 to 3 hours each) plus 1 to 2 dress rehearsals. We respect that our singers have careers, families, and other commitments. |
| Eurocentric repertoire as default | Programming begins with a question, not a genre. Repertoire draws from every tradition that speaks to that question. |
| New commissions as afterthought | Commissioning new music is a core function, not a special occasion. At least one new work per season from day one. |
| Concert hall exclusivity | Performances in the spaces where communities already gather, alongside traditional venues. |
The ensemble always sounds alive, never calcified.
Assembling a unique ensemble for each project is not a logistical compromise. It is the model. It means emerging artists stand next to veterans. It means repertoire from the African diaspora can be performed by artists who carry those traditions, and Scandinavian choral music can draw on voices with that expertise.
The ensemble becomes a living response to the music.
Every project begins with a thematic question.
Resonaré does not program by genre or period. The repertoire is assembled in response to a guiding inquiry. This ensures no single tradition is treated as the default and every piece earns its place.
What happens at boundaries between states of being?
What does displacement mean, and where do we find home?
Whose music has the canon excluded?
Where is the line between the holy and the everyday?
Music belongs in the spaces where communities already gather.
Resonaré performs in concert halls, churches, galleries, community centers, and non-traditional venues. The space shapes the experience. We bring extraordinary music to communities that might never set foot in a traditional concert hall, and we bring new audiences to traditional spaces through programming that feels urgent and relevant.
A minimum of 25% free or reduced-price tickets at every ticketed concert. Plus dedicated free community performances as the organization grows. Art should not require a credit card.
Cultural Accountability
When performing music from a tradition outside our own, we engage practitioners of that tradition as consultants or coaches. We prioritize arrangements by members of the relevant cultural community, and we compensate cultural consultants at professional rates.
Outreach Goals
Educational partnerships beginning in Year 3 to 4. Free community concerts expanding from Year 2 onward. A Community Advisory Panel by Year 5. Accessibility services including ASL interpretation, bilingual programs, and sensory-friendly performances as capacity grows.
Equity as Structure
Inclusion is woven into auditions, casting, and programming. Non-binary and gender-nonconforming singers are welcome to sing in whichever section suits their voice. This is a ten-year commitment, not a ten-month campaign.
Start small. Build right.
We are not launching as a fully scaled institution. We are launching as a focused, sustainable project with a clear ten-year plan. The ambition is enormous. The approach is disciplined.
1 to 2 projects per year. 16 to 24 voices. Founding artist roster of 30 to 40 vetted professionals. First commission.
2 to 3 projects per year. Ensemble scales to 40 voices. First recording. Educational outreach begins. Regional visibility.
3 to 4 projects. National touring begins. Commissioning residency. Mentorship program. Deep community partnerships.
4 to 5 projects. Fully diversified revenue. Endowment fund. National model for equitable choral practice.
From day one and every day after: every singer is paid for every service. At least one new commission per season. Programming by thematic question, not genre. A selective, quality-first artist roster. A lean, efficient rehearsal model that respects artists' time.