Statements

Mission

Chatterbird's mission is to expand classical music through thoughtful collaboration, strategic commissioning, and creative community partnerships. We explore alternative instrumentation, stylistic diversity, and interdisciplinary formats - and celebrate friendly, accessible concert settings.

Background

Founded in 2014, chatterbird explores alternative instrumentation, stylistic diversity, interdisciplinary collaboration, and celebrates friendly, accessible concert settings. A chatterbird concert experience will surprise you - in addition to the clarinet, cello, or flute you might expect, you'll hear noisemakers, amplified tables, voices, zithers, bird songs, and electric mandolin.

The goal of chatterbird's programming is to expand classical music through thoughtful collaboration, strategic commissioning, and creative community partnerships. In addition to innovative composer residencies, chatterbird focuses on promoting the work of women through regular performances and commissioning of cutting-edge music; highlighting the history and growth of Nashville through a range of community partnerships; and regular collaborative performances that celebrate the vibrancy of Nashville's arts scene.

As a collective of musicians who care deeply about creating innovative new art, we are driven to seek out new partnerships with local artists. In recent seasons, this has included multi-season partnerships with guzheng artist Wu Fei; a yearlong commissioning residency with emerging young composers in the Vanderbilt composition studio; a collaboration with visual artist Ed Nash, who recently joined us for a concert where he created a painting in real time, inspired by our music; and a wholly improvised, meditative concert experience curated in collaboration with multi-instrumentalist and improviser JayVe Montgomery and featuring films from the Metro Nashville Audiovisual Archives. All are local artists who create innovative work.

Impact

Chatterbird was named "Best Chamber Ensemble" by the Nashville Scene in the 2015 Best of Nashville Awards. On our work, arts critic John Pitcher states, "Founded just a year ago, the delightful alt-classical group chatterbird has all but redefined Nashville's classical landscape.." We were also awarded "Best Genre-Defying Classical Performance" in the 2017 Best of Nashville Awards, were honored to premiere Hello Gold Mountain, named the "Best New Classical Composition," by the Nashville Scene in 2019, and our Virtual Chamber Music Series won "Best Chamber Music Event" from the Scene in 2021.

Current accomplishments and goals include:

1) In October 2020, chatterbird successfully premiered a newly commissioned work from composer Leila Adu, titled "Mahakala Oratorio," featuring contributions from interactive media artist Aaron Sherwood. Mahakala Oratorio's inspiration draws directly from the Buddhist deity of the same name. Throughout the work, Adu weaves ancient texts describing Mahakala as a tool to empower listeners to consider the idea of radical compassion in this era of social, political, and environmental extremism. This premiere received support from New Music USA, Puffin Foundation West, MediaTHE Foundation, Metro Arts, and the Tennessee Arts Commission.

2) We are pleased by the receipt of our first National Endowment for the Arts grant in support of a large-scale commissioned video work titled "Body and Soul, After the Plague," which premiered in July 2021. A one-hour work by local composer and electric guitarist Mark Volker, it was performed/filmed in collaboration with the Parthenon and featured the scholarship of Medievalist Suzanne Edwards and visual artist Christine Rogers. The project is a meditation on the nature of the human condition and our place within a shared community.

3) In September 2021, chatterbird went on tour! We visited Butler University for the feature of our large-scale 2019 commissioned work, "Hello Gold Mountain." The piece was written by guzheng virtuoso and composer Wu Fei. It paired the Chinese guzheng with the traditional Jewish oud and a chamber orchestra to share the often-overlooked story of Jewish families fleeing the Holocaust by way of Shanghai, which was at one point one of the only international ports that would accept refugees. Its 2019 premiere featured workshops, panels, and advocacy events in partnership with the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, along with the Jewish Federation of Nashville and Middle Tennessee and the Chinese Arts Alliance of Nashville. In addition to receiving the "Best New Classical Composition" award from the Nashville Scene in October 2019, the piece has received a mention in the New York Times along with other favorable reviews. This project received support from the MAP Fund, the Danielle Rose Paikin Foundation, and others.

Needs

Our four most pressing needs are as follows:

1) Funding for fair compensation of musicians: We seek to increase the compensation of our musicians in order to offer a more competitive, fair rate. In the upcoming year, personnel expenses for musicians will be our largest expense. We are actively fundraising so that our musicians may be more equitably compensated.

2) Equipment: Because of our presence in non-traditional venues, we typically bring our own sound equipment, which is often a used assortment which is not of the best quality. We are actively seeking partnerships and funding to secure items that we use regularly, including a high-quality, portable PA system; a large-scale audio interface with microphone preamplifiers; microphones, stands, and cables; headphone amplifiers; and portable, high-quality recording equipment.

3) Volunteer assistance: Volunteer assistance is always appreciated at concerts, especially in audio tech, stage management, photography, or recording assistance.

4) Nonprofit volunteer assistance: chatterbird seeks expertise in marketing and fundraising for board service.

Service Categories
Primary Category:	Arts, Culture & Humanities  - Bands & Ensembles
Secondary Category:	Arts, Culture & Humanities  - Music
Tertiary Category:	Arts, Culture & Humanities  - Arts Education

Areas Served

TN - Davidson