Quince Ensemble
Amanda DeBoer Bartlett (soprano), Liz Pearse (soprano), Carrie Henneman Shaw (soprano), and Clara Osowski (guest mezzo-soprano)
Quince Ensemble is a treble voice quartet dedicated to changing the paradigm for contemporary vocal chamber music. Described as "the Anonymous 4 of new music" by Opera News, Quince continually pushes the boundaries of vocal ensemble literature. By performing almost exclusively the music of living composers, and actively commissioning works with a broad and curious aesthetic ear, they seek to create a landscape of contemporary vocal music that is embodied, complex, and expressive, with the musical boldness and virtuosity that is often reserved for instrumental groups.
As dedicated advocates of new music, Quince regularly commissions new works for voices, providing wider exposure for the music of living composers. In 2019, they launched the Quince New Music Commissioning Fund, to grow the repertoire for women and treble voices. Through educational activities, Quince works to bring this music to a larger community of singers and listeners, offering new and empowering pathways to vocal excellence. Quince has released six studio albums —Realign the Time, Hushers, Motherland, and David Lang's love fail, Madrigales del Rìo, and Dust Bowl—all available on iTunes, CD Baby, Spotify, Bandcamp, and Amazon.
Quince has been featured at many festivals and on series like KODY Festival in Lublin, Poland (in collaboration with David Lang and Beth Morrison Projects), the Outpost Concert Series, the Philip Glass: Music with Friends concert at Issue Project Room, University of Michigan’s Hill Auditorium, and the SONiC Festival in New York, among others.
Comprised of vocalists Liz Pearse (soprano), Kayleigh Butcher (mezzo soprano), Amanda DeBoer Bartlett (soprano), and Carrie Henneman Shaw (soprano), Quince thrives on unique musical challenges and genre-bending contemporary repertoire.