Variant 6
Variant 6 is a vocal ensemble based in Philadelphia that gives virtuosic performances of early and new music. By performing rarely heard works, commissioning new works, collaborating with other artists and ensembles, and educating young musicians, Variant 6 seeks to advance the art of vocal chamber music in 21st-century America. In the 2018-19 season, Variant 6 will be yearlong artists-in-residence at Swarthmore College, performing alone and with the students, giving masterclasses, and workshopping music by young composers. The 2018-19 season sees two new commissions: one from Australian Wally Gunn with Mobius Percussion, and another from Massachusetts composer Greg Brown. The season also includes a world premiere of music by Kevin Laskey, the ensemble’s Kentucky debut, and concerts throughout the east coast. Previously, the ensemble's 2017-18 season saw its debuts in New York, Boston, and Delaware; its projects included a new commission from Jeremy Gill, a weeklong residency at Cornell University, and a collaboration with Prometheus Chamber Orchestra which included the North American premiere of Gavin Bryars’ The Voice of St. Columba. The ensemble was featured on a commercial recording of newly rediscovered music by Mexican Baroque composer, Antonio Juanas. Variant 6 is active in educating young singers about ensemble singing and chamber music. In addition to its residency at Swarthmore College, the ensemble has worked with students from Cornell University, the University of Pennsylvania, and high school students from Maryland and Pennsylvania. In February 2019, the ensemble will work with students from the Pennsylvania Music Educators’ Association District 11 choral festival. All of the ensemble's members maintain busy performing and teaching schedules in Philadelphia and New York, and regularly appear with many of the nation’s finest ensembles and orchestras, including The Crossing, Seraphic Fire, Roomful of Teeth, Trinity Wall Street, Santa Fe Desert Chorale, and the Philadelphia Orchestra.
Events
Variant 6 Performance: Friday, November 16, 2018 @ 8pm
Performance with Swarthmore College Chorus and Garnet Singers: Friday, May 3, 2019 @ 8pm
Vocal master class with Swarthmore vocalists: Wednesday, March 20, 2019 @ 3pm
Additionally, Variant 6 will complete two composition reading/workshop classes (October 10, 2018 and November 7, 2018, 11am-1pm) and will perform the final compositions at a Lunch Hour Concert on November 12, 2018 at 12:30pm at Parrish Parlor.
