OUr mission
In 2023, we will bring the best musicians in their disciplines from around the country to perform for Central New Jersey.
Our Mission
Our ensemble strives to to disrupt the expectations surrounding classical music performance by empowering musicians and engaging the community. With innovative performance practice at the heart of our work, we are creating a new atmosphere where excitement is demanded and creativity adored.
Our inaugural season will present three projects in 2023 and 2024. Slated projects include a Christmas revival of Making Messiah, an exploration of the appropriation of Southern Gospel by early 20th century vocal ensembles in war-torn Europe, and a recital of Art Song by revolutionary-era New Jersey composers!
“That’s A really Great Idea.”
— Gabriel Crouch, Princeton University
A successful Project One to establish our community presence in May 2023
An inaugural season of three projects beginning Fall of 2023
Workshops in West Windsor, Plainsboro High Schools to educate talented youth in performance practice
Full 501(c)3 status by end of year 2023
What We’re Working Towards
Our Name
Andersen’s Nightingale is named after the fairy tale “The Nightingale” written by danish author Hans Christian Andersen. Set in imperial era China, it tells the story of a nightingale whose song is “the most excellent of all.” The emperor soon employs the bird to sing for him every day. The fame of this nightingale draws admirers, but also a challenger in the form of a jewel encrusted, clockwork nightingale who sings the same song, perfectly, every time, on demand. Ultimately, the clockwork bird wears out and its song becomes predictable and less beautiful. This coincides with a rapid decline in the emperor’s health and on his deathbed the real nightingale returns and his song heals the emperor.
There is a particular passage in this tale that has always stuck out to me. It reads:
“For you see my lords and ladies, and our Imperial Majesty, one can never predict what the real nightingale will sing. But with the artificial bird everything is predetermined. There is only one way for the song to turn out, and this song can stand up to examination. The bird can be pried open and explained in human terms: where the wheels are located, how they turn around, how one follows the other…”
I have observed that present day criticism and canonization of classical music has created an atmosphere where the “human terms” of tonal theory and the “predetermined” rigor of the musical text is nearly the only metric of successful musical performance. Even the well-meaning and passionate efforts of the historical performance movement have, more often than not, simply redefined the meaning of “Urtext” or, “true-text”. Conversely, I have observed that it is the heartfelt desire of most musicians to find a new way. Our ensemble strives to to disrupt the expectations surrounding classical music performances and create a new atmosphere where excitement is demanded and creativity, adored.
This simple story that was read to me as a child has been a touchstone on my journey as an artist even to this day. So, when I was thinking about what I wanted to achieve with this ensemble, what ideas I wanted it to inspire, which nightingale I wanted it to be, it became clear what it should be named.
— Bradley King, Artistic Director