Roomful of Teeth coming to BYU-Idaho
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REXBURG — The experimental singing group Roomful of Teeth will perform in the Kirkham Auditorium at Brigham Young University-Idaho on Tuesday, January 10, at 7:30 p.m. as part of the Center Stage Performing Arts Series.
Roomful of Teeth, which won a Grammy in 2014, is a vocal project dedicated to mining the expressive potential of the human voice. Through study with masters from singing traditions the world over, the eight-voice ensemble continually expands its vocabulary of singing techniques and forges a new repertoire without borders.
Founded in 2009 by Brad Wells, the group gathers annually at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art in North Adams, Mass., where they have studied Tuvan throat singing, yodeling, belting, Inuit throat singing, Korean P’ansori, Georgian singing, Sardinian cantu a tenore, Hindustani music and Persian classical singing with some of the world’s top performers and teachers.
The project’s debut album, “Roomful of Teeth,” nominated in three categories for the 2014 Grammy Awards, including Best Engineer for Classical Album, Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance and Best Contemporary Classical Composition. The album subsequently received a Grammy for Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance.
In April 2013, ensemble member Caroline Shaw received the Pulitzer Prize for Music for “Partita for 8 Voices,” the four movements of which appear on the group’s debut album. An iTunes exclusive EP of “Partita” was subsequently released and ranked No. 1 on the iTunes Classical charts.
Tickets for the performance are $12 for the general public and $6 for BYU-Idaho students. They are available online at tickets.byui.edu or on school days from the University Store Ticket Office (208) 496-3170.