Today we’d like to introduce you to Matthew Guard. The team at Skylark shared the story with us below.
Skylark was founded in 2011 in Atlanta, Georgia by Matthew Guard, as an experiment in returning to the world of music (Matthew pursued music in college, but post-college was in a management consulting career). The group moved to the Greater Boston area in 2016 and is currently beginning its third subscription series in the greater Boston area.
Skylark is a premier vocal ensemble of leading American vocal soloists, chamber musicians, and music educators. Skylark’s dramatic performances have been described as “gripping” (The Times of London), “exquisite… thrilling” (Gramophone Magazine), and “awe-inspiring” (Boston Music Intelligencer). With “some of Boston’s best singers” (Boston Globe), the voices of Skylark “can sway you softly into calm and then all but throw you across the room with sheer harmonic force” (Thought Catalog).
Skylark strives to set the standard for innovative and engaging programs that re-define the choral experience for audiences and singers alike. Artistic Director Matthew Guard’s well-researched and creative programs have been described as “engrossing” (WQXR New York) and “original, stimulating, and beautiful” (BBC Radio 3). Skylark’s most recent three recordings all reached the top 10 of Billboard’s Traditional Classical Chart, earning praise for “imaginative” programming (Limelight Australia) and “singing of the highest standard for any area or any repertoire” (Classics Today).
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The challenges Skylark faces are likely the same for any new, growing arts organization: funding and audience building. What we find is that someone who comes to hear us is generally “hooked” — but determining how to get that person to a concert is challenging.
Additionally, funding is always a concern — no arts organization can sustainably fund its operations through ticket sales alone, so finding donors and foundations is a necessity.
Skylark Vocal Ensemble – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the others?
Thematic programming is Artistic Director Matthew Guard’s passion. We truly believe in the power of the unaccompanied human voice to communicate at a visceral level. It is a particular challenge to weave together a program that can keep someone riveted for 60-odd minutes.
While there are some true masterworks of the a cappella repertoire that Skylark has joyfully tackled (like the All-Night Vigil of Rachmaninoff and Poulenc’s Figure Humaine), the substantial body of unaccompanied choral literature consists of small gems — pieces that last between two and six minutes. Finding a home for these pieces can be hard.
What is the right context that can bring a piece to life? How can we provide the emotional impetus to allow a piece to be truly understood? How can we get our singers and our audience to engage fully in a piece in a language that they do not understand?
The result of this focus on programming is unique, never-before-heard combinations of music that help tell a story, convey a theme or a feeling. These programs have been described as “engrossing” (WQXR New York) and “original, stimulating, and beautiful” (BBC Radio 3).
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Receiving recognition for the quality of Skylark’s recordings (Top 10 on Billboard Traditional Classical for our last three albums) and the quality of our live performances (with the Times of London describing our performance in March 2018 as the “highlight” of a festival that included the world’s top professional choirs) were definitely proud moments.
Pricing:
- $10 student and music educator tickets are also always available
Contact Info:
- Website: www.skylarkvocalensemble.org
- Phone: 404-395-0498
- Email: info@skylarkensemble.org
- Instagram: @skylarkensemble
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SkylarkVocalEnsemble/
- Twitter: @skylarkensemble
Image Credit:
Sasha Greenhalgh
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