FETTER & AIR

FETTER & AIR is an immersive recorded sound installation, a catharsis for 2020, and a chance to feel the power of a live symphonic choral concert virtually, safely, and in the beauty of the outdoors in the heart of the city.   Expressing both grief and hope, this uplifting, ethereal, looping 25-minute virtual chorus performance features the original words of singers from the Mendelssohn Chorus of Philadelphia (MCP), spoken and sung in their own voices, and set to the music of composer Dominick DiOrio, MCP’s artistic director and conductor. The 562 audio files were then mixed, edited, mastered and designed for the sound installation by consultant, producer, musician, and engineer Justin “JG” Geller.

Please note that the words in this sound installation contain personal reflections from individuals about their hopes, worries, dreams, fears, anxieties, and joys and that some of these reflections may be potentially triggering for some individuals. 

The premiere installation took place on Saturday, May 15 and Sunday May 16, 2021 at The Rail Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

FETTER & AIR was commissioned by and is dedicated to the Mendelssohn Chorus of Philadelphia. Music and Text Copyright © 2021 by Dominick DiOrio. All rights reserved. 

The commissioning and premiere performance installation of FETTER & AIR was made possible with the support of The Presser Foundation, with additional support provided by Frank Cassel, Ellie and Tom Elkinton, Elizabeth Hohwieler, Carolyn and Bernie Linarello, Mark Pinzur, Maria Sisto and Michael Schaedle, Jane Uptegrove, and Aiko and Greg Whiting.

Special thanks to Rich Tolsma, James Copes, and Tolsma Productions for their work in creating the documentary video of this sound installation.

Additional special thanks to Meg Morris for coming up with the title of our project.

Abigail Chapman, soprano
Lucas DeJesus, bass-baritone
Sierra Fox, mezzo-soprano
Donald Hunt, baritone
Jina Jang, soprano
Kelsey Lewis, mezzo-soprano
John Meyer, baritone
Langelihle Mngxati, bass
Alize Rozsnyai, soprano
Michael Robert Smith, tenor
Karina Sweeney, mezzo-soprano
D’quan Tyson, tenor

Ting Ting Wong, piano

Brendan Fullam, synthesizer

Kyle Conner, flute

Amanda Pfannenstiel, bassoon

Albert Crawford, trombone

Mark Davidson, trombone

Sandy Rea, “Dona Nobis Pacem” solo

The following 61 individuals submitted recordings of their original spoken words, reflections on their anxieties and hopes:

Brenda Bary
Paul Burgmayer
Jamie Caporizo
Christopher Carriero
Frank Cassel
Chris Chaapel
Abigail Chapman
Kyle Conner
Kate Courter
Amanda Davis
Hannah Davis
Lindsay Dever
Michael Dolan
Erin Donovan
Robin Eaton
Ellie Elkinton
Sierra Fox
Teri Gemberling-Johnson
Donald Gilchrist
Steven Glasser
Katherine Haas
Jennifer Hay
Elizabeth Hohwieler
Donald Hunt
Jina Jang
Nancy Jantsch
William Jantsch
Lynn Kirby
Jon Kochavi
John Kohlhas
Jillian Kunze
William Kunze
Kelsey Lewis
Liz Maninfior
Sean Martin
Alexandra McFadden
Ilene Miller
Michael Moore
Amanda Pfannenstiel
Kate Philips-Kaiser
Mark Pinzur
Sandy Rea
Rebecca Rendsburg
Rebecca Roberts
Daniel Rosen
Kyle Sheehan
Jennifer Sheffield
Dan Simpson
Erik Stenswold
Javvieaus Stewart
Karina Sweeney
Marie Tavianini
Laura Temoyan
Rich Tolsma
Steven Ullman
Jane Uptegrove
Jonathan Wallace
Aiko Whiting
Ting Ting Wong
Zach Zaitlin
Luke Zhu

The following 67 singers submitted recordings of their singing using their own interpretations and improvisations of the composer’s sheet music:

Sopranos
Rachel Castro-Diephouse
Abigail Chapman
Amanda Davis
Roberta Fischer
Teri Gemberling-Johnson
Elizabeth Hohwieler
Jina Jang
Lynn Kirby
Jillian Kunze
Ilene Miller
Amanda Pfannenstiel
Kate Phillips-Kaiser
Roberta Rote
Alize Rozsnyai
Marie Tavianini
Rebecca Thornburgh
Kathryn Wadsworth

Altos
Rachele Armstrong
Brenda Bary
Christine Chaapel
Kate Courter
Hannah Davis
Lindsay Dever
Erin Donovan
Robin Eaton
Sierra Fox
Anne Gold
Katherine Haas
Samantha Kamen
Kelsey Lewis
Alexandra McFadden
Rebecca Rendsburg
Gabrielle Rinkus
Rebecca Roberts
Jennifer Sheffield
Javvieaus Stewart
Karina Sweeney
Jane Uptegrove
Aiko Whiting

Tenors
Frank Cassel
Kyle Conner
William Kunze
Jim Light
Sean Martin
John Meyer
Kyle Sheehan
Michael Robert Smith
D’quan Tyson
Steve Ullman
Zach Zaitlin
Luke Zhu

Basses
Evan Birnholz
Lucas DeJesus
Michael Dolan
Brendan Fullam
Donald Gilchrist
Steven Glasser
Donald Hunt
Jon Kochavi
Martin Levitas
Langelihle Mngxati
Michael Moore
Sandy Rea
Daniel Rosen
Erik Stenswold
Thomas Sutton
Jonathan Wallace

FETTER & AIR is an immersive recorded sound installation, a catharsis for 2020, and a chance to feel the power of a live symphonic choral concert virtually, safely, and in the beauty of the outdoors in the heart of the city.   Expressing both grief and hope, this uplifting, ethereal, looping 25-minute virtual chorus performance features the original words of singers from the Mendelssohn Chorus of Philadelphia (MCP), spoken and sung in their own voices, and set to the music of composer Dominick DiOrio, MCP’s artistic director and conductor. The 562 audio files were then mixed, edited, mastered and designed for the sound installation by consultant, producer, musician, and engineer Justin “JG” Geller.

Please note that the words in this sound installation contain personal reflections from individuals about their hopes, worries, dreams, fears, anxieties, and joys and that some of these reflections may be potentially triggering for some individuals. 

The premiere installation took place on Saturday, May 15 and Sunday May 16, 2021 at The Rail Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

FETTER & AIR was commissioned by and is dedicated to the Mendelssohn Chorus of Philadelphia. Music and Text Copyright © 2021 by Dominick DiOrio. All rights reserved. 

The commissioning and premiere performance installation of FETTER & AIR was made possible with the support of The Presser Foundation, with additional support provided by Frank Cassel, Ellie and Tom Elkinton, Elizabeth Hohwieler, Carolyn and Bernie Linarello, Mark Pinzur, Maria Sisto and Michael Schaedle, Jane Uptegrove, and Aiko and Greg Whiting.

Special thanks to Rich Tolsma, James Copes, and Tolsma Productions for their work in creating the documentary video of this sound installation.

Additional special thanks to Meg Morris for coming up with the title of our project.

Abigail Chapman, soprano
Lucas DeJesus, bass-baritone
Sierra Fox, mezzo-soprano
Donald Hunt, baritone
Jina Jang, soprano
Kelsey Lewis, mezzo-soprano
John Meyer, baritone
Langelihle Mngxati, bass
Alize Rozsnyai, soprano
Michael Robert Smith, tenor
Karina Sweeney, mezzo-soprano
D’quan Tyson, tenor

Ting Ting Wong, piano

Brendan Fullam, synthesizer

Kyle Conner, flute

Amanda Pfannenstiel, bassoon

Albert Crawford, trombone

Mark Davidson, trombone

Sandy Rea, “Dona Nobis Pacem” solo

The following 61 individuals submitted recordings of their original spoken words, reflections on their anxieties and hopes:

Brenda Bary
Paul Burgmayer
Jamie Caporizo
Christopher Carriero
Frank Cassel
Chris Chaapel
Abigail Chapman
Kyle Conner
Kate Courter
Amanda Davis
Hannah Davis
Lindsay Dever
Michael Dolan
Erin Donovan
Robin Eaton
Ellie Elkinton
Sierra Fox
Teri Gemberling-Johnson
Donald Gilchrist
Steven Glasser
Katherine Haas
Jennifer Hay
Elizabeth Hohwieler
Donald Hunt
Jina Jang
Nancy Jantsch
William Jantsch
Lynn Kirby
Jon Kochavi
John Kohlhas
Jillian Kunze
William Kunze
Kelsey Lewis
Liz Maninfior
Sean Martin
Alexandra McFadden
Ilene Miller
Michael Moore
Amanda Pfannenstiel
Kate Philips-Kaiser
Mark Pinzur
Sandy Rea
Rebecca Rendsburg
Rebecca Roberts
Daniel Rosen
Kyle Sheehan
Jennifer Sheffield
Dan Simpson
Erik Stenswold
Javvieaus Stewart
Karina Sweeney
Marie Tavianini
Laura Temoyan
Rich Tolsma
Steven Ullman
Jane Uptegrove
Jonathan Wallace
Aiko Whiting
Ting Ting Wong
Zach Zaitlin
Luke Zhu

The following 67 singers submitted recordings of their singing using their own interpretations and improvisations of the composer’s sheet music:

Sopranos
Rachel Castro-Diephouse
Abigail Chapman
Amanda Davis
Roberta Fischer
Teri Gemberling-Johnson
Elizabeth Hohwieler
Jina Jang
Lynn Kirby
Jillian Kunze
Ilene Miller
Amanda Pfannenstiel
Kate Phillips-Kaiser
Roberta Rote
Alize Rozsnyai
Marie Tavianini
Rebecca Thornburgh
Kathryn Wadsworth

Altos
Rachele Armstrong
Brenda Bary
Christine Chaapel
Kate Courter
Hannah Davis
Lindsay Dever
Erin Donovan
Robin Eaton
Sierra Fox
Anne Gold
Katherine Haas
Samantha Kamen
Kelsey Lewis
Alexandra McFadden
Rebecca Rendsburg
Gabrielle Rinkus
Rebecca Roberts
Jennifer Sheffield
Javvieaus Stewart
Karina Sweeney
Jane Uptegrove
Aiko Whiting

Tenors
Frank Cassel
Kyle Conner
William Kunze
Jim Light
Sean Martin
John Meyer
Kyle Sheehan
Michael Robert Smith
D’quan Tyson
Steve Ullman
Zach Zaitlin
Luke Zhu

Basses
Evan Birnholz
Lucas DeJesus
Michael Dolan
Brendan Fullam
Donald Gilchrist
Steven Glasser
Donald Hunt
Jon Kochavi
Martin Levitas
Langelihle Mngxati
Michael Moore
Sandy Rea
Daniel Rosen
Erik Stenswold
Thomas Sutton
Jonathan Wallace