![Verdigris-129.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmR2jhJSMAonp6AcFhR7hakdfZXzYTWJiYoQLR5kaqJa7b/Verdigris-129.jpg)

In my experience with professional singing as both performer and audience member, the process is often tightly closed. We don’t share what isn’t perfect, what hasn’t been finely tuned. The videos and photos shared on social media represent only the most beautiful moments. The gloriously glistening near-perfection of choral concerts is often the only interaction the community has with the ensemble.

Talking with Sam, our artistic director, as we navigate the germinal stages of establishing a professional ensemble, I’ve felt a sense of inspiration similar to what I experienced during elementary methods at Westminster Choir College. My professor challenged us to consider the merit of “informance” versus performance. Informance welcomes the audience into the process, sharing games, activities, and warm-ups alongside polished pieces, while the other attempts to present only the absolute most bestest work that nervous elementary music students can muster up for their audience of adoring family members. 

One of the persistent themes in conversations, presentations, and late night brainstorm sessions about the mission of Verdigris is the desire for the group to share process as well as product. Although we are a group of professional musicians presenting a professional product, the concept of “informance” has crept into our vision of the group’s interaction with the world. 

We want to provide audiences thoughtfully programmed concerts of depth and beauty while also opening windows into the rehearsal and organizational path we walk to reach performance level. Most of the joy, connection, and transformation that we experience as musicians occurs during those hours of rehearsal and preparation, and I am grateful to watch the growth of an organization that invites its community into the process. 

This blog will serve as one of several windows into the growth of the Verdigris Ensemble. As resources continue to grow, other windows will begin to open, and I will eagerly point you to them. 

We wholeheartedly invite you to watch us grow. The path will not always be straight-forward but we are excited to share our journey.

Written by Erinn Sensenig. For more blog posts, check out:

https://www.verdigrismusic.org/blog/