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Quintessential
"We'll sing anything that moves"
The newest addition to the Berkshire a cappella scene, Quintessential was formed in January of 2003. The men of Quintessential, tenors Al Thorp, Jay Wise and Jim McMenamy and bass/baritones John Miner and David Anderegg, are all current or former members of the Berkshire Bach Society singers. They are also veteran performers who have appeared with several other local musical groups, including the Stockbridge Festival Chorus, Earth Angels, the Berkshire Concert Choir, Great Barrington Performing Arts, the Berkshire Opera, Shaker Mountain Festival, and the Lorien Ensemble.
Since its debut performance at the Memorial Day (2003) celebration in Stockbridge, Quintessential has gone on to appearances in a wide variety of music venues. Quintessential has made regular holiday appearances at the Red Lion Inn and performed an annual program of love songs for Valentine's Day at the Norman Rockwell Museum and at Ventfort Hall. Appearances at churches throughout the area have featured the group's original psalm settings and Christmas carols and old-time gospel favorites. The group has sung gospel and blues at the Berkshire Theatre Festival, barbershop favorites at classic baseball games at Wahconah Park, and the national anthem for the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park in 2004. In 2005, Quintessential premiered its original song "Feel the Love (and Turn Off Your Cellphones)" at the Berkshire Fringe Festival, performed a program of Americana for a standing-room only crowd at the Norman Rockwell Museum, and sang gospel favorites at a Hurricane Katrina benefit concert in September. In December of 2005, Quintessential performed the world premiere of the Christmas-themed all-a cappella opera, What Owls Do, featuring original libretto and music by the quintet's own David Anderegg. Last year, the group put on the ten-gallon hats and cowboy boots for a program of cowboy music to celebrate the Frederick Remington exhibit at the Norman Rockwell Museum and appeared at Pittsfield's newly renovated Colonial Theatre.
Quintessential sings in the widest possible variety of musical styles. At present, the repertoire includes gospel, reggae, classical, barbershop, American standards, classic rock and funk, as well as original liturgical and popular music. In the future, plans are to embrace even more musical genres, including grand opera, and to perform another original opera, The Beasts. Quintessential aims to make good on its promise: "We'll sing anything that moves."