Voce Morta
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Originally called His Majestie’s Clerkes, the group was launched in 1982 by countertenor Richard Childress. He wanted to perform music of the Tudor period, and recruited professional singers who shared that interest, including Heider, a composer and music professor at Roosevelt University. When Childress left in ’89 to pursue his career in England, Heider took over. She led the group through the 90s, when audiences and money “rolled in,” and by ’95 was able to hire a part-time manager. “It seemed simple then,” Heider recalls. “Like the Field of Dreams–if it’s beautiful, they will come.” But after 2000, ticket sales softened and pressure began building for Bella Voce to change its programming, which had already expanded beyond Tudor music to include modern and commissioned works.
Disbanding the group wasn’t part of the plan, she says. “All through the 90s [the board] wanted this ensemble to become a permanent part of Chicago’s art scene. We had a strategic plan that was already three years old that was aimed at establishing it as an institution.” (The name change, to reflect the broader repertoire, had been made in 2001.) The board began a search for Heider’s successor, and a list of candidates was whittled down to three, who were scheduled to audition as guest conductors in the 2005-’06 season.
Mackevich says she “can’t discuss” the circumstances behind her resignation from the $150,000-plus position, but the turn of events took her by surprise. She expects to continue working, “but where I’m not sure.”
