Chamber players add voices in weekend concerts

November 7, 2025 | By Waterbury Roundabout 

Marking their 20th season, the Eleva Chamber Players are collaborating this weekend with Counterpoint, Vermont’s professional choral ensemble in performances Saturday in Waterbury and Sunday in Waitsfield.

Eleva Chamber Players perform at the Round Barn in Waitsfield. Courtesy photo

The program titled “Nordic Sunrise” will feature Mendelssohn’s Sinfonia No. 1 in C Major and Swedish composer Dag Ivar Wirén’s Serenade for Strings, Opus 11. Counterpoint joins Eleva to perform Danish/Vermont composer Erik Nielsen’s O Mistress Mine and Norwegian composer Ola Gjeilo’s atmospheric Sunrise Mass. 

The collaboration is a special effort celebrating the chamber players’ anniversary. “Eleva began as a dream in 2005—to create a professional string orchestra with the mission of harnessing the power of music to elevate the human spirit,” said Eleva Chamber Players’ founder Willie Docto. “We are thrilled to have flourished for 20 years and to be collaborating with Nathaniel Lew and his amazing Counterpoint singers.”

Eleva Chamber Players is Central Vermont’s only professional string chamber orchestra known for its performances that combine fine musicianship with dialogue to be both educational and inspiring. The conductor-less orchestra uses a collaborative process among its professional musicians from Vermont and around the United States. 

Counterpoint chorus. Courtesy photo

Counterpoint likewise has enjoyed a long tenure on the Vermont arts scene. Founded by choral director and arranger Robert De Cormier in 2000 and based in Montpelier, Counterpoint performs choral chamber music and engages with student musicians in Vermont and beyond. Praised for its “clarity, skill” and “sophisticated musical expressiveness,” Counterpoint performs throughout New England and beyond and has numerous recordings. Counterpoint’s varied repertory includes folksongs from around the world, including African-American spirituals, sacred music of many traditions, and works by classical composers past and present.  

Saturday’s concert is at 3 p.m. at the Waterbury Congregational Church. Sunday’s concert is also at 3 p.m. at The Inn at Round Barn Farm with a pre-concert reception. Tickets ($35 general admission) are available online in advance (recommended) or at the door if not sold out. A limited number of tickets are available free for individuals with limited income; student tickets are $5.