(Credit: John C Hawthorne)

Caramoor is set to present The Crossing in a socially distanced performance on July 3, 2021.

The showcase, entitled “The Forest,” features 24 singers situated around the Caramoor grounds while audience members walk through the soundscape and landscape.

The work’s libretto features texts from Scott Russell Sanders’ essay “Mind in the Forest.” Music was composed by conductor Donald Nally and assistant conductor Kevin Vondrak.

“Caramoor is an oasis of discovered vistas and stunning surprises as you turn each corner of ‘The Forest’s’ path; the singers of The Crossing merge with the trees, plants, and sprawling lawns of this iconic estate in an organic way that allows the words of our pandemic experience to appear to emerge from the earth and hang in the branches above. It is a perfect marriage of music, ensemble, and venue for our first visit to Caramoor – as memorable for our ensemble as we hope it will be for listeners,” said Nally, who will also conduct the concert, in a press release.

The showcase was designed by Paul Vasquez and uses an amplified system ECHOES (Ex-Covid Haptotropic Optimistic Electrophonic Sound). Each singer is equipped with an ECHOES kit, allowing them to stand away safely from audience members, who will make their way along a path lined with speakers.

The experience is expected to take around 30 minutes.