When the ENCORE Chorus comes together, something remarkable happens. Voices rise together, melodies take shape, and the room fills with a feeling of mutual joy. This is not just the pursuit of perfection, but a celebration of presence.

An intergenerational ensemble formed in 2024 and offered through the Eastman Community Music School, the ENCORE Chorus stands at the intersection of music, community, and care. On May 18, the chorus will share that spirit with the public in a special concert that invites audiences not just to listen, but to witness the power of music to bring people together in profound and lasting ways.

ENCORE—an acronym chosen by its members, meaning “Every New Connection Offers Resonating Experiences”—is the only dementia-friendly chorus in the world housed at a major music school and supported by a leading medical research center. The program brings together individuals living with dementia, their care partners, students, and volunteers in a shared musical space where every voice is valued. While the chorus has steadily grown over the past year, this spring performance offers a chance to share their progress more fully with the public.

A CELEBRATION OF PRESENCE: Michael Alan Anderson founded ENCORE Chorus in 2024. Photo Credit: Meg Tyo.

But what sets ENCORE apart is not just its structure. It is the atmosphere it creates. “Our performances are not about presenting a polished product,” says founder Michael Alan Anderson, professor of musicology at Eastman and a music historian whose work has long centered on choral traditions. “They’re about creating a moment to gather and experience the joy of making music together.” That philosophy is evident in recent rehearsals, where musical progress is measured not only in notes learned, but in connections formed, leading to some surprising discoveries. “The eagerness to learn new things—and not just remember old songs—is heartening,” he says.

At the center of this spring’s concert is a new work by Eastman’s Professor of Music Teaching and Learning Philip Silvey, titled Here We Are. Written specifically for ENCORE, the piece reflects both the practical considerations of the ensemble and the deeper emotional landscape it inhabits.

Silvey adapted his compositional approach to meet the needs of the chorus, carefully shaping vocal ranges and simplifying rhythmic elements to ensure accessibility while preserving musical interest. The result is a work that invites participation without sacrificing expressive depth. “I decided to simplify and unify a syncopated rhythmic figure throughout the piece,” Silvey explains. “The chorus sings in unison at the octave (high voices/low voices), but I added a few cue notes for an optional harmony part and ended with one brief passage where the chorus enters in three-part canon as they bring back the opening motive. I believe these choices make the piece more accessible.”

The title itself carries particular resonance. Inspired by the final musical by Stephen Sondheim, Here We Are becomes, in this context, a meditation on presence and a moment to reflect on his own late father’s progression through the stages of diminishing memory. “Conceptually, it’s the simple acknowledgement of living in the present—accepting what is,” Silvey says. “In this moment we can only be where we are.” That idea finds powerful expression in the ENCORE Chorus, where each rehearsal—and each performance—is rooted in the immediacy of shared experience.

A FOCUS ON JOY: Erica Porter Smith brings warmth and creativity when conducting the chorus. Photo Credit: Meg Tyo.

Guiding that experience is Erica Porter Smith, a board-certified music therapist and the chorus’ music director. Her approach balances musical structure with responsiveness, allowing rehearsals to adapt to the needs and energy of the group. “There are two levels of connection that I look for,” Smith explains. “Neural connectivity and interpersonal connections with other chorus members.” In practice, that means watching for moments of recognition—a shift from confusion to clarity, from tension to ease—as well as fostering conversation, movement, and interaction among participants. Music becomes both the medium and the catalyst.

As the concert approaches, Smith and her colleagues remain flexible, shaping the program in ways that support the singers’ comfort and confidence. “We will make adaptations to the music if needed,” she says. “There is more focus on the joy of making music than any performance-related stress.”

That emphasis has led to something equally meaningful offstage: the growth of a true community. “The most noticeable change is how comfortable and genuinely grateful they are to make music with this community they have created,” Smith says. “Witnessing the friendships form between members has been incredible.”

ENCORE: Members of the chorus shares smiles and make lasting connections. Photo Credits: Meg Tyo.

For composer Philip Silvey, hearing his work take shape with ENCORE revealed something deeper than sound alone. “The singers appeared to enjoy singing the composition and I was pleased to hear how it fit nicely in their voices and ears—something a choral composer never really knows for sure until hearing a work sung,” Silvey says. “The most delightful surprise was seeing the eyes of the caregivers light up as they sang the composition. I could feel how much it meant to them.”

For audiences attending the May performance, that sense of connection will be palpable. ENCORE Chorus offers something rare: a glimpse into music as a living, human exchange. Michael Alan Anderson describes it as an “afterglow”—a feeling that lingers long after the final note. “Success, for me, is when the singers and their care partners leave with a visible lift,” he says. “These delights carry beyond the event.”

In that way, the ENCORE Chorus is not only a program, but a model—one that reimagines what a chorus can be, and who it is for.

Introducing ENCORE: Learn more about ENCORE from founder Michael Alan Anderson, who shares what’s at the heart of this initiative: “We are simply trying to pass time together in a positive environment through music.”

ECMS Springfest – ENCORE Chorus
Monday, May 18, 2026
12:30 p.m. | Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre
(This is a livestreamed 4K multi-cam concert)