Mixed Choral Ensemble from New York City, NY, United States.

Roomful of Teeth is an eight-voice vocal ensemble that embraces the full spectrum of vocal practices and, through an on-going commissioning project, develops new compositions for voices.

Founded in 2008 by singer, conductor and composer Brad Wells, Roomful of Teeth is built on the premise that the membranes that separate one vocal technique or style from another are permeable, that any singer can learn any "non-native" singing language.

In June 2009, in conjunction with Massachusetts Museum for Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA), Brad Wells and the members of Roomful of Teeth participated in a residency to learn non-Western vocal approaches and create new works.

International experts in a wide range of vocal techniques - throat singers Ayan-ool Sam and Sean Quirk of Alash, belting coach Gayle Lockwood, and master yodeler Kerry Christensen - trained the singers in their respective styles. Next, composers Judd Greenstein of NOW Ensemble and New Amsterdam Records, Rinde Eckert, finalist for the 2007 Pulitzer Prize in Drama, and Brian Simalchik of Williams College wrote music tailored specifically to the singers and their now wider range of vocal techniques. The collective performed these works, as well as compositions by members of the ensemble, (all music written in the space of eight days) to a sell out audience on Friday, June 26 at Mass MoCA.

The future of Roomful of Teeth will consist of performing, recording, teaching and, annually, holding similar residencies, working with an ever-widening circle of teachers and composers to forge a new repertoire of vocal music.