It started as a strange thought: Why not bring Madison's best choral singers together with a gifted conductor for two intensive weeks, and harness that collective creative energy for a single performance?

Do the math: The reputation of the conductor would draw the best and the brightest. The compressed commitment would allow even the busiest performer to lend a voice. And the combined intensity of rehearsal schedule, skill level, and artistic direction would contribute to a single, passionate, glorious burst of choral music. Then we could all go home and sleep.

Somehow, the idea struck a chord. The result is the Isthmus Vocal Ensemble, a professional-grade choral group whose existence is as transitory as the musical moment itself.