Founder and Artistic Director

Night Song, founded in 2008 by Daryl Bichel, was inspired by the practice of compline at St. Mark's Cathedral in Seattle. A composer of sacred music, Bichel has contributed to the modern chant used at Night Song, as well as hymns, psalm settings, and choral works. To date he has written four unique chant settings for compline that are used as the basic structure for Night Song.

Bichel received the BA degree in music from Augustana University in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and was awarded Master of Music degrees in performance of early music and in organ performance from the New England Conservatory. Holding a strong interest in singing, he has been a member of several church choirs, including the choir of men and boys at The Parish of All Saints, Ashmont. For many years he has sung in the bass section with the Seraphim Singers, and has sung for Night Song since its inception.

He has served on the board of directors for Blue Heron Renaissance Choir, Capella Clausura, and the Old West Organ Society, and is currently in his sixth year as president of the board for Seraphim. Throughout his career he has been an active member of the Boston Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, having served on the Executive Committee in many capacities, and is currently treasurer.

Bichel's sacred music posts have included Lutheran churches, Episcopal parishes, an Episcopal cathedral, and an Episcopal monastic community. He is currently organist at St. Joseph's Parish in Needham, Massachusetts.

Co-Director, Beneficia lucis

Boston-based conductor Holly Druckman is in demand as a smart, sensitive performer of early and contemporary music. In addition to her work with Night Song, Ms. Druckman is the founder and artistic director of Carduus, a chamber choir dedicated to exploring the early and modern choral repertoire. In addition, Ms. Druckman is the director of Vox Lucens, choirmaster of Opera51, and regularly works with other local choirs and instrumental ensembles.

She has premiered and had pieces written for her by Stratis Minakakis, Derek David, Ty Bouque, Ben Yee-Paulson, Jacob Hiser, Mattia Maurée, Linda Chase, Max Grafe, and Bernie Zelitch. In 2022, she was the inaugural Mario Davidovsky conducting fellow at Brandeis’ annual Composer’s Conference, assisting Vimbayi Kaziboni and the Conference Ensemble. Most recently, she served as choirmaster and assistant conductor for Odyssey Opera’s production of “Awakenings” by Tobias Picker.

Director, Canticum vespertinum
Co-Director, Beneficia lucis

Jennifer Lester is among the outstanding choral conductors of her generation. Her expertise in chironomy, a method of directing the singing of Gregorian chant by hand gestures indicating the rise and fall of the melody, is particularly valuable at Night Song.

Jennifer is the founder and Music Director of the Seraphim Singers. She is a strong supporter of new music and that of young and emerging composers, having commissioned over 20 new works, mostly for Seraphim’s repertoire.

She has served as Music Director at the Church of Our Saviour in Brookline and as Associate Music Director and Organist of St Paul Parish in Cambridge. She is a past dean of the Boston Chapter of the American Guild of Organists.

A Fulbright scholar, Jennifer holds degrees from the New England Conservatory and Yale University.

Modal Improvisateur

Composer, pianist, and author Ben Schwendener sustains a unique voice in contemporary creative music and is a leading authority on George Russell's Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization. Based on work presented in his book Organic Music Theory, he has given lectures, workshops and seminars at Universities and institutions around the world.

Schwendener has been on the faculty at the New England Conservatory and Longy School of Music of Bard College for 30+ years, and recently began teaching a new course he designed in Applied Modal Analysis (the title of his forthcoming book).

He has also designed classes for non-musicians, based on the inter-discipline correspondences of Organic Music Theory for the Creative and Critical Thinking Department in the Graduate College of Education at UMass Boston.

As a touring artist, his groups include the Bach Trio with Domenico Bothelo and Henry Godfrey, Mobile Trio with drummer Kenwood Dennard and bassist Marc Friedman, LYRIC with singer Carley DeFranco, and collaborations with Angelo Dello Iacono and the Swiss dance company ADN Dialect. 

Staff Composer, First Church in Cambridge

Composer, violinist, and poet Patricia Van Ness draws upon elements of medieval and Renaissance music to create a signature voice that has been hailed by musicians, audiences, and critics.

She has been called a modern-day Hildegard von Bingen (1, 2) with her ability to compose music “ecstatic and ethereal,” “both ancient and new” (2,3). As in medieval aesthetics, her music and poetry explore the relationship between beauty and the Divine.

Her work-in-progress is Music for the Psalms, creating a new anthem for each of the 150 psalms. Her psalm settings are sung regularly at Night Song.

She has been commissioned, recorded, and performed by many ensembles, including The King’s Singers; St. Martin’s Voices, St. Martin in the Fields; The Heidelberg New Music Festival; and Chanticleer, among numerous others, and performed internationally.

For more information and scores please go to www.patriciavanness.com.

1. Gary Higginson, Music Web UK
2. Gaby Beinhorn, Suedwestrundfunk, Germany
3. Susan Larson, The Boston Globe