Singing in the Abbey

Singing in the Abbey (SITA) is a female quartet comprising piano, upright bass, cello, violin, and vocals. The quartet originated in Chicago, Illinois, in 2008, and self-released their debut album, Wake Up, Sardis!, to a sold-out crowd at the acclaimed Chicago venue, The Hideout. Annie Higgins (piano-vocals), Katie Cooper (violin-vocals), Donna Miller (cello), and Diana Knight (upright bass) use strings and piano to create "a soundtrack to shadows in an old castle-" (Tom Lynch, Newcity). While their sound does not fall into an already existing genre, the ladies walk a fine line between classical and moody chamber alt pop.
These four women originally came together in 2008 to add strings to an album that Annie Higgins had written and recorded at Chicago Recording Company with Grayson Elliott Taylor. After their first meeting, it was clear that the strings were not going to just function to support the piano, but had a character of their own. Their melodic string arrangements continue to be one of their distinctive sounds, and are evident throughout Wake Up, Sardis!
The name of the band comes from a line from the song "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?" from the famous Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The Sound of Music. The ladies from Singing in the Abbey often reference The Sound of Music in their own music, and can be seen wearing their signature Austrian dresses at shows.
Since its release on January 14, 2010, Wake Up, Sardis! has garnered strong reviews from various Chicago critics. Tom Lynch of Chicago's Newcity says the album "successfully pours minimalist classical piano through an alt-pop filter. The result, moody and at times even gothic, is a soundtrack to shadows in an old castle."
The album was recorded in Ann Arbor, Michigan, with Jim Roll of Backseat Productions and featured Dan Piccolo on percussion and Brandon Cooper on trumpet.
The quartet was the featured artist for the 'Chicago Under the Dome' series, at the Chicago Cultural Center, on March 11, 2010. In May 2010, Singing in the Abbey will be the featured artist in the May publication of Fogged Clarity.

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