What does the romantic life of a prairie vole have in common with a mystic’s quest for God? How does a compassionate gesture from a monk link to the chemical workings of the brain?

The Brattleboro Concert Choir, the Jubilee Children’s Chorus, the Limbic System Percussion Ensemble and Matt Hensrud, tenor, join together to explore the origin and nature of love in the premier performance of Paul Dedell’s Songs of Divine Chemistry on January 16, 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, January 17, at 3 p.m. at the Latchis Theatre in downtown Brattleboro, Vermont.

Composer Paul Dedell uses the mystical poetry of Hafiz, St. Francis, Rabia, Tukarum, Rumi and others as the basis for much of the music in this new work. In a surprising twist, but completely without irony, he alternates these texts with excerpts from scientific writings on how the brain learns love in this daring new choral work.

“The mystics hold that divine love is experienced in the ordinary things of life,” says Songs of Divine Chemistry media designer Finn Campman. “These great poets urge us to look at what is close by: musical instruments, the gaze of animals, fields and forest, water and sky.”

Contemporary neuroscience, because of recent advances in technology, has been able to literally look closely at the chemical workings of the brain, producing a vast new body of thought about how the brain learns and changes. Although these two approaches to the nature of love may seem polar opposite, what emerges is a fascinating intersection of ideas, at least in the vision of composer Paul Dedell.

“This is an amazing piece,” says production director Susan Dedell, who doubles as wife of the composer. “I can’t think of any other piece of music that explores this territory, and yet it is perhaps the most consuming topic throughout the history of human existence. It asks the question: is love -- in all its permutations -- an earth bound result of certain brain machinations or does it extend to other ineffable spheres of existence?”

It’s provocative, passionate, lyrical, funny -- and tenderly poignant at times. “One minute I want to laugh, the next to cry. In short, it is a mystical experience for the human voice, body and soul,” observes soprano Margery McCrum.

This is the second major choral work that Paul Dedell has written for the Brattleboro Concert Choir. In 2001, his Alfred Nash Patterson award winning “Come Life, Shaker Life” was presented to sold out crowds in multiple performances, including a performance at the Canterbury Shaker Village. He has an extensive background in theatrical scoring, locally collaborating with Sandglass Theater and Marlboro College.

Joining the Brattleboro Concert Choir for this production is the newly formed Jubilee Children’s Chorus. The children’s chorus is made up of twenty-two dynamic young singers from various local schools that were auditioned and assembled specifically for this piece. “This is probably the only children’s chorus in the world who sing about compassionate rabbits and neuromodulating chemicals in the same performance,” says director Susan Dedell. “Their singing is a vibrant and fresh, and they approach this music with gusto and insight.”

Accompanying the piece is a dynamic percussion ensemble made up of marimba, vibraphone, bells, gongs, and ethnic drums of all kinds. Percussion is at the heart of this piece, giving it a shifting tapestry of movement, texture, and soul. “The expressive range of percussion instruments is fabulous,” says director Susan Dedell, “and these are great players.” The Limbic System Percussion Ensemble consists of Doug Perkins, Bill Solomon, Russel Greenberg, Steve Rice, Jen Rice, and Julian Gerstin.

Tenor Matt Hensrud is an emerging young voice in the contemporary music scene in New York City, most recently premiering a work of Steve Reich’s with the Signal Ensemble. He is equally at home with early music; his 2008 performance in the St. Matthew Passion at the Brooklyn Academy of Music was called “revelatory” by the New York Times.

The piece is accompanied by digital film projections created by filmmaker Finn Campman. Campman’s work is noted for its stunning use of visual metaphor. “His work adds another dimension to this piece,” says director Susan Dedell. “He has created a visual landscape of emotion and imagination.”

Songs of Divine Chemistry was commissioned by the Brattleboro Concert Choir in honor of the 100th birthday of chorus founder Blanche Moyse, in gratitude for the gift of love in the form of music that she has given to the wider community. In the words of the great Sufi poet Hafiz: “it acts like love, music.”

The Brattleboro Concert Choir is a program of the Brattleboro Music Center. Tickets for Songs of Divine Chemistry on Saturday, January 16, 7:30 pm and Sunday, January 17, 3 pm, at the Latchis Theatre, are $15 adults, $10 students 18 and under. For tickets and additional information please contact the BMC at 802-257-4523 or visit www.bmcvt.org.