EarlyMusicNews.Org

“Vision:

Publick Musick seeks to be America's premier period instrument orchestra and choir dedicated to the performance of the music of Johann Sebastian Bach.

Mission:

Publick Musick seeks to achieve its vision through consummate performances of passion and power; devoting equal attention to both vocal and instrumental development and deriving inspiration from the work of the greatest figures of the Early Music revival. All vocal soloists are drawn from the choir, giving Publick Musick's sound a unique combination of clarity and strength. Instrumentalists are leading specialists in period instrument performance and all members share not only a passion for bringing Bach's music to the widest possible audience, but also a dedication to a performance tradition that combines great music making with historical research. ..“

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Added on: Apr 19, 2009 | Hits: 297

"Hailed by the New York Times as “Sophisticated and Beguiling” and praised by the Los Angeles Times for their “astonishingly vital music-making”, the New York-based Baroque ensemble REBEL (pronounced “Re-BEL”) has earned an impressive international reputation, enchanting diverse audiences by their unique style and their virtuosic, highly expressive and provocative approach to the Baroque and Classical repertoire. ..." (See site for more info (ed.))

Added on: Feb 02, 2008 | Hits: 379

"Renaissance Voices was founded in 1995 by a group of Maine singers on tour in London. The original idea for a small, auditioned, Portland-based chamber ensemble still guides our choices today. Although our emphasis is the a capella performance of early European music, in recent years we have broadened our repertoire to include other origins and periods, especially the 20th century. Every season we find and present music by women. We are a non-profit organization. " See website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Feb 23, 2008 | Hits: 322

“RENAISSONICS music lives in the robust performances of Renaissonics. Simultaneously historical and contemporary in its approach, the group plays as musicians of the era played --vigorously and improvisationally. Renaissonics' stylish performances allow audiences to experience the elegance and excitement of Renaissance music as it was intended to be heard. Music of the past is suddenly music of today. Virtuoso solos, chamber music, dance music and dazzling improvisations combine in a program that joyously bridges the gap between the artistic and pop. Renaissonics is a unique blend of members, all of whom are internationally recognized soloists, dance musicians, and improvisors. Their playing vibrantly blends this extensive expertise into performances that are continually original. Renaissonics is the resident ensemble for the Historical Dance Foundation's annual International Early Dance Institute.

RENAISSONICS is acknowledged as a leading ensemble of Renaissance Chamber Music, Dance Music, and Improvisation. They have appeared at the Festival Cenomanies in Le Mans, France; Musique en Catalogne Romaine, Perpignan, France; and may be heard on Ken Burn's PBS Documentary "The West". They were a featured ensemble for the Christmas Revels where they performed for a public of over 15,000 and for Early Music America's Star Spangled Season. Other appearances include the Boston Early Music Festival, the Cambridge Society for Early Music's International Candlelight Concerts, the Castle Hill Pop Music Series, the Indianapolis Early Music Festival, the New England Conservatory of Music's Improvisation Festival, Plimouth Plantation, and at Boston's First Night Celebration. RENAISSONICS is the resident ensemble of the Killington Vermont Shakespeare Festival.  ..“

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Added on: May 03, 2010 | Hits: 446

"Acclaimed by the New York Times for its "vital performances" and "robust" playing, Repast is a collaboration of three period-instrument virtuosi presenting vivid renditions of music of the baroque era. Repast members Keri Mikkelson (harpsichord), Amelia Roosevelt (violin), and John Mark Rozendaal (violoncello and viola da gamba), each have active careers in historical performance and bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to the trio's programs. Repast enjoys frequent and fruitful collaborations with leading period instrument players and vocalists in order to explore the vast, masterful repertoire of the baroque era. The group's name, meaning a meal or a feast, is a double-entendre: out of the revival of past music comes a delectable, spiritually nourishing experience. ...

Added on: Aug 06, 2008 | Hits: 457

"Founded in 1996 and based in Saint Paul, Minnesota, The Rose Ensemble reawakens the ancient with vocal music that strives to stir the emotions, challenge the mind, and lift the spirit. Each performance illuminates centuries of rarely heard repertoire, bringing to modern audiences research from the world’s manuscript libraries and fresh perspectives on history, languages, politics, religion and world cultures and traditions. With nine critically acclaimed recordings and a diverse selection of concert programs, the group has thrilled audiences across the United States and Europe with repertoire spanning 1,000 years and over 25 languages, including new research in Hawaiian, Swedish, Middle Eastern and American vocal traditions.

The recipient of the 2005 Chorus America Margaret Hillis Award for Choral Excellence and a first-place winner in the sacred music category at the 2007 Tolosa International Choral Competition (Spain), the group’s concerts and recordings have been called “first class” (Neuss-Grevenbroicher Zeitung), “impassioned and brightly alive” (Choral Journal) and “engaging . .. satisfying” (Gramophone). Founder Jordan Sramek received the 2010 Louis Botto Award from Chorus America “for entrepreneurial zeal.”

The Rose Ensemble can be heard regularly on American Public Media and the European Broadcasting Union (most notably with annual Christmas broadcasts) and was recently featured in special live broadcasts on Radio France, Chicago Public Radio, Vermont Public Radio and National Public Radio’s Performance Today.

The Rose Ensemble’s 16th anniversary season highlights include appearances at Cornell Concert Series (Ithaca, NY), University of Vermont Lane Series, The National Gallery (Washington, D.C.), Secrest Artist Series (Winston-Salem, NC), J. Paul Getty Museum (Los Angeles, CA), and a collaboration with Piffaro, The Renaissance Band (Philadelphia, PA and MN).

The Rose Ensemble’s latest recording, Il Poverello, is a diverse collection of medieval and Renaissance music for Saint Francis of Assisi."

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Added on: Feb 23, 2008 | Hits: 364

"Sacramento Baroque Soloists, founded in 2001, is Sacramento's own baroque music ensemble. World-class musicians from in and around Sacramento perform our concerts with the artistry and professionalism one expects in our growing community, playing Baroque music with enthusiasm polished with historical knowledge. ... " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Sep 14, 2008 | Hits: 353

"Sarasa is a collective group of international instrumentalists and vocalists who perform classical music of outstanding quality, and bring this music to diverse communities. Through the ensemble's outreach program in adolescent detention facilities, it is dedicated to bridging cultural, aesthetic, and economic barriers and providing incarcerated teenagers with opportunities for growth and enrichment through music.

Sarasa was formed in response to a concert played by its founder, Timothy Merton, in the Sing Sing Correctional Facility in 1997, at the urging of a friend who was a prison volunteer. An inmate who heard that first concert remarked, "When art is well executed, it projects a message that transcends language, culture, and even aesthetic boundaries." Sarasa took these words to heart and since then has been bringing high-quality music to those who ordinarily have little access to it. In addition to its public concerts, the ensemble plays in adult and adolescent correctional facilities, homes for the elderly, mental hospitals, and institutions for the disabled. Sarasa also does three-week residencies in grade schools, using drawing and writing to bring children to a meaningful understanding of classical music.

The name Sarasa is derived from a combination of Saraswathi, the Hindu goddess of art and culture, and the poetic sanscrit word rasa denoting the essence of sound " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Apr 12, 2008 | Hits: 400

“Praised for their “well-thought-out articulation and phrasing” (Early Music Review) and “elegant string playing that was immaculate in tuning and balance” (Early Music Today), the Sebastian Chamber Players (Sebastians) specialize in music of the Baroque and Classical eras and newly commissioned works for period instruments. Since their founding in 2001, the ensemble has performed throughout the United States. The group is comprised of members who have studied at the Historical Performance Program at the Juilliard School and as post-graduate fellows in early music at Yale University. The Sebastians were recently named the artists-in-residence at Emanuel Lutheran Church in Manchester, CT. They were finalists of the 2011 York International Early Music Competition and the 2011 Early Music America/Naxos Recording Competition.”

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Added on: Jan 21, 2012 | Hits: 257

"Seven Times Salt was formed in February 2003. Since that time, we have performed for the Longy School of Music, Harvard University, The Society For Historically Informed Performance, the Boston Recorder Society, Plimoth Plantation, the Ken Pierce Dance Company, the Amherst Early Music Festival, the Early Music Festivals in Bloomington (IN) and Boston, the Isabella Stuart Gardner Museum, and WGBH radio. We are based in Boston, MA, and our specialty is chamber music of the 16th and 17th centuries. ...

In our own repertoire, we strive to cover the waterfront from Morley to Matteis and everything in between, including not just English music, but other popular music from around Europe in the musically fertile period of the 16th and 17th centuries. The English consort turns out to be a perfect vehicle for a wide variety of Renaissance and early Baroque music, especially with the occasional addition of voices and other instruments such as bagpipes and percussion. "

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Added on: Mar 08, 2008 | Hits: 396

"S. Chordæ Consort of Viols was founded by gambist John Dornenburg for the purpose of performing and recording the rich body of music for viol consort of the 16th and 17th centuries. The Consort has performed widely in California with presenters including the Berkeley Early Music Festival, San Francisco Early Music Society, San Jose Chamber Music Society, Santa Cruz Baroque Festival, Gualala Arts, and Magnificat. In 1999 they made their European debut at the Tage Alter Musik Festival in Regensburg, Germany. The Consort currently has three highly praised CD recordings released on the Centaur label. The most recent CD features Renaissance Music by Josquin Des Prez and Heinrich Isaac with guest vocalists Scott Whitaker and Susan Rode Morris. They have also recorded suites from Johann Hermann Schein's Banchetto musicale of 1617, and Claudio Monteverdi's Third Book of Madrigals played on viols alone without vocalists. In the chamber music of this period the consort of viols occupied a place of honor that in later centuries would be awarded to the string quartet. The repertory for viol consort embraces a wide variety of styles ranging from the chansons, madrigals, and dances of the Renaissance to the fantasias, anthems, consort songs, and suites of the early baroque. Three and sometimes four different sizes of viols create a blended sound that is warmly resonant yet surprisingly transparent. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 02, 2008 | Hits: 321

“New York City based SIREN Baroque stages vibrant, thought-provoking programs of early chamber and vocal music.  Bringing passionate and historically informed performances to concert halls, art galleries, and cafes throughout New York and beyond, the nine women of SIREN are committed to infusing passionate historical accuracy with a twinge of modern dynamism by commissioning new works for historical instruments. “

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Added on: Feb 22, 2012 | Hits: 192

"The Spirit of Gambo is a Chicago area viol consort featuring Ken Perlow, Phillip Serna & Russell Wagner. The Spirit of Gambo performs music throughout the rich viol consort repertoire. Programs are built around providing historical context as well as variety in the repertoire to produce a stirring musical experience.

The Spirit of Gambo – a Chicago Consort of Viols was formed in 2005 to address a growing deficiency of viol consort performers in the Midwest region, especially in the Chicago area. All being professional performers, the Spirit of Gambo are passionate advocates of the performance of music for early instruments, especially music composed for viols.

The Spirit of Gambo’s members have performed on period instruments with varied groups including Ars Antigua, Ars Musica Chicago, Bella Voce, the Boston Early Music Festival, the Bottom Line Continuo Consort, the Catacoustic Consort, Chicago Early Music Consort, Chicago Opera Theater, the Classical Arts Orchestra, Comic Intermezzo, Early Music Chicago, Ensemble Musical Offering, the Forces of Virtue Ensemble and Choir, the Janus Ensemble, the Newberry Consort, the Second City Musick, and the Evelyn Dunbar Memorial Early Music Festival at Northwestern University. " See website for more details. (ed.)

Added on: Feb 16, 2008 | Hits: 410

"The Streicher Fortepiano Trio is devoted to period performance of Classical era chamber music. Its members, Katherine Kyme, violin, Joanna Blendulf, cello, and Charlene Brendler, fortepiano, have earned the reputation of presenting exquisitely performed concerts on replica and original instruments. Their musicianship, combined with sensitivity to sonorities, creates a unique musical experience of optimal balance and clarity. Critics frequently praise the Trio’s fine ensemble rapport. Spirited performances by the group convey the musical values and elegant Rococo ambiance of the late 18th century.

The Streicher Trio travels with a transportable 5-octave wooden framed replica instrument, lightweight and delicate in nature. Programs include the standard repertoire of Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven, as well as an occasional adventurous exploration of other composers contemporary to the Classical and Early Romantic eras. A typical program might include Boccherini and Schobert along with Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven, for instance. Collaborations with a guest artist -- clarinet, viola, or voice -- expand the repertoire possibilities. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 02, 2008 | Hits: 313

"Tiburcio Tapia was a rancher in southern California in the early 1800s. According to legend, he buried a treasure to safeguard it against thieves. Some say it was a chest of gold coins, buried beneath the roots of a great tree. His treasure was never recovered.

Tapia's Gold brings to life the music of past ages, a treasure for today's world. We specialize in the music and musical instruments of the European Renaissance and Middle Ages, with forays into the music of early California and other periods. We appreciate historical authenticity, but are not bound by it, for the past touches the present in many ways. " See website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Feb 23, 2008 | Hits: 355

“Founded in 2003, TENET is a vocal ensemble under the artistic direction of soprano Jolle Greenleaf. The ensemble strives to bring lesser known works to the ears of the public and to perform well known works with a fresh and new approach. As a program-based ensemble, distinguished soloists who also shine as ensemble singers are selected to fit the demands of each individual concert. Works are generally performed one-voice-to-a-part and TENET frequently collaborate with other ensembles and organizations. …”

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Added on: Feb 22, 2012 | Hits: 263

“Cincinnati Chamber Music -- The Catacoustic Consort performs music from the Renaissance to the Baroque on historical instruments with the intent of recreating the sound of the music when it was originally performed. Early instruments include the bass, tenor and treble viola da gamba, lirone, pardessus de viole, Renaissance cittern, bandora, Baroque flute, lute, theorbo, cornetto, Baroque harp, chamber organ, and harpshichord, among others. We offer early music workshops and classes. Performances include music by such composers as Marin Marais and St. Colombe (Tous les Matins du Monde — All the Mornings of the World). Our baroque performances in Cincinnati have been as diverse as seventeenth-century German sacred music and Italian love songs. Performers have included Ronn McFarlane (lute — Boston Early Music Festival, Amherst Early Music Festival, Baltimore Consort), Michael Leopold of Milan, Italy (chitarrone), sopranos Youngmi Kim and Cassie Webster, baroque flute virtuoso Sang Joon Park, Lucas Harris (baroque guitar and theorbo), and Wendy Gillespie (viola da gamba —Indiana University Jacobs School of Music Early Music Institute — Bloomington Early Music Festival). Fans of chamber music in Cincinnati as well as classical music will find this baroque music group quite extraordinary. Mark Cudek (Indianpolis Early Music Festival) has appeared with the Catacoustic playing cittern.”

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Added on: Apr 14, 2011 | Hits: 314

"The Continuo Players is a duo specializing in early music from 1600 to 1800. Using baroque bassoon, viola da gamba and recorders, Paula and Jill combine a variety of sounds to convey the feeling and ambience of former times. The repertoire of The Continuo Players includes works from England, Italy, France and Germany by such composers as Bach, Boismortier, Blavet, East, Handel, Loeillet, Marais, Morley, Philidor, Reinagle, Loeillet, Telemann and Vivaldi. They combine the music with readings from the same period.

This duo concertizes in libraries and museums throughout the New York City area. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Aug 06, 2008 | Hits: 379

“The Early Interval's celebration of its 35th anniversary season continues as its spring program explores medieval music from France and England in a program revolving around the renowned medieval tales of Marie de France.

The program will include medieval dance music, lais, motets and troubadour songs. The ensemble and two guest actors will present prose and poetry from 12th and 13th century France and England, including Marie de France's rhymed stories about a werewolf and relating a portion of the Tristan and Isolde story.

The Early Interval will perform vocally and on recorders, shawms, medieval harp, medieval lute, psaltery, chang, vielle, rebec, and early percussion instruments.

The members of The Early Interval are Ron Cook, director, Jim Bates, Janice Cook, Tamara Seckel, Sean Ferguson and Lyz Liddell. The ensemble will be joined for this festive concert by well-known Columbus actors Mark Mann and Emily Bach.”

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Added on: Mar 29, 2012 | Hits: 166

“Founded in 1986, The Four Nations Ensemble brings together soloists who are leading exponents of period instrument and vocal performance to present great music from the Renaissance through the Viennese Classical masterpieces of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven. For two decades, Four Nations has developed a leading presence on the early music scene in New York and across the country. With a core ensemble of harpsichord or fortepiano, violin(s), flute, and cello, the Ensemble explores and performs the major masterpieces of the 17th and 18th centuries, from trio sonata to piano trio and quartet. Four Nations has performed at major houses and series throughout the United States including The Kennedy Center and Lincoln Center. The Ensemble has participated in festivals including The Boston Early Music Festival, New York's Mostly Mozart, Amherst Festival, New Haven's International Festival of Arts & Ideas, Virginia Waterfront International Arts Festival, Chautauqua, The Indiana Early Music Festival, The Redwoods Festival in Santa Rosa, California, and Brasilseguridade in Rio de Janeiro.”

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Tags: New York

Added on: Jan 29, 2012 | Hits: 201

"The Fyre and Lightning Consort, founded in 1974, is a group of five musicians living in Central Vermont dedicated to the study and performance of Medieval and Renaissance music. Throughout the past 30 years, we have also become increasingly interested in traditional music of various types, including the music of the Sefardic Jews and traditional music of the British Isles, as well as arrangements and new compositions created especially for us by us.

We have a large collection of early instruments including recorders, flutes, whistles, krumhorn, cornamuse, dulcian, cornetto, bagpipe, harp, lute, psaltery, vielles, violas da gamba and assorted percussion.

Throughout its long performing history Fyre and Lightning has delighted audiences of all ages and musical tastes with its lively and interesting approach. We offer a variety of performance options including full length concerts, lecture-demonstrations, special school programs and workshops for audiences of all ages. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Jul 25, 2008 | Hits: 325

“THE GOOD PENNYWORTHS, a vocal ensemble with lute accompaniment from NYC, was founded in 2007 to explore lute songs and traditional folk ballads with dramatic flair. The group’s concert programs feature quartets, duets and solo songs, engagingly staged to bring out the laughter and passion contained in these songs. …”

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Added on: Mar 14, 2012 | Hits: 229

"Beguiling and intelligent, provocative and classic, ravishingly beautiful and deliciously edgy – The Newberry Consort has been delighting audiences for nearly three decades. Directed by David Douglass, Newberry Musician-in-Residence, and early music diva Ellen Hargis, the ensemble plumbs the Newberry Library's vast music collection and assembles a star-studded roster of local and international artists to bring you world-class performances of music from the 13th to the 18th centuries…and occasionally beyond!

Affiliated with the Newberry Library Center for Renaissance Studies, the Consort also serves as an ensemble-in-residence at both the University of Chicago and Northwestern University. In addition to an annual concert series in Chicago, the Consort has an active touring schedule. This season, traveling to several cities across the US, the Consort will offer two popular programs: Beautiful Dreamer: Music of Lincoln's America and Fair Oriana: an Early Film with Early Music, featuring an Elizabethan score to accompany Sarah Bernhardt's 1912 silent film Elizabeth I."

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Added on: Mar 13, 2008 | Hits: 431

"The Practitioners of Musick ensemble, founded by John Burkhalter and the late Professor Eugene Roan (1931 - 2006) to survey the musical riches of 18th century Great Britain - Ireland & both the Colonial and early Federal periods in America. Recent research, has also focused attention on musical life in New-France before the Fall of Quebec in 1759.

The group has presented period entertainments of music at many of the 18th century sites that are administered by the New Jersey Division of Parks & Forestry and the National Park Service, as well as Old New Castle, Delaware, Colonial Williamsburg, Historic Deerfield, Massachusetts, and a great number of other historical sites. "

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Added on: May 10, 2008 | Hits: 339

“The Tallahassee Bach Parley performs music of the Baroque era (approx. 1600-1750), using period instruments as often as possible, to recreate the experience of listening to this music as it may have sounded hundreds of years ago. The Bach Parley is made up of musicians who are trained in historically informed performance. They are mainly local professional performers and teachers, and FSU faculty and students. Many of the musicians also perform in Baroque music groups around the country, such as in Atlanta, New York, and Boston.

The word "parley" in French means discussion; the Tallahassee Bach Parley seeks to inform the audience by offering some commentary at each concert. Such dialogues give the audience historical background about the composers and their world, and an idea of what to listen for in the music. The educational commentary connects the audience with what the musicians are playing, breaking down barriers between performers and listeners, and makes the concert atmosphere more relaxed and the audience more enlightened and engaged.”

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Added on: Mar 28, 2012 | Hits: 153