EarlyMusicNews.Org

“San Francisco Renaissance Voices made our debut in 2004 with a "standing room only" performance of Victoria's Requiem and quickly became a favorite of Bay Area Early Music audiences.
 
We have consistently earned praise for our "gossamer sound ... a sound something akin to spiritual levitation" as well as recognition for our imaginative programming and christened the Bay Area's"hipper than thou" Early Music ensemble by San Francisco Classical Voice and in 2010 SFWeekly chose us as
"Best Classical Music" for their Best of San Francisco edition.

We are a professional mixed-voice ensemble dedicated to performing and exploring the a cappella choral music of the Renaissance particularly lesser-known and rarely-performed works, as well as exploring music from this period outside of the traditional European canon.”

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Added on: Sep 26, 2011 | Hits: 197

“Since its founding in 2001, Chantry has enchanted audiences throughout the Washington area with what The Washington Post has called the "unfettered joy" of its singing, the "moving" quality of its performance, and the "acute stylistic awareness," "nuance and lyricism," and "gut-level understanding of the idiom" which it brings to early music. Ionarts Music called Chantry's performance with the world-renowned Renaissance wind band Piffaro for the 2005 Washington Early Music Festival "an evening of extraordinary singing, poised, with impeccable diction and intonation, and cleansingly pure in tone from Chantry."

Chantry's 10-16 professional early music voices are dedicated to fresh, vibrant, historically informed performance of neglected masterpieces of Renaissance polyphony and music of the Baroque era. Chantry was featured in the inaugural concert of the first Washington Early Music Festival in 2004. Chantry has performed with other major early music ensembles including Modern Musick, the Orchestra of the 17th Century, and the Washington Cornett & Sackbut Ensemble, and has appeared on a number of important Washington concert series, including the Church of the Epiphany's Tuesday Noon Concert Series and the concert series of the Cosmos Club, St. Patrick's Catholic Church (DC), Saint Luke Catholic Church (McLean), and Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church (Bethesda). Most of Chantry's members maintain active professional singing careers.

The name "Chantry" comes from the old French chanterie, meaning "to sing." In the Middle Ages and Renaissance, a chantry was a chapel (often a small chapel inside a large cathedral) dedicated to the singing of masses for someone's soul, or an endowment for the singing of such masses. …”

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Added on: Sep 26, 2011 | Hits: 309

“The Suspicious Cheese Lords was founded by Clifton "Skip" West in 1996. Skip had the typical American dream of wanting to sing Thomas Tallis' Lamentations of the Prophet Jeremiah. To accomplish this goal, he enticed a core group of five amateur singers, friends who were current and former members of the Cathedral Choral Society, by promising a home-cooked dinner to those who would come and bellow.

Since then, the Cheese Lords have consisted of between 10 and 15 members. They still gather in Skip's dining room once a week to sing, drink, talk, eat, drink, sing, and did we say drink? In spite of this—or perhaps because of it—this male a cappella ensemble has been able to prepare and perform high-quality and heart-felt music throughout the Washington, D.C. area. …”

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Added on: Sep 26, 2011 | Hits: 208

“Montserrat Figueras is an outstanding performer in a vast vocal repertoire which spans the Mediaeval, Renaissance and Baroque periods.  Born in Barcelona into a family of music-lovers, she performed while still very young with Enric Gispert and Ars Musicae, studying singing with Jordi Albareda as well as dramatic interpretation. In 1966, she began studying early singing techniques, from the troubadours to the Baroque, developing a highly individual approach which draws directly on original sources, both historical and traditional, unfettered by the influences of the post-Romantic school. Her artistic and personal union with Jordi Savall, which has proved so fruitful in the couple’s multiple teaching, research and creative activities, dates from 1967. …”

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Added on: Oct 01, 2011 | Hits: 337

“Ferran Savall was born in Basel in 1979, the son of Montserrat Figueras and Jordi Savall. From earliest childhood his everyday life at home was permeated by the atmosphere of musical study, rehearsals and concerts with members of his family. He started his musical training at the age of seven.

At the age of 15 he began to study guitar at the Escola Luthier under Xavier Coll. At the same time, he studied performance using early instruments and the practice of bass continuo in private classes with Rolf Lislevand, under whom he continues to study to the present day. Since 2000 he has worked on modern song, continuing his studies under Dolors Aldea and Petter Johansen.

Ferran Savall is a self-taught musician in search of a natural voice. His essential quality is a highly spontaneous approach to singing, his music springing from the individual moment and its intrinsic emotion, from his personality and the resources at his disposal at any particular moment.

He takes his inspiration from a variety of musical styles such as soul, black music and world music, especially from the Eastern Mediterranean and India, as well as early and contemporary music. …”

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Added on: Oct 03, 2011 | Hits: 280

“Born in Monopoli near Bari in 1978, he studied at the Music Conservatory “N. Rota” of Monopoli with Serafina Tuzzi with the highest marks and he graduated in Violin highschool with Francesco D’Orazio. He also pursued training in Economics at the University of Bari, graduating in 2003.

He studied baroque music with: Maria Cristina Kiehr, Roberta Invernizzi, Rosa Dominguez, Claudio Cavina, Jill Feldmann, Renè Clemencic and with the English Countertenor Paul Esswood, teacher at the “Royal Academy of Music” in London.

He took part in many competitions: first prize at the “5th Premio città di Brindisi” and the Honour Diploma at the “TIM Competition”.

He’s been interpreter of Monteverdi’s Operas as: “L’Orfeo” staged by Trisha Brown and musical director Renè Jacobs at “59° Festival of Aix en Provence”; “Ottone” in “L’Incoronazione di Poppea” at “30° Festival of Ambronay” under the direction of Leonardo Garcia Alarcon.

He collaborate with “Academia Montis Regalis” directed by Alessandro De Marchi and with the chamber ensemble “L’Astrèe-Montis Regalis” and his director Giorgio Tabacco.

In 2008 he appears at the “Resonanzen” Festival of the Wiener Konzerthaus and “Mostly Mozart Festival” at “Lincoln Center” in New York, with “Concerto Italiano” and Rinaldo Alessandrini.

He is active in medieval music, being a member of the choir “Ars Antiqua”. With this ensemble he has sung for the “Elpidiense Organistic Academy” and for the “Ars Organi Festival”in Lecce.

In February 2002 he made his dedut as Liscione in “La Dirindina”of D. Scarlatti, for the “EuroOrchestra” in Bari and in Lecce with the Salentine Orchestra “Terra d’Otranto”.

He sings at the “XXXI Festival della Valle d’Itria” of Martina Franca in “Farinelli Imperatore del ’700” and at the “VIII Barocco Festival Leonardo Leo” in “La semiglianza de chi l’ha fatta”.

He took part in many concerts and festivals as : “Misteria Paschalia” in Krakow, “Lodz Philarmonic”,“Accademia filarmonica Romana”, “XI Festival Lodoviciano” in Viadana, “IX Festival dei Teatri possibili” in Foggia invited by “Solisti Dauni”, “The Organ Tradition in Puglia”, “V Festival Internazionale di Musica Antica” in Pescara, “VIII Festival dell’Aurora” in Crotone” singing “VIII Libro dei Madrigali” of Claudio Monteverdi. “IX Festival le Ore d’Organo” in Ancona, “Collegio Borromeo” Pavia.

He took part as a solist in contemporary music festivals in which he has sung “Carmina Burana” of Carl Orff for “Duni Festival” in Matera and in the Autumn 2004 he was interpreter, in a world premiere, “Der Misogyne” libretto by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, music by Hans-Wilhelm Plate at the “Lessing Theater” in Wolfenbuttel and at the “Wolfsburg Theater” in Wolfsburg.

Still abroad as a solist, he took part in the “1st Miskolc International Opera Festival” in Hungary, and in the summer 2002 he was chosen by his music school to take part in a masterclass in South Corea at the “Chung-Ang” University in Seoul and he partecipated in the final concert at the famous “Art-Center”.

As a solist he has recorded several records, among which the whole “Missa Romana” ed NAÏVE, “Magnificat” ed Tactus, “Romanze da Camera” of Giuseppe Verdi to celebrate Verdi Centenary in 2001 and “Missa Borromea” for solist and choir of Costanzo Antegnati. His future projects include the role of “Ottone” in “L’Incoronazione di Poppea” with Claudio Cavina and “La Venexiana” at Festival MITO “Settembre Musica” in Milan.“

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Added on: Oct 07, 2011 | Hits: 203

“Cambridge Handel Opera was founded by Andrew Jones in 1985 with the intention of presenting fully-staged productions of Handel's operas in English, and performed in a style that respects the composer's intentions and expectations in both the musical and the visual aspects of the production.

Our productions take place every two years in the West Road Concert Hall in Cambridge. We attract large and appreciative audiences both from the local region and from further afield: from all parts of the UK and even from abroad.

Whether you are a lover of Handel's music, or of opera in general, or a singer, or someone with an interest in opera production, we hope that you will find what you are looking for here. …“

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Added on: Oct 11, 2011 | Hits: 238

“NEW YORK POLYPHONY is gaining a reputation as the preeminent male classical vocal quartet in the fields of early and new music. Praised for a “rich, natural sound that’s larger and more complex than the sum of its parts” (National Public Radio), the four men deliver dynamic performances in a wide range of styles. From austere medieval melodies to cutting edge contemporary works, NYP balances refined musicianship with a uniquely modern sensibility.

Hailed as a “stunning tour through chant, polyphony and renaissance harmonies” (Minnesota Public Radio), their current CD Tudor City spent three weeks in the Top 10 of Billboard’s classical album chart. It has been featured on Danish Public Radio, American Public Radio and NPR’s All Things Considered.

NYP’s debut CD I sing the birth was released in 2007. The disc—an intimate meditation on the Christmas season—garnered unanimous praise. Gramophone Magazine named it “one of the season’s best”, BBC Music Magazine selected it as Editor’s Christmas Choice 2007, and Classic FM Magazine hailed it as “a disc for all seasons. …”

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Added on: Nov 09, 2011 | Hits: 461

“Formed in 1998 by its artistic director Laurence Brisset, the De Caelis Ensemble specialises in the performance of unaccompanied vocal works of the Middle Ages. The Ensemble’s passion for this little-known repertoire has resulted in a body of work that is based upon knowledge of original sources, of systems of notation and of the context of the works concerned. The quality of De Caelis’ original and lively performances is recognised not only by specialists but also by audiences in general.”

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Added on: Nov 13, 2011 | Hits: 421

“Catherine Bott studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and then spent two years singing everything from Bach to Berio with the Swingles before beginning her solo career.

She is recognised as a virtuoso of early music: among her many recordings in this field are Bach's St. John Passion with the Choir of King's College, Cambridge, Monteverdi's L'Incoronazione di Poppaea with Sir John Eliot Gardiner and Purcell's Dido and Aeneas with the Academy of Ancient Music.

In contrast, she is much in demand by contemporary composers and has premiered and recorded works by Craig Armstrong, Jonathan Dove, Michael Nyman and Errollyn Wallen.

Recent cd releases include Delectatio Angeli for Hyperion, "an utter delight, outstanding" (International Record Review) and a collection of Spanish and Moorish songs and poetry, and Convivencia, for the innovative new Fred label: "a rare commitment worthy of spoken theatre" (Gramophone).

Catherine Bott's speaking voice can regularly be heard on BBC Radio: she presents The Early Music Show on BBC Radio 3 at weekends, and is one of the hosts of R3's weekday evenings, Performance on 3. She has also presented programmes about Saint Cecilia - and Mantovani - on Radio 4. In 2007 she gave a series of talks on the life and music of Bach for a leading cultural travel company, and for passengers on Lufthansa flights she is the English voice of "Time for Classics".

She is a patron of the Portsmouth Festivities and a Governor of Trinity Laban Conservatory of Music and Dance. The GSM and D awarded her a Fellowship in 2009.”

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Added on: Nov 22, 2011 | Hits: 211

“Peter Dijkstra, born in the Netherlands in 1978, is one of the leading choral conductors of our time. He comes from a musical family and as a boy soprano he was invited for many solo performances, for example in opera productions like Die Zauberflöte at The Netherlands Opera Foundation in Amsterdam. He studied choral conducting, orchestral conducting and voice at the conservatories of The Hague, Köln and Stockholm, and graduated summa cum laude with decoration.

In 2002 he was awarded the Kersjes-van de Groenekamprize for orchestral conductors and the winning of the first prize at the Eric Ericson Competition 2003 in Stockholm launched his international career. Dijkstra works on a regular basis with choirs such as the Netherlands Chamber Choir, BBC singers, RIAS Chamberchoir Berlin, Collegium Vocale Gent and the Danish Radio Choir. There he displays a control of a broad repertoire, from early music to premiers of newly composed works. But he is also an appreciated guest with orchestras like the Symphony Orchestra of the Bavarian Radio, Munich Radio Orchestra, DSO Berlin, Sinfonietta Amsterdam, Munich Chamber Orchestra, Arnhem Philharmonic Orchestra and the Japan Philharmonic. He also enjoys working with orchestras on period instruments, such as the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin and Concerto Köln. 

In the Netherlands, Peter Dijkstra is principal guest conductor of the Netherlands Chamberchoir and artistic leader of vocal ensemble MUSA (www.musa.nu), a mixed choir based in Utrecht. And having been artistic leader of vocal ensemble The Gents for 7 years (www.thegents.nl), he is now their first guest conductor. …”

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Added on: Nov 24, 2011 | Hits: 240

“Aitone was formed in the autumn of 2005 and is based in the east Midlands town of Long Eaton (between Derby, Nottingham and Leicester). Although a recent collaboration, the members have a wealth of singing experience between them, both in early music and other repertoires.
 
We are a mixed a capella group singing a range of music from the 11th to the 18th centuries, including Anglo-Saxon chant, West Gallery psalmody, medieval English discant and Renaissance music.
 
Whenever possible our music is freshly edited from the original sources, providing authentic and sometimes surprising new interpretations of pieces.”

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Added on: Dec 28, 2011 | Hits: 162

“The mission of The Bach Ensemble, Inc. is:

• to enhance the classical musical offerings of Southwest Florida;
• to offer quality musical performances;
• to offer public concerts featuring the works of Johann Sebastian Bach and other Baroque contemporaries, as well as composers related to the Baroque era and beyond; and
• to offer specific workshops and lectures about Bach and his contemporaries as a public education program in the community and in schools.“

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Added on: Jan 11, 2012 | Hits: 208

“The Stanford Early Music Singers specialize in the performance of choral literature from the Medieval and Renaissance eras. EMS typically numbers 25–30 members, with smaller groups occasionally drawn from the ensemble. EMS’s repertoire for the year includes a broad range of literature from England and the Continent presented in the glorious acoustic of Memorial Church.

• To audition, contact Bill Mahrt (mahrt-AT-stanford.edu)
• Early Music Singers meets Tuesdays: 7:30–9:30 p.m.
• Community members are welcome to join at no charge, upon a successful audition.”

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Added on: Jan 16, 2012 | Hits: 191

“ensemble officium was founded by Wilfried Rombach in 1999.

In the past few years, ensemble officium has made an excellent name for itself with its interpretations of Renaissance music and Gregorian chant and has become internationally well-known. It usually consists of twelve singers.
   
ensemble officium carries out thorough research, performs scholarly interpretations of Renaissance vocal polyphony and pays close attention to the semiotics and nuance of Gregorian chant. The intense studies of the scores lead time and again to fascinating discoveries, such as “The Loreto Vespers” for 12 voices by Antonio Cifra (1629). By performing the music as authentically as possible, the ensemble creates a unique and absorbing atmosphere. Works of sacred music from the Middle Ages, based on liturgical texts and retaining original liturgical framework, are also part of the ensemble’s specialties. In this way, the close connection between early vocal polyphony and Gregorian chant can ably be demonstrated.

ensemble officium not only experiments with integrating new music. Every so often, the group includes music of the Franco-Flemish School. Here, the focus lies in particular on Heinrich Isaac and his generation of composers. …”

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Added on: Jan 30, 2012 | Hits: 207

“Inspired by, and dedicated to the music of William Byrd, AVIARIUM* was established in 2004 with the express purpose to revive the acapella choral tradition of the Church.   AVIARIUM is the only Southern California vocal ensemble entirely devoted to recreation of the High Anglican and Catholic musical life, from Medieval Chant to the repertoire of the Anglo-Catholic Revival.“

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Added on: Feb 18, 2012 | Hits: 182

“Agnethe Christensen, originally from Sweden, studied at the Royal Danish Conservatory and specialized in renaissance and medieval singing with Andrea von Ramm in Basel and furthermore in Rome and Paris. Well known for her unconventional interpretations of modern and classical works, folk and early vocal music. Agnethe has worked with modern composers Luca Lombardi, Palle Mikkelborg, Wolfgang Rihm, Luciano Berio and John Cage, with opera, folk and film music.

Agnethe's expertise is within the field of early music and historically informed folk music  and together with ULV where she performs medieval Nordic ballads and sacred music with singer Lena Susanne Norin and fiddle player Elizabeth Gaver, she presents Swedish traditional music in a historic perspective.

Home in Copenhagen she works together with the the medieval ensemble Alba and together with the Welsh harper Helen Davies with traditional music from Shetland, Orkney and the Hebridees searching the old norse influence and reconstructing the old poetry of the past. In the project Music of the Mysteries she collaborates with musicians from both the classical and  world music scene.”

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Added on: Feb 23, 2012 | Hits: 208

“ARS NOVA Copenhagen is widely recognized as one of the finest vocal groups in Europe. Founded in 1979, the ensemble today is busier than ever. In addition to its annual season of concerts in Copenhagen and throughout Denmark, the ensemble regularly appears across Europe, in North and South America, and Asia. Ars Nova is also building collaborations with creative artists in different fields such as drama, film and ballet, as well as cultivating new modes of concert performance and innovative repertoire.

At the heart of ARS NOVA Copenhagen’s work is its equal dedication to early music and new music. Some programs explore the cross-currents between the two, while others form detailed portraits of individual composers or genres within a given period.

Each season, the group has a composer in residence: Toivo Tulev (Estonia) in 2007-8, Bernd Franke (Germany) 2008-9, Sunleif Rasmussen (Faroe Islands) 2009-10, Áskell Másson (Iceland) 2010-11 and Steve Martland (UK) in 2011-12.

The group has its own record label, ARS NOVA Records (distributed by Naxos) on which ‘Taverner & Tudor Music II - Gloria tibi Trinitas Mass’ is the most recent release. Other recordings – like ‘Taverner & Tudor Music I’, the voices-and-percussion version of Terry Riley’s ‘60s masterpiece 'In C' and 'The Christmas Story' told through plainchant, motets and traditional folk carols -  all received great reviews all over the world. …”

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Added on: Feb 23, 2012 | Hits: 204

“Vocal Ensemble Capella Hafniensis was founded in March 1990 on the initiative of musicologist and church musician Ole Kongsted. Capella Hafniensis is the most specialized ensemble for early music in Northern Europe and the only professional vocal group in Denmark, working exclusively with Renaissance Music. It has a nucleus of 7 singers who can be expanded as needed.”

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Added on: Feb 23, 2012 | Hits: 248

“Formed in 1994 and directed by Alistair Dixon Chapelle du Roi is an ensemble of eight singers, many of whom are in the first few years of their professional careers. The choir specialises in performing and recording sacred music of the late medieval, and Renaissance periods.

Chapelle du Roi has two aims. First, to unearth music that has previously languished unseen and unheard on library shelves and that is deserving of greater prominence. Second, to help re-establish Renaissance music as repertoire that can be enjoyed by everybody by bringing it to wider audiences. Whilst the first aim is achieved by careful research and preparation of new editions (many of which are published by the group's director, Alistair Dixon, through The Cantiones Press the second is met by giving live concerts in the UK and abroad and by making recordings and broadcasts. Chapelle du Roi places great emphasis on presenting programmes that are appealing and engaging and which allow the development of a strong rapport between audience and performers.

Chapelle du Roi is based in London, England, and in addition to accepting concert engagements it also promotes occasional concerts in and around London each year.”

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Added on: Feb 28, 2012 | Hits: 182

“The Renaissance Singers was founded in 1944 by Michael Howard as the performing arm of the Renaissance Society, and led the revival of interest in Renaissance sacred polyphony-the beginnings of the "early music movement". Their first concert was on 3rd June 1944 in St Marylebone Parish Church. The Singers made many recordings and broadcast regularly-the first broadcast being on Christmas Day 1945. They often sang from hand-written and -copied parts produced by scholars such as Bruno Turner-now one of the choir's vice-presidents.

In 1992, after a gap of some ten years, the Singers were re-formed by Michael Procter as a chamber choir specialising in this repertoire. In recent years their activities have included performances at festivals in Warwick, Bath and Southwark and tours in France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic. These engagements, and their annual programme of concerts and workshops in central London and Oxford have earned the Renaissance Singers the reputation of being one of the best specialist amateur choirs in the country.  Edward Wickham took the reins in 1995, and was followed by JanJoost van Elburg in 2005. 

The choir appointed David Allinson as our Musical Director in 2009.  David’s academic and performing interests converge in his love of Renaissance choral music.  His infectious energy, enthusiasm and humour combined with a wealth of historical expertise and technical know-how is telling in our performances …”

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Added on: Feb 28, 2012 | Hits: 130

“The Renaissance Camerata de Caracas was founded in March 1978 by Professor Isabel Palacios with a group of Venezuelan musicians in order to interpret international early music from the Middle Ages in Europe to the Latin American Baroque …”

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Added on: Feb 29, 2012 | Hits: 187

“The Baroque Camerata de Caracas was founded in December 1985 by Professor Isabel Palacios in order to achieve a natural expansion of the repertoire that had been working with the Camerata de Caracas Renaissance and to develop, with the new choir, the music of the baroque period to early classical, whose most outstanding are located in the seventeenth century in Europe and the Colony in America. …”

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Added on: Feb 29, 2012 | Hits: 169

“Born on St. Cecilia's Day, Countertenor
RYLAND ANGEL was a chorister at Bristol Cathedral and a lay-clerk at Chester Cathedral.

He trained as a lawyer before deciding to pursue a professional career as a singer in 1991 when he started studying with David Mason.

Since then, Mr. Angel has received a Grammy nomination and has performed with William Christie, Rene Jacobs, Ivor Bolton, Roy Goodman, Christophe Rousset, Philippe Herreweghe, Christophe Coin, Gabriel Garrido, Cantus Köln, Le Concert Spirituel, Le Parlement de Musique, the Ensemble of Early Music of New York and Ensemble La Fenice. …”

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Added on: Mar 01, 2012 | Hits: 205

“Carmina, directed by Vera Kochanowsky, is an early music vocal ensemble which has been presenting performances regularly in the Washington DC area since 1998. Carmina has been praised by both the Baltimore Sun and the Washington Post and was featured in the Washingtonian magazine articles "Perfect Pitch" and "Good Arts Groups You Might Not Know About." Carmina's sister organization, the women's vocal ensemble Illuminare, formed in 2006, has also established a reputation in the Washington area for tastefully persuasive interpretations of early repetoire.

To learn more about Carmina and Illuminare programs, past and future, please click on History and Upcoming Performances. Many of our programs are free or by donation. We hope to see you at a concert in the near future!”

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Added on: Mar 02, 2012 | Hits: 145