Early Music America

This is a deeply satisfying new recording from the Indiana-based Alchymy Viols, joined by countertenor Michael Walker II. In his notes, Walker defines spirituals as preserving the history, sadness, joy, and hope of the enslaved Africans’ experience in the Americas. Their historically informed approach treats this repertoire in ways that feel both surprising and familiar.

*Alchymy Viols and Michael Walker will be presenting on this project in a lecture-performance on Monday, October 21 during the 2024 EMA Summit

Negro Spirituals, the Folk Songs of the New World » Early Music America This is a deeply satisfying new recording from the Indiana-based Alchymy Viols, joined by countertenor Michael Walker II. In his notes, Walker defines spirituals as preserving the history, sadness, joy, and hope of the enslaved Africans’ experience in the Americas. Their historically informed appr...

Two first-time artistic directors of esteemed early-music ensembles — Priscilla Herreid at Philadelphia's Piffaro, The Renaissance Band and Liza Malamut at Chicago's The Newberry Consort — are countering social and economic trends with fresh attitudes and new concert ideas. They're part of a cohort of leaders bringing historical performance in line with today's audience expectations.

New Leaders, Fresh Perspectives » Early Music America Two first-time artistic directors of esteemed early-music ensembles — Priscilla Herreid at Philadelphia's Piffaro and Liza Malamut at Chicago's Newberry Consort — are countering social and economic trends with fresh attitudes and new concert ideas. They're part of a cohort of leaders bringing hi...

Attention EMA Summit Attendees!

A special conference rate of $169/night per room is available at the Courtyard Marriott University Circle, conveniently located adjacent to the Case Western Reserve University campus. Hotel rooms may be reserved at the conference rate for nights between October 19 and 23.

The conference rate reservation deadline is Saturday, September 28, 2024.
Book now: https://www.marriott.com/events/start.mi?id=1712938293566&key=GRP

It's here! The updated Member Concert & Events Calendar is now available at earlymusicamerica.org/events. Members will find some minor changes and updates to streamline the process. As a reminder, no previously submitted events were carried over to the new calendar.

Thank you for your patience. If you encounter any problems or have questions about submitting events, please email [email protected]

For a time, countertenor Russell Oberlin was the star of the American early-music scene, from concert and recital halls to TV appearances and on best-selling records. But his career was short-lived, and performance styles evolved away from his dated, often mannered delivery. But what a sensationally beautiful voice. A new box set captures Oberlin in his prime, singing with some of the great pioneers of the early-music movement.

Russell Oberlin, Early Music's First Star » Early Music America For a time, countertenor Russell Oberlin was the star of the American early-music scene, from concert and recital halls to TV appearances and on best-selling records. But his career was short-lived, and performance styles evolved away from his dated, often mannered delivery. But what a sensationally...

Our upgraded EMA Member Events Calendar will be installed next Monday afternoon (Sept. 9)! During the installation, earlymusicamerica.org will be unavailable for approximately four hours.

EMA Members will receive an email next week with information about how to use the new calendar, but we think you will find it very intuitive. Thank you for your patience during this process.

The 2024 EMA Summit just got better with new performances daily at 4:00pm!

Sunday, October 20: Edwin Huizinga, violin, and Mark Edwards, harpsichord, representing Oberlin Conservatory faculty
Monday, October 21: Case Western Reserve University historical performance faculty showcase
Tuesday, October 22: W. Crimm Singers (pictured), Patrick Dailey, founder and artistic director, present "Sankofa Sounds: Black Sacred Music Traditions Across Time”

These performances will be held in the Cleveland Institute of Music’s Mixon Hall, located adjacent to the Case Western Reserve University campus. Concerts are also open to the public with a $20 suggested donation. Summit registration is open through October 11. Learn more and register at earlymusicamerica.org/summit

Byzantine chant treats the human voice as a fretless instrument. Its cultural roots place it at a unique intersection of 'world music' and historically informed performance.

This article was first published in the May 2024 issue of "EMAg, the Magazine of Early Music America."

I psaltikí téchni - Discovering Byzantine Chant » Early Music America Byzantine chant treats the human voice as a fretless instrument. Its cultural roots place it at a unique intersection of 'world music' and historically informed performance.

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For a series devoted to 'neglected figures from Irish musical history,' Peter Whelan and the Irish Baroque Orchestra unearthed a 1767 program sung by Rachel Baptist, billed as a 'Black Syren.' On this lovely recording, soprano Rachel Redmond and the orchestra inhabit Baptist's world, making 'a c***ection through the centuries.'

Discover Rachel Baptist, 'Ireland's Black Syren' » Early Music America For a series devoted to 'neglected figures from Irish musical history,' Peter Whelan and the Irish Baroque Orchestra unearthed a 1767 program sung by Rachel Baptist, billed as a 'Black Syren.' On this lovely recording, soprano Rachel Redmond and the orchestra inhabit Baptist's world, making 'a c***e...

Cree composer Andrew Balfour reimagines history and the concept of respect and dialogue between nations of the so-called New and Old World. It's charting a course for settler ensembles to collaborate with Indigenous artists.

This article was first published in the May, 2024 issue of EMAg, the Magazine of Early Music America.

Truth meets Reconciliation: Renaissance Music meets Indigenous Arts » Early Music America Cree composer Andrew Balfour reimagines history and the concept of respect and dialogue between nations of the so-called New and Old World. It's charting a course for settler ensembles to collaborate with Indigenous artists.

Welcome to the newest members of EMA’a Emerging Professional Leadership Council!

Lin Lao
Hayley Murks-Abdikadirova
Fernando Santiago
Amelia Sie
Lindsey Tootle

Learn more about them and the EPLC at EarlyMusicAmerica.org/eplc

Sometimes the musicians are so swamped by apparatus — starting with music stands, pedals for turning electronic pages on a tablet, microphones hanging over the performers, wires all over the place, and people wearing huge headphones sitting in front of yet more apparatus — that it can feel like a trio sonata on life support. 'It makes me feel that I’m a third wheel in something much more important than my own enjoyment in the moment.'

Musings: Is a Live Audience the Third Wheel? » Early Music America Sometimes the musicians are so swamped by apparatus — starting with music stands, pedals for turning electronic pages on a tablet, microphones hanging over the performers, wires all over the place, and people wearing huge headphones sitting in front of yet more apparatus — that it can feel like ...

Early Music America's Board of Directors has named the recipient of the 2024 Thomas Binkley Award which honors an individual who, in their role as a leader of collegiate early-music ensembles, has made outstanding contributions to the study and performance of early music.

Cristian Gutiérrez works as an academic at the Alberto Hurtado University, in Santiago de Chile, where he is director of the study program "Superior Interpretation in Early Music." Since 2020 he has taught at the Conservatory of the Universidad Mayor. Gutiérrez is a guest professor at the Hudební lahůdky Academy in Prague, Czech Republic, and regularly gives courses and master classes at the Akademie für Alte Musik in Bremen, Germany. He has also given courses in Latin American countries such as Costa Rica, Colombia, Bolivia and Argentina.

Read more on our website.

Thomas Binkley Award » Early Music America 2024 Recipient: Cristian Gutiérrez He is one of the most outstanding Chilean performers in the specialty of early music. He studied guitar at the Faculty of Arts of the University […]

Last month, EMA published John Koster's review of Stewart Pollen's book "A History of Stringed Keyboard Instruments." In the review, Koster wrote that the 'book is beset with numerous problems.' In reply, author Pollens sent EMA a Letter to the Editor.

To the Editor: Stewart Pollens responds to John Koster's Review » Early Music America Last month, EMA published John Koster's review of Stewart Pollen's book A History of Stringed Keyboard Instruments. In the review, Koster wrote that the 'book is beset with numerous problems.' In reply, author Pollens sent EMA a Letter to the Editor.

Handel’s operas tell vivid stories in a complex, even idiosyncratic, manner that is not readily apparent even to a passionate Handelian. This brilliant book offers an eloquent account of the underlying processes at work, calling on broad examples — including classical literature, Shakespeare, novels, film — of the same narrative strategies.

Read more: https://www.earlymusicamerica.org/web-articles/to-the-editor-stewart-pollens-responds-to-john-kosters-review/

EMA's Board of Directors have named the recipients of two of this year's Annual Awards. Congratulations to these outstanding leaders in the field.

Elisabeth Wright: Howard Mayer Brown Award for Lifetime Achievement in Early Music

Lenora Mendes: Laurette Goldberg Award for Early-Music Engagement

Learn more about these Awards and their recipients on the EMA website. earlymusicamerica.org/awards/annual-awards

King Philip II, who ruled over Spain and large corners of Western Europe in the late 1500s, hired Flemish composers for his illustrious court in Madrid. A leading Spanish ensemble, El León de Oro, offer striking performances of this little-known repertoire.

The Forgotten Flemish of Spain's Golden Age » Early Music America

You'll see these faces and many more when you join us for the October 20-22 EMA Summit in Cleveland! Three days of presentations, performances, and more - for and by the early-music community. Register now before rates increase on September 1.
Learn more and register at earlymusicamerica.org/summit

Early-music presenting organizations mostly hire touring ensembles. Yet many programs that foster the next generation focus on talented individual musicians. So Arizona Early Music created the Emerging Ensemble Residency, where a young group is set up with a mentor and works on both performance and the business of being a professional touring ensemble. The inaugural award goes to Montreal’s Le Consort laurentien, whose residency starts this month.

Nurturing New Ensembles in the Arizona Desert » Early Music America Early-music presenting organizations mostly hire touring ensembles. Yet many programs that foster the next generation focus on talented individual musicians. So Arizona Early Music created the Emerging Ensemble Residency, where a young group is set up with a mentor and works on both performance and....

Early Music America has awarded instrument maker Paul Irvin the 2024 Joan Benson Clavichord Award.

Irvin has been building early keyboards for more than 50 years using a “comparative organology” approach. He considers the sound qualities and playing characteristics of other types of instruments as well as the needs of the music of that period.

He has been a board member and officer of several organizations (Chicago Area Early Music Association, Midwestern Historical Keyboard Society, Western Early Keyboard Association), and a long-time member of others (American Musical Instrument Society, The Friends of St. Cecilia’s Hall, The Galpin Society, FoMRHI and the National Music Museum). His published work includes a variety of articles and book reviews for publications in North America and Europe, including Continuo, Early Keyboard Journal, Early Music America, and a continuing series of articles in Harpsichord & Fortepiano magazine.

Read more about Paul Irvin and the Joan Benson Clavichord Award at earlymusicamerica.org/benson/

In this review-essay, noted scholar Rebecca Cypess speaks to Ian Pomerantz and Byron Schenkman with a view to understanding the multifaceted contributions of their album, 'Art Songs of the Jewish Diaspora,' both musically and culturally.

Hearing Complexity in the Jewish Diaspora » Early Music America

EMA SUMMIT PRESENTATION SPOTLIGHT
“Today’s Renaissance Singer (with a twist)"
Register now at earlymusicamerica.org/summit

In EMAg last year, David Simmons Wood lamented the lack of early music at choral festivals. Suspecting this might be due to a lack of accessible and affordable editions, Ross Duffin created the 12 volume "Renaissance Choral Favorites for SATB Singers", offering sacred and secular works in a variety of forms and languages. The goal is to make Renaissance music accessible for ensemble singing in schools and colleges, and at home, in reliable, consistent, and affordable editions. Editor Ross W. Duffin and EMA's David Simmons Wood invite participants to join in the fun at this interactive reading session and to discuss the challenges and pleasures of editing and performing this music.

Born in London, Canada, Ross W. Duffin led the Case Western Reserve Historical Performance Practice program from 1978 to 2018. A winner of EMA’s Thomas Binkley and Howard Mayer Brown Awards, and the American Musicological Society’s Noah Greenberg and Claude Palisca Awards, he is best known for his work reconstructing songs from English Renaissance plays and poetry collections, and for historical tuning, most notably with his monograph How Equal Temperament Ruined Harmony (and why you should care). He has also published on musical iconography, historical pronunciation, theory, notation, and improvisation. A third-generation choral director, Duffin directed the Early Music Singers at CWRU, was Founding Artistic Director of Quire Cleveland, and sang with the chorus of Apollo’s Fire, the Cleveland Baroque Orchestra, for its first quarter-century.

David Simmons Wood is EMA’s Programs Director and Advanced Instructor at Kansas State University’s School of Music, Theatre, and Dance where he is Director of Early-Music Ensembles and Marketing Director. He is the founder and artistic director of Blue Earth Camerata in Manhattan, KS. David holds degrees from Kansas State University and the University of North Texas, and he studied early-music ensemble direction at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music's Historical Performance Institute. David’s performing career has included appearances with The Dallas Bach Society, The Orchestra of New Spain (Dallas), The New York Baroque Dance Company, The New York Baroque Orchestra, Texas Choral Artists, and Fenix de los Ingenios, and others, as well as performances at the Boston, Indianapolis, and Bloomington Early Music Festivals.

"I have enjoyed feeling part of a thriving community of young early-music lovers, learning and getting inspired from their work, and developing long term friendships and collaborations. I have particularly appreciated interesting conversations, especially about how we can include everyone who wants to be included in our common goal of promoting early music. I am looking forward to welcoming fresh ideas from new, talented EPLC members, who I am sure will become friends!" - Patricia Garcia Gil, EPLC co-chair

Applications for Emerging Professional Leadership Council (EPLC) close this Friday, August 2. EPLC collaborates with EMA’s Board of Directors to support the organization’s young professionals and prioritize engagement. If you are under 35 and feel passionate about shaping the future of early music, we would love to hear from you!

Member guidelines, mission, and application are available at EarlyMusicAmerica.org/eplc

The Fieri Consort's latest album, 'The Excellence of Women,' offers music by the two foremost women composers of the Italian Renaissance, including premieres by Maddalena Casulana, the first European woman to publish self-attributed music. Casuela is paired with Barbara Strozzi, who produced more secular music than any of her peers. The Fieri's spectacular musicianship makes it 'a necessary addition to anyone's library.'

In the Presence of Great Women » Early Music America The Fieri Consort's latest album, 'The Excellence of Women,' offers music by the two foremost women composers of the Italian Renaissance, including premieres by Maddalena Casulana, the first European woman to publish self-attributed music. Casuela is paired with Barbara Strozzi, who produced more se...

The 2024 EMA Summit is less than three months away, and preparations are underway for the best Summit yet! A detailed schedule for Summit events is now available to help you craft your Cleveland itinerary. And we're working on even more activities to round out the experience, so check back throughout August for updates.

Early registration rates are available through August 31.

https://tinyurl.com/2024summitschedule