Midtown Concerts presents ALBA Consort: Songs of Love & Loss
Free
- Margo Andrea, mezzo-soprano, vielle, & percussion
- Rex Benincasa, tenor, percussion, psaltery, hurdy-gurdy
- Carlo Valte, oud
- Jason Priset, lutes, guitarras, & vihuela
Medieval, Renaissance, and early Baroque songs of devotional love, courtly love, jealousy, and betrayal. The romantic poetry in old French, Italian, Spanish, Armenian, Arabic, and Ladino comes to life while accompanied by traditional instruments including vielle, vihuela, and oud, evoking a passionate connection to our musical past.
About ALBA Consort
ALBA Consort specializes in early music from the Mediterranean to the Middle East, illuminating poetry and improvisation traditions with voice, vielle, oud, lute, and percussion. Performances include at University of Chicago Presents; Early Music Now; Academy of Early Music; GEMS Midtown Concerts; and NY Philharmonic's New World Initiative. ALBA highlights cross-cultural influences through ancient and modern music.
https://www.albaconsort.com/About Margo Andrea, mezzo-soprano, vielle, & percussion
Early Music America Magazine wrote "If one performer deserves special note, it is Margo Andrea, whose unique voice is perfect for these songs." in it's review of Ivory Consort's recording "Music in the Land of Three Faiths" and Chicago Classical Review noted her "effortlessly pure intonation." She is soloist on Einstein on the Beach by Philip Glass and Robert Wilson for Sony Classics which she toured in opera houses around the world including BAM; Opera Bobigny, Paris; The Liceu, Barcelona; Melbourne Opera House and the McCarter Theatre. In addition to performances with The Alba Consort, she has performed with prominent early music ensembles and festivals such as New York's Ensemble for Early Music, the New York Collegium, The Ivory Consort, at the Indianapolis Early Music Festival, Bloomington Early Music Festival, the Cloisters, Academy of Ancient Music, Bargemusic, The Greene Space, and Early Music Now. Her recordings include "Music of Medieval Love" for EEM with the Metropolitan Museum of Art, "Jesus Blood Never Saved Me Yet" by Gavin Breyers with Tom Waits, and for the film score of Kundun. She has performed live on WQXR.FM NY, WNPR, and has performed choral works at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center. Under the direction of David Mamet, Ms. Andrea was a founding member of The Atlantic Theatre Company where she performed The Cider House Rules, directed by Tom Hulce. An extensive theatre resume includes performances at the Goodman Theatre of Chicago, the Lincoln Center Theater and with the London Shakespeare Company. She is now Artistic Director of the Long Island Baroque Ensemble, celebrating a 53 year old concert series in New York State.
About Rex Benincasa, tenor, percussion, psaltery, hurdy-gurdy
About Jason Priset, lutes, guitarras, & vihuela
Jason Priset specializes in historical guitars and lute. An international guest artist, he holds a Doctor of Musical Arts (D.M.A.) from Stony Brook University and a post Doctorate degree from Escola Superior de Musica de Catalunya (ESMUC) in Barcelona, Spain.
https://www.jasonpriset.com/St. Malachy Roman Catholic Church – The Actors' Chapel
239 W 49th StNew York, NY 10019
United States