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A review by Betsy Schwarm Many ensembles make their mark in part by focusing on the music of the Baroque. Seicento Baroque Ensemble goes one step further, drawing its repertoire largely from the generations preceding the almighty Bach. It might seem a risky practice to build one’s programs around less familiar names. However, Seicento’s audiences […]

Preview by Ruth L. Carver A piece nicknamed the “Earthquake Mass” would hardly seem capable of transporting a listener to a peaceful, transcendent place…yet that is just what Ars Nova Singers hope to do in their upcoming concerts. This rarely performed piece by Renaissance master Antoine Brumel will gently yet insistently tug the audience from […]

A preview by Betsy Schwarm In tumultuous times, music can be the ideal antidote to anxiety. The beauty of the music itself may serve as a soothing balm. Moreover, reflecting upon how that music came to be written and what its composer was seeking to express likely adds depth of meaning to the listening experience, […]

Preview article by Betsy Schwarm When it comes to Christmas choral music, one can count on references to the Christ Child, the manger, the shepherds, the star, and likely the Three Kings. There’s also Mary, and she’s the inspiration for this year’s Christmas programs by the St. Martin’s Chamber Choir. A smaller ensemble focusing on […]

A review by Marc Shulgold   Sadly, the glorious sacred works of Renaissance brothers Giovanni and Felice Anerio have all but faded away in the passage of time. But their music wasn’t the only revival featured in a stunning concert by Timothy Krueger’s St. Martin’s Chamber Choir earlier this month. The middle of three weekend […]

A preview article – by Betsy Schwarm Is there such a thing as a single “authentic” Messiah? Even the composer himself might suggest not; after all, in the seventeen years between the work’s premiere in 1742 and Handel’s passing, he presented the work again and again, often reshaping it for particular singers and/or venues. So […]

A preview by Marc Shulgold Every organization must eventually come to terms with a transfer of leadership. That applies to political bodies, corporations, sports teams and performing arts groups. So it is with the Baroque chamber choir Seicento (pronounced Say-CHEN-toe). This past May, founding artistic director Evanne Browne (now emeritus) moved out of state and […]

A review by Betsy Schwarm The excellent Ars Nova Singers have long been one of the most adventurous ensembles in the region, with a repertoire ranging from the Renaissance to music of current composers. The ensemble’s October concerts this year brought out yet one more side of Ars Nova’s expressive voice: Sacred Jazz. In his […]

A review by Betsy Schwarm Count on the Ars Nova Singers to delve into repertoire that is four centuries old and yet find offerings that are new and different – and delightful, as well. It turns out that beyond Italian masses and English madrigals, there is much to discover and enjoy. For the ensemble’s February […]

Preview article by Betsy Schwarm Boulder-based Seicento Baroque specializes in choral music of the 16th century. Last fall, that focus was expressed in a 500th anniversary commemoration of the Reformation. This spring, the ensemble takes up the secular side of the equation: similarly intricate layers of voices, but significantly higher spirits. The program, to be […]