Miller Theatre to Present New York Polyphony in Program of Spanish Liturgical Music, 11/15

Miller Theatre at Columbia University School of the Arts continues the 2014-15 Early Music series with CELEBRATIONS FROM THE MEDITERRANEAN, featuring New York Polyphony on Saturday, November 15, 2014 at 8 p.m. at the Church of St. Mary the Virgin (145 West 46th Street). Tickets: $35-$45; Students with valid ID: $21-$27.

From Miller Theatre Executive Director Melissa Smey: "Since their Miller debut in 2010, it's been my pleasure to watch this ensemble develop, winning over audiences season after season. I can't wait to hear them bring to life these gorgeous gems from masters of the Spanish Renaissance. "

Miller Theatre's "essential" (The New Yorker) Early Music series has been lauded as a leader in New York's burgeoning historical performance scene. This season, we'll hear intricate vocal works from England, Italy, and Spain; a French Baroque setting of the myth of Ulysses; and a dark, dramatic lament, performed by candlelight. Most performances are held offsite at the Church of St. Mary the Virgin, where listeners can experience this glorious music in a setting much like the cathedrals where Tallis, Byrd, Monteverdi, and others would have originally performed it.

Praised worldwide for their "consistently spirited, carefully shaped performances" (New York Times), the illustrious male vocal quartet New York Polyphony presents an evening of Spanish liturgical music, beginning with a mass by Morales. Works by Guerrero and Victoria exhibit a common flair for vivid, dramatic writing, and are united by their radiant imagery. Quae est ista captures the Virgin Mary "fair as the moon, bright as the sun," while Gaudent in coelis imagines the celestial celebrations of the saints. Palestrina transforms the same text with his smooth and flowing style, allowing notes to lead gently into one another and harmonies to flourish as the saints "rejoice without end."

PROGRAM:
Cristobal Morales: Missa Vulnerasti cor meum
Francisco Guerrero: Regina caeli
Francisco Guerrero: Quae est ista
Tomas Luis da Victoria: Gaudent in coelis
Tomas Luis da Victoria: Missa "O Quam gloriosum"
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina: Gaudent in coelis

ARTISTS:
New York Polyphony
Geoffrey Williams, countertenor
Steven Caldicott Wilson, tenor
Christopher Dylan Herbert, baritone
Craig Phillips, bass

New York Polyphony (www.newyorkpolyphony.com) - New York Polyphony is a fast-rising group of stars on the classical music scene. "Early music's Fab Four" (Brattleboro Reformer) are recognized as one of the finest vocal ensembles active today. The all-male quartet applies not only refined musicianship and interpretative detail but also a refreshingly modern touch to repertoire that ranges from austere medieval melodies to cutting-edge contemporary works. Dedication to innovative programming, as well as a focus on rare and rediscovered early music, have earned New York Polyphony critical accolades and a devoted following.

In early 2012, New York Polyphony released endBeginning, their third album and first on acclaimed label BIS Records. Containing rare and never-before recorded works from the Franco-Flemish Renaissance, it has amassed substantial critical acclaim. endBeginning has been featured on NPR's Deceptive Cadence, selected as "CD of the Week" by Alex Ross (The Rest Is Noise), and rated 10-out-of-10 by Classics Today. It also received high marks from international publications including, Klassik Heute (Germany), Diapason (France), and Gramophone (UK).

Hailed as a "stunning tour through chant, polyphony and renaissance harmonies" (Minnesota Public Radio), their second album 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. New York Polyphony's debut album I sing the birth was released in 2007 and garnered unanimous praise.

Since their founding in 2006, New York Polyphony have participated in major concert series and festivals throughout North America and Europe, including Miller Theatre at Columbia University; Dallas Chamber Music Series; Ireland's Ardee Baroque Festival; Denmark's Vendsyssel Festival; Festival de Música de Morelia, Mexico; and Choral at Cadogan Hall in London. In December 2011, New York Polyphony made their national television debut on The Martha Stewart Show.

Recent engagements include residencies at Dartmouth College, Stanford University, and Mount Royal University in Calgary, Alberta, a broadcast holiday event for Minnesota Public Radio, and the European premiere of the Missa Charles Darwin-a newly commissioned secular Mass setting based on texts of Charles Darwin by composer Gregory Brown-at the Museum für Naturkunde in Berlin, Germany. In January, New York Polyphony participated in the New York premiere of Jonathan Berger's chamber opera cycle Visitations at the PROTOTYPE Festival with soprano Mellissa Hughes and JACK Quartet.

Columbia University's Miller Theatre is located north of the Main Campus Gate at 116th St. & Broadway on the ground floor of Dodge Hall. Directions and information are available online at www.millertheatre.com or via the Miller Theatre Box Office, at 212.854.7799.