Miller Theatre's Early Music Series Welcomes Return of New York Polyphony Tonight

Miller Theatre at Columbia University School of the Arts continues the 2015-16 Early Music series with SONGS OF HOPE, featuring New York Polyphony, tonight, November 14, 2015, 8:00 p.m. at Church of St. Mary the Virgin (145 W. 46th Street).

Tickets: $30-$45; Students with valid ID: $7-$27. Visit www.millertheatre.com/events/songs-of-hope for tickets and more information.

From Miller Theatre Executive Director Melissa Smey: "New York Polyphony are a mainstay of our program and it's always a pleasure to welcome these immensely talented singers to our series. Like some of their past programs, this concert promises an intriguing intermingling of ancient and newer works. I very much look forward to hearing it."

New York's hometown heroes of early music have garnered international acclaim as "singers of superb musicianship and vocal allure" (The New Yorker). In this program, the twice Grammy-nominated male quartet performs an array of elegiac sacred works from across the centuries. From Renaissance Spain and Revolutionary Russia to modern day Norway, these works of longing and despair are transformed into soaring, sonorous illustrations of light in darkness through New York Polyphony's impassioned singing.

With radiant harmonies and cascading polyphony, early music has beguiled Miller audiences since the theater's founding. Today's masters of period performance bring this ancient music to life, each employing their own signature style. This season, the Orlando Consort present a thrilling new project: Carl Theodor Dreyer's classic silent film La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc accompanied by a live score of medieval music. We'll also hear from returning favorites The Tallis Scholars, Le Poème Harmonique, and New York Polyphony, while the Belgian ensemble Vox Luminis make their Miller debut.

REPERTOIRE:
Andrew Smith (b. 1970) - Salme 55
Francisco de Peñalosa (c. 1470-1528) - Lamentations
Cyrillus Kreek (1889-1962) - Taaveti laul 22
Loyset Compère (c. 1445-1518) - Officium crucis

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

New York Polyphony (www.newyorkpolyphony.com) - Praised for a "rich, natural sound that's larger and more complex than the sum of its parts," (National Public Radio) New York Polyphony is regarded as one of the finest vocal chamber ensembles in the world. The four men, "singers of superb musicianship and vocal allure," (The New Yorker) apply a modern touch to repertoire that ranges from austere medieval melodies to cutting-edge contemporary compositions. Their dedication to innovative programming, as well as a focus on rare and rediscovered Renaissance and medieval works, has not only earned New York Polyphony critical acclaim, but also helped to move early music into the classical mainstream.

Commissioning new works has been central to the mission of New York Polyphony since their founding in 2006. Both in performance and on recording, the ensemble has demonstrated a commitment to presenting contemporary compositions that explore the boundaries between ancient and modern music. They have forged relationships with numerous composers, including established artists such as Richard Rodney Bennett, Jonathan Berger and Jackson Hill, emerging talents Bora Yoon and Gregory Brown, and prominent figures such as Gabriel Jackson and Ivan Moody.

The ensemble's growing discography includes two GRAMMY-nominated releases and albums that have topped the "best of" lists of The New Yorker, Gramophone, and BBC Music Magazine. Called a "spacious, radiant retreat" by The New York Times, their current release, Sing thee Nowell, scored New York Polyphony its second GRAMMY nomination in the Best Chamber Music/ Small Ensemble Performance category.

New York Polyphony has toured extensively, participating in major concert series and festivals around the world. Highlights include Miller Theatre at Columbia University Early Music Series; Rheingau Musik Festival, Thüringer Bachwochen (Germany); Festival Oude Muziek Utrecht (Netherlands); Stiftskonzerte Oberösterreich (Austria); Festival de Música de Morelia (Mexico); Elora Festival (Canada); and Choral at Cadogan Hall in London. They have been featured on Performance Today for American Public Media, Footprints to Paradise: A Medieval Christmas for Public Radio International, and BBC Radio 3's In Tune. In December 2011, New York Polyphony made its national television debut on The Martha Stewart Show.

Directions and information is available online at www.millertheatre.com or via the Miller Theatre Box Office, at 212.854.7799.