Miller Theatre's Early Music Series Presents New York Polyphony Performing Music From Over The Alps

Early Music will be presented Saturday, February 16, 2019, 8:00 p.m. at the Church of St. Mary the Virgin, 145 West 46th Street between 6th & 7th Avenues.

The four voices of the celebrated ensemble New York Polyphony return to take audiences on a journey over the Alps to explore the Flemish composers who traversed the mountains to work in Italy. Encompassing works by well-known composers Orlande de Lassus and Palestrina, alongside gems by Philippe Verdelot, Cipriano de Rore, and others, the rich and varied program highlights the flourishing of the polyphonic style in the region.

Program:
Jacobus Clemens non Papa: Tristitia obsedit me
Clément Janequin: La guerre ("La bataille de Marignan")
Orlande de Lassus: La nuit froide et sombre
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina: Missa "Gabriel archangelus": Kyrie eleison et Gloria in excelsis Deo
Cipriano de Rore: Anchor che col partire
Cipriano de Rore: Mia benigna fortuna
Cipriano de Rore: Reiouyssons nous
Philippe Verdelot: Gabriel archangelus
Philippe Verdelot: O dolce notte
Adrian Willaert: Pater noster
Adrian Willaert: Secunda pars: Ave Maria

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

Praised for a "rich, natural sound that's larger and more complex than the sum of its parts" (NPR), New York Polyphony is one of the foremost vocal chamber ensembles active today. The four men give vibrant, modern voice to repertoire ranging from Gregorian chant to cutting-edge 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 two GRAMMY nominations and wide acclaim, but also helped to move early music into the classical mainstream.

Since their founding in 2006, commissioning new works has also been central to the mission of New York Polyphony. 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. In January 2017, as part of Miller Theatre at Columbia University's Early Music Series, New York Polyphony premiered The Vespers Sequence, a multi-movement setting of the Byzantine evening prayer service composed for the ensemble by Ivan Moody. Future projects include The Bitter Good by American composer Gregory Spears, for which the quartet was awarded a 2016 Commissioning Grant from Chamber Music America.

The ensemble's growing discography includes albums that have topped the "best of" lists of The New Yorker, Gramophone, and BBC Music Magazine. Times go by Turns (2013), the ensemble's fourth album, was named one of iTunes' 10 Best Classical Releases of the year and garnered a GRAMMY nomination. Sing thee Nowell (2014) scored New York Polyphony its second GRAMMY nomination and was selected as a "must have" in their Holiday Gift Guide. Their seventh recording Roma aeterna (2016) debuted at #4 on Billboard magazine's Traditional Classical Album chart and was hailed as "blissfully confident and beautiful" (BBC Radio 3 - Record Review), "resplendent and elegant" (San Francisco Chronicle), and "nothing short of revelatory" (AllMusic).

New York Polyphony tours extensively, participating in major concert series and festivals around the world. Noteworthy engagements include debut performances at London's Wigmore Hall and The Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, residencies at Dartmouth College and Stanford University, concerts under the aegis of the Festival Oude Muziek Utrecht (Netherlands), 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. Elsewhere New York Polyphony has performed as part of the Tage Alter Musik Regensburg; Rheingau Musik Festival, Thüringer Bachwochen (Germany); Abvlensis International Music Festival (Spain); Stiftskonzerte Oberösterreich (Austria); Festival de Música de Morelia (Mexico); and the Elora Festival (Canada), among others. 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.

Now in its 30th Anniversary Season, Miller Theatre at Columbia University is the leading presenter of new music in New York City and one of the most vital forces nationwide for innovative programming. In partnership with Columbia University School of the Arts, Miller is dedicated to producing and presenting unique events, with a focus on contemporary and early music, jazz, opera, and multimedia performances. Founded in 1988, Miller Theatre has helped launch the careers of myriad composers and ensembles over the years, serving as an incubator for emerging artists and a champion of those not yet well known in the United States. A four-time recipient of the ASCAP/Chamber Music America Award for Adventurous Programming, Miller Theatre continues to meet the high expectations set forth by its founders-to present innovative programs, support the development of new work, and connect creative artists with adventurous audiences. Major support for Miller Theatre's 2018-19 Season is provided by the
New York State Council on the Arts with the support of
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.2