Stile Antico Makes Miller Theatre Debut 10/16

MILLER THEATRE AT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY begins its 5-concert Early Music series next month with Stile Antico: In Paradisum

Saturday, October 16, 8:00PM
Church of St. Mary the Virgin (145 W. 46th Street)
A cohesive yet conductorless vocal ensemble offers songs by composers facing mortality
Single Tickets: $35 · Students $21 with valid ID

From Miller Theatre Director Melissa Smey:
"This year's series will introduce our audience to several new voices in early music. I can't think of a better way to begin than with the incredible young singers of Stile Antico, whose recordings and performances have impressed me for some time now. Later in the season, we welcome two other ensembles new to the series-New York Polyphony and Sequentia-as well as returning favorites Le Poème Harmonique and The Tallis Scholars."

Early Music at Miller Theatre
This season features five Early Music concerts at one of New York's best music venues, the Church of St. Mary the Virgin (affectionately known to insiders as Smoky Mary's). The debuts of two vocal ensembles are featured in these concerts: Britain's Stile Antico has skyrocketed to the upper echelon of the early music world, and New York Polyphony has swiftly emerged as one of the preeminent men's vocal ensembles. Miller also welcomes a host of renowned early music luminaries: Sequentia and their founder, Benjamin Bagby; France's Le Poème Harmonique, led by director Vincent Dumestre; and The Tallis Scholars with founder-director Peter Phillips.

Saturday, October 16, 8:00PM

In Paradisum
An ensemble of a dozen unaccompanied singers, most still in their twenties and three who are sisters, Stile Antico is revitalizing Renaissance choral music. The group performs without a conductor, approaching choral works with the dynamic cohesion of a string quartet. This program focuses on the musical responses of composers faced with their own mortality, featuring swansongs and memorials by such masters as Lassus, Dufay, des Prez, and Byrd.

ARTISTS: Stile Antico

PROGRAM: William Byrd (1543-1623): Retire my soul
plainchant: Reqiuem aeternam
Guillaume Dufay (1397-1474): Ave regina celorum
plainchant: Lacrimosa
John Sheppard (c.1515-1558): Media vita
Nicolas Gombert (c.1495-c.1560): Magnificat primi toni
plainchant: Pie Jesu
Josquin des Prez (c.1440-1521): O bone et dulcissime Jesu
plainchant: Lux aterna
Alonso Lobo (1955-1617): Versa est in luctum
plainchant: Libera me, Domine
Heinrich Schütz (1585-1672): Herr, wenn ich nur dich habe
plainchant: In paradisum
Orlande de Lassus (c.1532-1594): Vide homo quae pro te patior (Lagrime di S Pietro)

BIO: Stile Antico is an ensemble of young British singers, now established as one of the most original and exciting new voices in its field. Prizewinners at the 2005 Early Music Network International Young Artists' Competition, the group is much in demand in concert, performing regularly throughout Europe and North America. Their recordings on the Harmonia Mundi label have enjoyed great success, receiving the Diapason d'Or de l'année and the Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik; their debut, Music for Compline, was nominated for a Grammy Award. The group's most recent release, Song of Songs, won the 2009 Gramophone Award for Early Music and reached the top of the United States Classical Chart. Working without a conductor, the members of Stile Antico rehearse and perform as chamber musicians, each contributing artistically to the musical result. Their performances have repeatedly been praised for their vitality and commitment, expressive lucidity, and imaginative response to text. Stile Antico's repertoire ranges from the legacy of English Tudor composers to the works of the Flemish and Spanish schools and the music of the early Baroque.

Upcoming Early Music concerts at Miller Theatre:
Single Tickets: $35-$40 · Subscription: $144

All concerts held at Church of St. Mary the Virgin (145 W. 46th Street)

Giants of the Flemish Renaissance (New York Polyphony) - Saturday, November 20, 2010

Voices from the Island Sanctuary (Sequentia) - Saturday, January 22, 2011

Esperar, Sentir, Morir (Le Poème Harmonique) - Saturday, February 19, 2011

Celebrating the Genius of Victoria (The Tallis Scholars) - Saturday, April 2, 2011

Columbia University's Miller Theatre is located north of the Main Campus Gate
at 116th St. & Broadway on the ground floor of Dodge Hall.

For tickets, the public should call the Miller Theatre Box Office at 212/854-7799, M-F, 12-6PM.
Tickets can also be purchased online at http://www.millertheatre.com/.