Tallis Scholars Open Miller Theatre's Early Music Series W/ Christmas Program

Miller Theatre at Columbia Universaity School of the Arts opens their 2011-12 season of its Early Music series with Songs of Mary: A Christmas Celebration.

The Tallis Scholars
Peter Phillips, director

Saturday, December 10, 8:00 p.m.
Church of St. Mary the Virgin
(145 W. 46th Street)

Tickets: $40 • CU Students: $7 • All other students: $24 with valid ID

From Miller Theatre Director Melissa Smey:
"I am so excited to begin this season's Early Music series with the world-renowned Tallis Scholars performing a special Christmas program centered on Songs of Mary, appropriately performed at the beautiful, intimate Church of St. Mary the Virgin in midtown. Their thoughtful, elegant program promises to be a unique and wonderful way for classical music lovers to celebrate the season in style."

Early Music

This season features four Early Music concerts, three in Midtown Manhattan at the Church of St. Mary the Virgin (affectionately known to insiders as Smoky Mary's) and one uptown at The American Academy of Arts & Letters. Miller is pleased to offer revered returning groups hailing from two continents. Two British ensembles-The Tallis Scholars and Stile Antico-open and close the series with timeless vocal pieces. New York's young-yet-polished New York Polyphony brings a romantic Valentine's Day program, complete with a champagne reception during intermission. And France's Le Poème Harmonique makes a stop on their international tour to perform emotional works by flickering candlelight.

Saturday, December 10, 8:00 p.m.
Songs of Mary: A Christmas Celebration
The Tallis Scholars
Peter Phillips, director

Perennial favorites The Tallis Scholars, whom The Telegraph calls "persuasive examples of the sheer beauty of intricate polyphony," return with a program for the Christmas season structured around the Magnificat, or Song of Mary, and other texts associated with Jesus's birth. Selections include masterpieces by Taverner, Praetorius, and Palestrina, as well as more modern works by Britten and Pärt. The beautifully resonant Church of St. Mary provides the ideal setting for these hymns to the Virgin.

PROGRAM:
Sweelinck: Hodie Christus natus est
Taverner: Magnificat a 5
White: Tota pulcra es
Pärt: Magnificat and Nunc dimittis
Praetorius: Magnificat IV
White: Regina caeli
Morales: Regina caeli
Britten: Hymn to the Virgin
Palestrina: Magnificat and Nunc dimittis

BIOS: The Tallis Scholars were founded by Peter Phillips in 1973. They perform in both sacred and secular venues. Previous locations include the Sistine Chapel to mark the final stage of the complete restoration of the Michelangelo frescoes; Ferrara, Italy (at the invitation of Claudio Abbado); and London for a unique 25th Anniversary concert in London's National Gallery. Other UK venues include Symphony Hall, Bridgewater Hall, Wigmore Hall, London's South Bank Centre, and the Royal Albert Hall. They have also toured in Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, France, the United States, Japan, China, Australia, and Singapore. Festival appearances include the Salzburg Festival, Bath Festival, Milan Cathedral Festival, and at the BBC Proms in London. Much of The Tallis Scholars's reputation for pioneering work has come from their association with Gimell Records, set up by Peter Phillips and Steve Smith in 1981 solely to record them.

Peter Phillips founded The Tallis Scholars in 1973. Besides his work with Tallis, Phillips has for many years contributed a column to The Spectator. In 1995 he became the advisory editor of The Musical Times, the oldest continuously published music journal in Europe. His first book, English Sacred Music 1549-1649, is an account of the history of English-texted sacred music written during the golden period between the Reformation and The Commonwealth. In 1997 he visited Japan as the adjudicator of a choral festival in Tokyo and has worked in Italy and the United States with groups specializing in the polyphonic repertoirE. Phillips has made numerous television and radio broadcasts. Besides those featuring The Tallis Scholars, he has appeared on Music Weekly, BBC World Service, Today, and on European, Canadian, and North American radio. Phillips is also the director of the Oakham International Summer School, a choral course set up to keep alive the English choral heritage and develop excellence in unaccompanied choral singing.

Upcoming concerts in Miller Theatre's Early Music series
Single tickets: $35; ($40 for The Tallis Scholars) • Subscriptions: $116 for all 4 concerts

A Renaissance Valentine Sunday, February 12, 2012
New York Polyphony American Academy of Arts & Letters

Couperin's Tenebrae Saturday, March 17, 2012
Le Poème Harmonique Church of St. Mary the Virgin

Treasures of the Renaissance Saturday, April 21, 2012
Stile Antico Church of St. Mary the Virgin

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

The Church of St. Mary the Virgin is located at 145 W. 46th Street (between 6th and 7th Aves.)

Subscriptions and single tickets are now available online at www.millertheatre.com.
The public may also purchase tickets through the Miller Theatre Box Office
in person or at 212/854-7799, M-F, 12-6 p.m.