Parthenia Viol Consort Presents Tomb Sonnets – A Concert With Special Guest Vocalist Ryland Angel

Parthenia, New York's premiere viol consort, will be in concert on Sunday, March 25 at 2:00 PM, performing Tomb Sonnets - A Concert with special guest vocalist, tenor and countertenor Ryland Angel, at The Secret Theatre, 44-02 23rd Street, Long Island City, Queens, NY.

The performers will present works for voice and viols by Italian Renaissance masters from the age of the sonnet, including Luca Marenzio, Philippe Verdelot, Jacques Arcadelt, and Cipriano de Rore, and instrumental works by Andrea and Giovanni Gabrieli, uncle and nephew whose composing skills were honed at San Marco in Venice, and defined the style of the era.

The centerpiece of this concert is the World Premiere of Martin Kennedy's Tomb Sonnets (2014), three short works for viol consort and countertenor that explore poetic studies of death and burial in sonnets by Petrarch ("Sonnet Found in Laura's Tomb", 1348), Keats ("On Visiting the Tomb of Burns", 1818), and Longfellow ("Sonnet on Dante's Divina Commedia", 1866).

Tenor and countertenor Ryland Angel will also read sonnets of the period, and all of the performers will offer spoken reflections on the compositions, the instruments, and the process of combining ancient forms and instruments with modern modes of expression.

Tickets are $25, available by calling GEMS at 212-866-0468 or ordering online at http://gemsny.org/events/parthenia. The audience is welcome to enjoy refreshments from The Secret Theatre concessions during the show.

The Grammy-nominated British counter-tenor Ryland Angel has built an international reputation on both the opera and concert stage, in repertoire ranging from the Baroque to new operatic commissions at major opera houses, concert halls and festivals throughout Europe and the USA. More about him at http://robertgilder.co/ryland-angel/.

Martin Kennedy's music has been performed internationally by numerous artists and ensembles, including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra Teatro Comunale di Bologna, South Dakota Symphony Orchestra, Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra, Wisconsin Philharmonic, American Composers Orchestra, Bloomington Camerata, Symphony in C, and Tuscaloosa Symphony. Visit him at https://www.martinkennedy.com/.

Parthenia is a dynamic quartet of viols which animates ancient and contemporary repertoires with a ravishing sound and a remarkable sense of ensemble. Parthenia is presented in concerts and festivals across America including Bargemusic, Music Before 1800, Maverick Concerts, The Rockport Chamber Music Festival, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Miller Theatre and the Yale Center for British Art, and in Europe at the Regensburg Tage Alter Musik. The ensemble produces its own concert series in NYC, collaborating regularly with the world's foremost early music specialists including Piffaro, Julianne Baird, Paul O'Dette, Blue Heron and ARTEK. Parthenia actively commissions and premieres works by today's composers including Eleonor Sandresky, Richard Einhorn, Phil Kline, Frances White, Max Lifchitz, Will Ayton, Nicholas Patterson and Kristin Norderval. Their latest CD, Nothing Proved - New Works for Viols, Voice and Electronics, is on the MSR Classics label. The Consort is represented by GEMS Live artists management.

Parthenia is Beverly Au, Lawrence Lipnik, Rosamund Morley and Lisa Terry. Visit them at http://www.parthenia.org.

Parthenia's concert season is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts, with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. Parthenia is a sponsored organization of the New York Foundation for the Arts, and is a member of Early Music America and Chamber Music America.