The Toronto Consort Presents TIME STANDS STILL A Concert Discussing The Themes Of English Colonialism In Early Music

The Toronto Consort's 2023-2024 season launches with a production called Time Stands Still (Nov.3 & 4, 8 pm), a concert centering on the music written for the “broken consort” – a popular form of small ensemble in Renaissance England. Presenting music during a period of European global exploration and colonization, the Consort welcomes special guest poets and spoken word artists, who will interpret the themes of colonial impact using the lyrics as sources for their all-new works. (See full concert dates and times below).

The impetus for this program was Alison Melville's desire to revisit music for the so-called ‘broken' or English consort – a very specific and small collection of music for a sextet of instruments from different families, popular in Elizabethan England. Described as “exquisite” in sources from 1591, the blend of flute or recorder, treble and bass viols, and a trio of wire- and gut-strung plucked strings – lute, bandora, and cittern - makes for such a fun sound and one that will certainly enchant modern audiences. The repertoire consists mostly of dance music, and the printed music gives us a helpful heads-up on how to play it, for example with its occasional notated decorations to the melodies. 

“While I love this music, these days I think much more about the social context in which it thrived. Only wealthier people could afford this music in the late 16th century. What a treasure, indeed, but where did the wealth come from, and at what price for others? The answers we do have aren't pretty," says Artistic Director, Alison Melville 

Helping us explore these questions are poets and spoken word artists, Martin Gomes and Desiree Mckenzie, who are producing new works for Time Stands Still: 

“We want to give a perspective that's often not represented in the choral realm by using the given poetry within the music to inform our own. As Black artists, coming from families of immigrants - our history within the context of the choir music has a depth that is not often explored in spaces where this music is shared and celebrated. It is our hope to broaden the scope of the background of this music and the many implications of its history. By bringing spoken word (a Black art form at its core) we hope this adds to the message and nuance of the background of the music and its colonial roots," say Gomes and Mckenzie.

In addition to his celebrated poetic performance skills, Gomes joins as bass singer in his debut performance as The Toronto Consort's inaugural Consort Scholar. Generously sponsored by the Spem in Alium Fund, the Consort Scholar program aims to build the future of Early Music in Canada by providing meaningful performance and training opportunities to young or early-career professionals. 

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR: Alison Melville 

GUEST ARTISTS: Martin Gomes, Desiree Mckenzie 

CAST:  

Voices: Michele DeBoer, Martin Gomes, Cory Knight 

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