Folger Holiday Shows Return To Live Performances!

Folger Consort, the early music ensemble-in-residence at the Folger Shakespeare Library, will host seven holiday-themed concerts from Friday, December 10, 2021 through Saturday, December 18, 2021. A video-recording of the program will also be made available for purchase for on-demand streaming via the Folger website. Performances will take place in the spacious and atmospheric St. Mark's Church on Capitol Hill, where Folger Consort's last in-person performances took place in March 2020.

A beloved annual tradition in Washington, DC, this year's holiday concert revives music from Folger Consort's celebrated album, A Medieval Christmas (Bard Records, 1990/2007). Christmas carols in English from the Middle Ages-with such favorites as "Lullay, lullow," "Ah, my dear son," and "There is no rose"-as well as medieval Latin carols from throughout Europe will be performed in unique arrangements for historical instruments. Folger Consort will be led by Artistic co-Directors Robert Eisenstein (vielle and recorder) and Christopher Kendall (lute and citole). They will be joined by a talented ensemble of medieval music specialists, including multi-instrumentalists Dan Meyers (winds) and Mary Springfels (bowed and plucked strings), and celebrated soprano Emily Noël.

"We are thrilled to be able to welcome live audiences once again in the beautiful space of St. Mark's Church on Capitol Hill," said Folger Consort Manager David Mozur. "Over the years, our festive holiday concerts have become a beloved tradition at the Folger. To be reunited this year, makes it all the more special."

Concert attendees will be expected to provide proof of vaccination and to wear a facemask. More information about Folger's COVID-19 safety protocols can be found at: www.folger.edu/covid-19-safety-protocols.

Individual tickets can be purchased from the Folger box office at (202) 544-7077 or online at www.folger.edu/consort. Prices for in-person performances are $50. Discounts are available for Folger members and for subscribers to Folger Theatre and the O.B. Hardison Poetry series. The Folger is also offering a special $15 ticket for ticket-buyers who have never attended a paid Folger event in the past.

Tickets to stream the concert on-demand are available at price tiers ranging from $20 to $50 and may be purchased with the Folger box office at (202) 544-7077 or online at www.folger.edu/consort. Once purchased, the video will be available for streaming via the Folger Shakespeare Library website from mid-December through June 30, 2022.

In A Medieval Christmas, Folger Consort presents a program of early music favorites from its beloved album of the same name. The program is divided in four sections, sharing instrumental and vocal medieval Yuletide favorites by time and location: medieval Aquitaine and Cataolina; 13th-century England and 15th-century England, and 14th-century Italy. In addition to exciting instrumental arrangements of medieval works, the program will include vocal music sung in Latin and early English. Familiar English carols such as "Ah, my dear son," "There is no rose," and "Lullay, lullow," will be heard alongside lesser-known earlier carols, such as "Miri it is" and "Edi beo thu hevene queene."

More information online at: www.folger.edu/events/a-medieval-christmas