Classical Interludes: Alkemie presents Awesome is this Place
Listen to the evocative sounds of today’s leading medieval music performers. This new program presents Alkemie’s creative arrangements of favorite works by Guillaume DuFay – considered the foremost European composer by his 15th-century contemporaries – alongside the compositions of modern medieval luminary Shira Kammen. Though written centuries ago, many of the texts on this program have a strong sense of place recognizable to us today - like a beloved home, a garden, or a place of spiritual worship. We also appreciate that Dufay was one of the few composers of the time to set poetic texts from the female perspective.
Alkemie
Tracy Cowart (voice, harps, percussion)
Ben Matus (voice, medieval bagpipes)
David McCormick (vielle)
Elena Mullins Bailey (voice, harp, percussion)
Niccolo Seligmann (vielles, scheitholt, gittern)
Sian Ricketts (voice, recorders, douçaines)
~with~
Shira Kammen (composer; voice, vielle, harp)
Corey Shotwell (tenor)
Alkemie exists to explore and share the life-affirming and alternative perspectives to be experienced in the sounds of centuries past. Comprised of singer-performers playing over a dozen instruments (including vielles, harps, psaltery, gittern, recorders, douçaines, and percussion), the ensemble has a particular interest in the porous boundaries between the court and folk music of the Medieval period. Grounded in historical performance practice and fed by a love of experimentation, Alkemie’s performance on the Indianapolis Early Music Festival in June 2018 was lauded as “enchanting” and “indicating [the] future health of the field of early music.”
Founded in 2013, Alkemie is based in Brooklyn and also performs nationally; since 2018 they have maintained a partnership with the Medieval Studies program at Fordham University. In addition to growing a series in NYC, Alkemie has been presented by the Amherst Early Music Festival, Arizona Early Music Society, Cambridge Society for Early Music, Capitol Early Music Series, Five Boroughs Music Festival, Johns Hopkins Program in Arts, Humanities & Health, Music Before 1800, and San Francisco Early Music Society. Alkemie also curated, recorded, and composed the music for the videogame Pentiment, by Obsidian Entertainment and published by Xbox Game Studios.
Next season, Alkemie looks forward to an album release of its indie-rock troubadour collaboration with Charles Mueller and his band table tennis (“Fine Companion”), as well as the release of “Love to My Liking/Refrains of Desire” an album of 13th-century trouvère songs.
Alkemie’s members are also committed to the lively teaching of medieval and Renaissance performance practice and history. Alkemie has been in residence at Fairmont State University and has created workshops and educational outreach programs for the Capitol Early Music Series, Ramaz High School (NYC), and at Fordham University. Alkemie members teach collegiate and amateur students at Case Western Reserve University, Fordham University, the Strathmore Arts Center, Amherst Early Music Festival, Pinewoods, the Baroque Performance Institute at Oberlin, and through the Early Music Access Project.
Photo credit Oliver Weston
Children under the age of 6 are not admitted to Classical Interludes concerts.
We are very excited to have you back at our events and would like to remind you that we are still in the midst of the pandemic. Please be considerate of your fellow guests and stay home if you’re feeling unwell. Also, consider wearing a mask when attending indoor BPL Presents events. You’ll be doing your part to help keep yourself and everyone healthy and safe.
Thank you to Classical Interludes' many private supporters.
BPL Presents programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
Alkemie received funding for this concert from the New York State Council on the Arts and New York City's Department for Cultural Affairs.
