CHICAGO (August 15, 2007) - Get to know some of the most famous and timeless stories as only the Newberry Consort can present them - through the music of some of the world's most talented musicians. In their 21st season, the Newberry Consort, under the direction of acclaimed violinist David Douglass, will enchant audiences with programs that combine both familiar and unknown music with the arts of theater and dance, creating beautiful interpretations of beloved stories.
This season's first performance in early October, Shakespeare's Songbook, features the art songs, ballads, and dance tunes that gave patrons of William Shakespeare's The Globe Theatre a deeper understanding of the playwright's works.
"Shakespeare loved music, and used it both in the background to establish a mood, not unlike how we hear music used today in television and the movies, and up front as an entertaining diversion," Douglass said. "He also made frequent reference to popular music in his dialogue to manipulate the emotions of his audience."
Consort Director David Douglass has called the ensemble's second program of the year, an advent and Christmas celebration, "a jubilant and accessible affair" which will feature 17th-century brass and vocals. A grand spectacle of instrumental and vocal colors, Journey to Bethlehem: 17th-Century German Music for Advent and Christmas will present well-known and beloved seasonal music in settings new to Consort audiences, featuring historical brass, recorders, reeds, strings, organ, and voices in the lush and resonant acoustics of Chicago's St. Clement Church and Evanston's Millar Chapel.
Get into a romantic mood this February with a Medieval celebration of love. In The Play of Robin and Marion, the Consort presents a Medieval debate on the subject of love, through the music of Medieval trouvères, who sang the stories of their lives in elegant and touching verse. The centerpiece of this poetic debate is Le Jeu de Robin et Marion by the trouvère Adam de la Halle, reputedly the first French secular play with music. This first account of the romance of Robin and Marion will be semi-staged and set to the improvised accompaniment of lutes, fiddles, flutes, recorders, and percussion.
Put on your dancing shoes as the Newberry Consort adds some spice to the spring with April's Españoleta. In this season's thrilling finale to the musical season, the Consort, joined by the musicians of Chatham Baroque, will present a diverse program of music from 17th century Spain and Latin America featuring dancers in full Baroque costume, telling stories through movement to tarantelas, canaries, and folias. In a city famous for its dance companies, historical dance is rarely seen in Chicago, but historical dance will certainly be right at home at the Newberry, which has an excellent collection of dance-related materials and is a popular destination within the Chicago dance community. Come "hear the dance" as the Newberry Consort presents a program filled with drama, movement, and music.
For those looking for a fuller understanding of the life and times when this music was first played, Douglass will present in-depth seminars on each concert's theme from 10 AM to noon on the Saturday preceding each concert weekend, free to Consort subscribers. With these seminars, open rehearsals on Thursday afternoons, as well as pre-concert lectures for evening performances, the Newberry Consort offers an educational and enchanting adventure in storytelling throughout this season's programs. And for the open-seating Friday and Saturday evening performances, bring a youth (high-school age or younger) free!
THE NEWBERRY CONSORT 2007-08 SCHEDULE
Shakespeare's Songbook
Thursday, October 4, 2007, 2:00 pm
Open Rehearsal, Newberry Library
Friday, October 5, 2007, 8:00 pm
Concert, Ruggles Hall, Newberry Library
Saturday, October 6, 2007, 8:00 pm
Concert, Fulton Hall, The University of Chicago, Hyde Park
Sunday, October 7, 2007, 3:00 pm
Concert, Lutkin Hall, Northwestern University, Evanston
Journey to Bethlehem: 17th Century German Music for Advent and Christmas
Thursday, November 29, 2007, 2:00 pm
Open Rehearsal, St. Clement Church, Lincoln Park
Friday, November 30, 2007, 8:00 pm
Concert, St. Clement Church, Lincoln Park
Saturday, December 1, 2007, 8:00 pm
Concert, St. Clement Church, Lincoln Park
Sunday, December 2, 2007, 3:00 pm
Concert, Millar Chapel, Northwestern University, Evanston
The Play of Robin &Marion
Thursday, February 14, 2008, 2:00 pm
Open Rehearsal, Newberry Library
Friday, February 15, 2008, 8:00 pm
Concert, Ruggles Hall, Newberry Library
Saturday, February 16, 2008, 8:00 pm
Concert, Fulton Hall, The University of Chicago, Hyde Park
Sunday, February 17, 2008, 3:00 pm
Concert, Lutkin Hall, Northwestern University, Evanston
Españoletta
Thursday, April 10, 2008, 2:00 pm
Open Rehearsal, Newberry Library
Friday, April 11, 2008, 8:00 pm
Concert, Ruggles Hall, Newberry Library
Saturday, Aril 11, 2008, 8:00 pm
Concert, Fulton Hal, The University of Chicago, Hyde Park
Sunday, April 13, 2008, 3:00 pm
Concert, Lutkin Hall, Northwestern University, Evanston
Off the Record: An Afternoon With Ellen Hargis and Paul O'Dette
Sunday, April 27, 2008, 3:00 pm
Benefit Concert, Ruggles Hall, The Newberry Library
ABOUT THE NEWBERRY CONSORT
The Newberry Consort began as part of the Early Music from the Newberry series, which was founded by Mary Springfels in 1982. Over the years, the Consort, along with distinguished guest artists, has set the standard for inventive programming, bringing to light the vast music collections of the Newberry Library. This rich history, enhanced by the musicians' longtime friendship, allows this world-class ensemble to present often brilliantly improvised performances, with the utmost attention to musical style and detail. The Newberry Consort is the longest running and most successful early music ensemble in the Chicago area, and their programs include numerous performances, free public lectures, broadcasts, and outreach events each year.
The Consort has toured nationally and internationally since 1987, and has regularly recorded for Harmonia Mundi USA. Their latest recording, Puzzles and Perfect Beauty: Italian Music at the End of the Middle Ages, was released in November 2004 on the Noyse Productions label. The Newberry Consort is ensemble-in-residence at the Newberry Library, the Northwestern University School of Music, and the university of Chicago.
The Newberry Consort programs are made possible in part with funding from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency, a CityArts Program 4 grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, the Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation, the NIB foundation, and generous individuals who constitute the Friends of the Consort. The Anne P. Lederer Research Institute supports the Senior Community Project's open rehearsals. For more information about the Senior Community Project, call (312) 255-3610.
ABOUT THE NEWBERRY LIBRARY
The Newberry Library, a preeminent humanities research and reference institution, is home to a world-class collection of books, manuscripts, maps, music, and other printed materials related to the history and culture of Western Europe and the Americas. The collections span many centuries and feature items such as illuminated medieval manuscripts, rare early maps, rich genealogical resources, and the personal papers of Midwest authors. The Newberry offers exhibits based on its collections, musical and theatrical performances, lectures and discussions with today's leading humanists, seminars and workshops, and teacher programs. Visit www.newberry.org to learn more.