CHICAGO, DECEMBER 08, 2008 - Escape Chicago's wintry weather and support the Newberry Consort while enjoying an afternoon of English viol consort music, wine and light refreshments, and the 1912 classic silent movie Queen Elizabeth starring Sarah Bernhardt.
The Newberry Consort will entertain with a concert of Elizabethan voice and viol repertoire and then provide the background music from the court of Elizabeth I for the showing of this film. The benefit starts at 3 p.m. Sunday, January 18, 2009, in Ruggles Hall at the Newberry Library, 60 West Walton Street, Chicago.
The film, which revolutionized the budding movie industry by elevating theatrical actors into marquee stars, showcased "The Divine Sarah" at the age of 67 in the title role. After enjoying success in Europe, the movie premiered in the U.S. at New York's Lyceum Theater and then traversed the country in a reserved-seat road show.
Newberry Consort Director David Douglass said, "When we began thinking about a theme for this year's benefit I knew that 2009 was not any major anniversary for Elizabeth I. But I learned, when looking through a biography, that she was crowned queen on January 15, 1559. Sometimes you just get lucky."
Tickets for the benefit, costing $75 per person or $125 per couple, can be purchased via the Web site http://www.newberry.org/consort/tix-ol.html or by phone at (312) 255-3700.
The Newberry Consort will also perform early English pastoral music on December 18, 2008, at the Art Institute of Chicago's Fullerton Hall amid images of selected tapestries from the Art Institute's current exhibit The Divine Art: Four Centuries of European Tapestries.
Tickets for the December 18 performance, which cost $20 per person or $15 for Art Institute members, can be purchased at the Art Institute of Chicago's admission desk or by phone at (312) 575-8000.
Location and Travel Information
The Newberry Library is at 60 West Walton Street, on CTA bus lines #22 and #70, and close to several "L" stops. For more travel information, call the RTA Travel Center Hotline, (312) 836-7000, or visit www.transitchicago.com.
ABOUT THE NEWBERRY CONSORT
The Newberry Consort is an early music ensemble-in-residence at the Newberry Library, the Northwestern University School of Music, the University of Chicago, and Saint Clement Church. The Consort bases its performances on original scores and scholarly editions kept in the Library's holdings in the music of the thirteenth through seventeenth centuries.
The ensemble's programs are made possible in part with funding from the Illinois Arts Council, a CityArts Program 4 grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, the Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation, the Anne P. Lederer Foundation, the NIB Foundation, and the many generous individuals who constitute the Friends of the Newberry Consort.
The ensemble was formed in 1986 by Mary Springfels, countertenor Drew Minter, and violinist David Douglass. In 2002 soprano Ellen Hargis became the group's fourth member. In 2007, following Mary Springfels' retirement as Consort Director, the Library appointed David Douglass as Musician-in-Residence and Newberry Consort Director. The Consort presents an annual four- or five-concert subscription series, each concert of which is performed Friday evening at the Library, Saturday evening at the Oriental Institute's Yelda Khorsabad Court in Hyde Park, and Sunday afternoon in Northwestern University's Lutkin Hall in Evanston. In addition, each series program is preceded by a Thursday afternoon open rehearsal, which is free and open to the public.