St. Ann Consort features the vocal soloists from the St. Ann Chapel Choir (Palo Alto) and friends in performances of both sacred and secular early music, spanning the 11th - 17th centuries.
The Consort gave its inaugural concerts in February 2004, presenting "Love and Death", featuring Tomas Luis de Victoria's stunning Missa de profunctis for six voices, and selected madrigals tied by the theme of love by Striggio, Marenzio and da Rore. Artists featured were Dorothy Manly and Helen Holder (Sopranos), Celeste Winant (alto), Sam Smith and Michael Woodside (tenors) and Donald Ziff (bass).
St. Ann Consort made its Berkeley Early Music Fringe Festival debut in June 2004 with a program of dramatic madrigals by Marenzio and Monteverdi, featuring Monteverdi's setting of the Sestina from his 6th book of madrigals. The program was performed by Dorothy Manly (soprano), Celeste Winant (alto), Michael Azevedo and Michael Eisenberg (tenors) and Donald Ziff (bass).
In October 2005, the Consort stepped back in time 500 years from the high renaissance / early baroque and presented a unique program of early monastic chant and polyphony from the abbey of St. Martial (Limoges, France), works by Perotin from the School of Notre Dame de Paris, and the visionary chants of Abbess Hildegard of Bingen. This was repeated at the June 2006 Berkeley Early Music Fringe Festival, featuring Helen Holder (soprano), Celeste Winant (alto). Michael Eisenberg and Michael Woodside (tenors).
Recent events
2006 Berkeley Early Music Festival and Exhibition Fringe Series
O Wondrous Novelty
11th and 12th Century Monastic Chant and Polyphony
Works of Hildegard von Bingen, Perotin and the abbey of St. Marital of Limoges
Saturday June 10, 1:00 P.M.
Chapel of St. Joseph of Arimathea
2316 Bowditch St., Berkeley 94704
For more information, email
nichtdaisy at yahoo dot com
Members of St. Ann Consort have also sung with these Bay Area ensembles:
Artists' Vocal Ensemble (AVE)
California Bach Society
The Haydn Singers
Opera San Jose
The Pacific Collegium
San Francisco Symphony Chorus
U.C. Berkeley Chamber Chorus
Schola Cantorum San Francisco
Volti
Vox Populi Vocal Ensemble
Photo credit - H. T. Tran, 2004
