On the outside, looking in

Discover music from some Renaissance pioneers you may never have heard before alongside some you have, and exciting new contemporary voices. Raffaella Aleotti published the first book of sacred music by a woman in 1593 alongside being a talented player in her own right and conductor in the nunnery where she was a sister. Meanwhile Vicente Lusitano is the first known published Black composer with the publication of 23 of his motets in 1551; a talented composer he wrote beautiful intricate counterpoint some of which will be on display this evening. All of them were outsiders in their own time but have work that deserves to be showcased. Another outsider in his time was William Byrd. While his music was always celebrated and he received much recognition throughout his career, his staunch Catholicism did put him at odds with the dominant Protestant faith of Tudor England at the time.

Accompanying these works will be compositions from up-and-coming and established female composers. Electra Perivolaris has been described as a ‘female trailblazer’ and has received commissions from BBC Radio 3, Aurora Orchestra and the London Symphony Orchestra among others, while Amy Stewart is a prize-winning composer from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland whose future looks very bright. Their work will be performed alongside that of Pulitzer Prize winning Caroline Shaw and Master of the King’s Music Judith Weir.

Join us for what’s set to be a fascinating journey of discovery into the Renaissance past, and the future of contemporary vocal sounds.

‘Singing one person to a part, The Marian Consort give sublimely refined, spacious and impeccably tuned performances.‘ The Sunday Times

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

The Marian Consort is a vocal ensemble that presents bold and thrilling performances for audiences across the UK, Europe and North America. Led by founder and director, Rory McCleery, the group is composed of the very best singers in a flexible, intimate ensemble, allowing clarity of texture and subtlety of interpretation that illuminates the music for audience and performer alike. TMC features regularly on BBC Radio 3, and has released twelve recordings to critical acclaim, praised for ‘precision and pellucid textures’ (The Times).

Hailed as ‘brilliant discoverers, and exponents, of rare repertoire’ (The Observer), The Marian Consort performs music from the fifteenth century to the present day, with a focus on bringing to light and championing lesser-known works by composers such as Vicente Lusitano, Raffaella Aleotti, and Jean Maillard, reinvigorating their music for today’s listeners. Creating new music is of vital importance to TMC, and in recent years it has commissioned Electra Perivolaris, Cheryl Frances-Hoad, Roderick Williams, David Fennessy, and Ben Rowarth.

The Marian Consort is a pioneer of projects which take audiences beyond the confines of the traditional concert, most notably ‘Breaking the Rules’, a staged concert-drama based on the life and crimes of Carlo Gesualdo called ‘daring and vivid’ by The Guardian. Other highlights include a debut at the BBC Proms; performances in the Bascule Chamber underneath London’s Tower Bridge; the premiere of Dani Howard’s ‘Unbound’ at Three Choirs Festival; and a Wigmore Hall recital presented in partnership with BBC Radio 3. The Marian Consort will make its debut tour of Japan in 2023.