Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 15, 2010
CONTACT: Kathleen Fay, Executive Director
617-661-1812 | kathy@bemf.org

MEDIA ALERT: BRITISH VOCAL ENSEMBLE STILE ANTICO RETURNS TO BOSTON IN THE OPENING CONCERT OF THE BOSTON EARLY MUSIC FESTIVAL’S 2010–2011 CONCERT SERIES

ARTIST:	Stile Antico (vocal ensemble; United Kingdom)
WHEN:	Friday, October 15, 2010 at 8pm
WHERE:	St. Paul’s Church, Bow & Arrow Streets, Cambridge, MA
PROGRAM:	In Paradisum: Swansongs and Memorials by the Renaissance Masters William Byrd: Retire my soul Plainchant: Reqiuem aeternam Guillaume Dufay: Ave regina caelorum Plainchant: Lacrimosa John Sheppard: Media vita Nicolas Gombert: Magnificat primi toni Plainchant: Pie Jesu Josquin des Prez: O bone et dulcissime Jesu Plainchant: Lux aterna Alonso Lobo: Versa est in luctum Plainchant: Libera me, Domine Heinrich Schütz: Herr, wenn ich nur Dich habe Plainchant: In paradisum Orlande de Lassus: Vide homo (Lagrime di San Pietro)
TICKETS:	Tickets priced at $19, $38, $49, and $66 each can be purchased at WWW.BEMF.ORG and 617-661-1812; a $5 discount for students, seniors, and groups is offered by calling 617-661-1812. Subscription discounts of 10% are available with the purchase of three or more programs.
EVENT DESCRIPTION: The Boston Early Music Festival opens its 21st season of concerts in Boston presenting a return engagement of British vocal ensemble Stile Antico following their thrilling North American début at the 2009 Boston Early Music Festival. These acclaimed singers will present a program of musical meditations on themes of life and loss by some of the greatest composers of the Renaissance. This concert program was first presented by Stile Antico at 2009’s York Festival where the ensemble was lauded for their “incredible intensity of sound” (The Guardian). “This fascinating program explores the responses of great composers faced with the realization of their own mortality and that of their patrons and friends,” says Stile Antico member Matthew O’Donovan. “From the final published works of Lassus, Gombert, Schütz and Byrd, who described his Psalms, Songs and Sonnets as his ‘ultimum vale’, to the extraordinary setting Dufay designed to be performed at his own deathbed, these works form a unique and insightful group.” Founded in 2001 while its members were at University, Stile Antico has quickly established itself as one of the most original and exciting new voices in its field. Working without a conductor, its members rehearse and perform as chamber musicians, each contributing artistically to the musical result. This unique approach has earned the ensemble international acclaim for their glorious singing, a melding of emotion, rhythmic precision, and sublime intonation. Among their accolades are winning the 2005 Early Music Network International Young Artists’ Competition, two Grammy nominations, and a 2009 Classic FM/Gramophone Award. Stile Antico is fast becoming one of the most in-demand early music ensembles in the world. Recent appearances include the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, as well as engagements in Milan, New York City, Lebanon, and elsewhere. Frequently featured on BBC Radio, the ensemble’s 2009 debut with BEMF was broadcast nationally in the United States on NPR. They make their BBC Proms debut in August, 2010. Stile Antico has enjoyed an extensive collaboration with Sting, touring Europe, Australia, and Asia as part of his Songs from the Labyrinth project and making a guest appearance on his album If On A Winter's Night… in 2009. RESOURCES: Download artist photos http://www.bemf.org/pages/press/images.htm Stile Antico's official Website http://www.stileantico.co.uk/ Watch Stile Antico perform Byrd's Retire My Soul on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExqgLK4Z_iQ RECENT PRESS RELEASES: 9/15/2010: Media Alert: British Vocal Ensemble Stile Antico Returns to Boston in the Opening Concert of the Boston Early Music Festival’s 2010–2011 Season 8/30/2010: Boston Early Music Festival Presents its 2010-2011 Concert Series in Boston 7/29/2010: Boston Early Music Festival Announces 2010-2011 Concerts at the Morgan Library & Museum in New York City 6/4/2010: Boston Early Music Festival Announces 2011 Festival Operatic Centerpiece ABOUT THE BOSTON EARLY MUSIC FESTIVAL: Recognized as the preeminent early music presenting organization in North America, the Boston Early Music Festival has been credited with securing Boston’s reputation as “America’s early music capital” (The Boston Globe). Founded in 1981, the Boston Early Music Festival offers diverse programs and activities, including three Grammy-nominated opera recordings, an annual concert series that brings early music’s brightest stars to the Boston and New York concert stages, and a biennial week-long Festival and Exhibition recognized as the “world’s leading festival of early music” (The Times, London). The fully staged operatic centerpiece of the 16th Festival and Exhibition in 2011 will be the North American premiere of Agostino Steffani’s Niobe, Queen of Thebes led by BEMF Artistic Directors Paul O’Dette and Stephen Stubbs, and Stage Director and Set Designer Gilbert Blin. The international cast will include soprano Amanda Forsythe in the title role and countertenor Philippe Jaroussky as Anfione. The 2010–2011 Boston Early Music Festival concert season is presented with support from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, National Endowment for the Arts, ConstellationCenter, WGBH Radio Boston, Harpsichord Clearing House, Zuckermann Harpsichords International, The Gregory E. Bulger Foundation, and U. S. Trust/Bank of America Private Wealth Management. Dates, times, venues, artists, and programs are subject to change. For more information, images, press tickets, or to schedule an interview, please contact Kathleen Fay at 617-661-1812 or email kathy@bemf.org ###