New York Early Music Celebration 2017: “The Low Countries”

Early Music Foundation announces the sixth New York Early Music Celebration, a 10-day city-wide festival featuring New York’s historical performance artists. Subtitled “The Low Countries – Flanders and Holland”, the 2017 edition of NYEMC will highlight music of Flemish and Dutch origin. The Celebration will run from Friday, October 13 through Sunday, October 22.

New York Early Music Celebration has arranged for select foreign guest artists and ensembles to join the festivities, including Cappella Pratensis and chamber ensemble Camerata Trajectina from the Netherlands. The Celebration was also mentioned in The New York Times article “The New Season of Classical Music: Listings for the Fall Season and beyond”.

New York Early Music Celebration 2017

The New York Early Music Celebration (NYEMC) is designed to showcase New York’s historically informed performance artists, ensembles and presenters.

Frederick Renz, EMF Founding Director, says, “The lineup of local ensembles and guest artists for this edition of the New York Early Music Celebration is the strongest we’ve assembled. The wide range of music from the Low Countries, as well as other parts of Europe, will provide the adventurous Celebration attendee with many opportunities to revel in the richness of this repertoire. Our aim is to expand the audience for the many historically informed performance ensembles and presenters in New York City, arguably the largest early music community in the United States.”

More info & tickets here!

Cappella Pratensis

Cappella Pratensis, founded in 1987, mainly sings music from the period between 1450 and 1600. During that time, the polyphony of Franco-Flemish composers such as Josquin Desprez, Jean Mouton, Pierre de La Rue Jacob Clemens non Papa, Johannes Ockeghem and Guillaume Dufay world leader.

“The Polyphonic World of Jheronimus Bosch”

• October 15, 4.00 pm
• Corpus Christi Church

Music Before 1800 presents the Dutch vocal ensemble in a thematic program. Preceded by a lecture and Q&A by Professor M. Jennifer Bloxam, 3 pm.

Hieronymus Bosch, the Dutch painter who famously depicted music as nightmarish, lewd, or a vain pursuit in his Garden of Earthly Delights and Ship of Fools, was a member of Brabant’s singing confraternity at the Church of St. John the Evangelist. Missa Cum jocunditate, by Pierre de la Rue, might well have been in the confraternity’s repertory and is the program’s main work.

Camerata Tracjectina

The Camerata Trajectina ensemble (‘Utrecht Music Company’, set up in 1974) has made a name for itself playing Dutch music from the Middle Ages through the 17th century. The nucleus of the ensemble consists of Hieke Meppelink (soprano), Nico van der Meel (tenor), Saskia Coolen (recorders, viol), Erik Beijer (viol, percussion) and Louis Peter Grijp (lute, cittern, artistic director), often joined by Sytse Buwalda (countertenor), Marcel Moester (baritone), Annelies van der Vegt or Antoinette Lohmann (baroque violin) and many other musicians.

“Educational event with Camerata Trajectina”

• October 16, 6.30 pm
• Columbia University Campus, Buell Hall

The European Institute and the Program of Studies of the Dutch-Speaking World at Columbia University present the Utrecht-based ensemble in an educational event.

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“Music from the Age of Vermeer” 

• October 18, 7.30 pm
• The Morgan Library & Museum

The Dutch ensemble will perform including works by Van Eyck, Sweelinck and Huygens, among others.

Inspired by the Dutch Golden Age, this program features music by Jacob van Eyck, Antoine Boësset, Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck, Pieter Corneliszoon Hooft, Jan Jansz. Starter, and Constantijn Huygens. Since its founding in 1974, the ensemble has specialized in Dutch music from the 16th and 17th centuries, presenting new discoveries in the field of Dutch art, literature, and music. 

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• October 20, 7.30 pm
• The Netherland Club of New York

This years theme was obviously a good reason for The Netherland Club of New York to host one of the concerts of the music festival. Therefore, we are proud to present the concert ‘Music from the Golden Age‘ by Camerata Trajectina.

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“Amherst Early Music CityRecorder!”

• October 21, 9.30 am – 7.00 pm & October 22, 9.30 am – 3.00 pm
• Ella Baker School

Annual weekend workshop; faculty will include Dutch recorder player Saskia Coolen of Camerata Trajectina.

More information on the program can be found here.

About Early Music New York

Now in its forty-third season, Early Music New York reaps international acclaim for vibrant and provocative performances of historically informed repertoire from the medieval through the classical
eras. Early Music Foundation (EMF), a not-for-profit organization founded in 1974, is Artist-in-Residence at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in New York City. Under the leadership of Frederick Renz,

Early Music Foundation (EMF), a not-for-profit organization founded in 1974, is Artist-in-Residence at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in New York City. Under the leadership of Frederick Renz,
EMF’s mission is to foster public understanding and appreciation of music and music drama from the 11th through the 18th centuries. EMF presents the historical performance ensemble and orchestra
EARLY MUSIC NEW YORK – FREDERICK RENZ, DIRECTOR; a recording label, Ex cathedra Records; and a service to the field project “New York Early Music Central” (NYEMC), sponsoring/managing
city-wide festivals serving the NYC historically informed artist community.