Website of ensemble:
State/Province where ensemble is based:
MA
Name of performers in the ensemble and the instruments they play:
Blue Heron, directed by Scott Metcalfe, draws from a roster of musicians in order to constitute the ensemble best suited to the repertoire at hand. Following are musicians who regularly appear in Blue Heron concerts: Jennifer Ashe, Soprano; Michael Barrett,Tenor; Cameron Beauchamp,Tenor; Marilyn Boenau,bajon; Pamela Dellal,Alto; Paul Guttry,Bass; Laura Jeppesen,vielle; Jason McStoots,Tenor; Martin Near,Alto; Aaron Sheehan,Tenor; Steven Soph,Tenor; Mark Sprinkle,Tenor; Peter Sykes,organ; Sumner Thompson,Baritone; Daniela Tosic,Alto; Teresa Wakim,Soprano; Brenna Wells, Soprano; Tom Zajac, doucaine, Gothic harp, recorders
Paragraph about the ensemble:
Blue Heron is a professional vocal ensemble that combines a commitment to vivid live performance with the study of original source materials and historical performance practice. Principal repertoire interests are fifteenth-century English and Franco-Flemish polyphony, Spanish music between about 1500 and 1575; and neglected early sixteenth-century English music, especially the rich and unexplored repertory of the Peterhouse partbooks (c. 1540). Founded in 1999, Blue Heron has appeared as part of the Boston Early Music Festival, the Festival Mozaic in San Luis Obispo, California, Dumbarton Oaks in Washington, DC, and Music Before 1800 in NYC. In 2012 they will appear at the Cloisters in NYC and on the Renaissance and Baroque series in Pittsburgh. Blue Heron’s most recent recording has received high praise from reviewers on both sides of the Atlantic, was featured in an article by Alex Ross in The New Yorker (January 10, 2011) and hit the Billboard chart.
Educational/Outreach add-ons available:
We offer a variety of educational programs at the secondary, undergraduate, and graduate levels including seminars, masterclasses, workshops, individual coaching and lessons, and pre-concert talks. Blue Heron has worked with faculty at Boston College, Williams College, Tufts University, Endicott College and the Waring School to design mini-residencies that complement musical curricula and give students the chance to learn more about Renaissance and medieval music outside the concert hall. Besides continuing to present these smaller programs, we are actively seeking institutional partners who are interested in developing longer-term residencies. These might involve multiple visits to an educational campus, as well as concert performances.
Titles of touring programs for 2011-12:
Blue Heron is able to appear in a variety of ensemble sizes and vocal/instrumental configurations. Possible programs include but are not limited to: Music from the Peterhouse partbooks(Canterbury Cathedral, c.1540); Taverner, Mason & Byrd; Brittania florens:15th century English music,sacred and secular; Songs from early Tudor songbooks; Ockeghem/Perotin; A Mass in Canterbury,c.1540; Music for the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I; Music from the Era of El Greco and Velázquez; The World of Guillaume Du Fay; Song of Songs/Songs of Love; The Virgin and the Singer; A Century of French Song. See the "Program Offerings" file below for more detailed information.
Group Photo (JPEG):
Audio files:
Ensemble's touring schedule for the past three years:
Discography of the ensemble:
Additional "online press kit" materials (flyers, reviews, etc.):