FRIDAY: A new ensemble with an ear for the Renaissance

Making their debut Friday, July 12 in Los Angeles (Mid-Wilshire), a new vocal ensemble emerges with an exceptional roster, no conductor, and the kind of spirit of togetherness that made Renaissance music, well, sing. Vocal works from this era were created and crafted in a different manner than we usually see today, working in spectacular acoustics, and with a collective ear that is too often missing from modern performances of that era’s great works. But with this collection of singers and committed leadership, PRISM has a very good shot at remaking the way we hear the masterpieces from hundreds of years ago. Here’s the concert info:

The concert is free, with no tickets required. Don’t miss it, and don’t go alone! Beyond that, we’ll let their own blurb speak for itself — See below.

Welcome to the first concert of PRISM!

We are a new vocal chamber ensemble of exceptional quality that focuses on revitalizing choral music, especially works from the Renaissance. The ensemble’s goal is to offer stellar performances using a conductorless model that promotes the highest levels of collaboration, connection, and interpretation among the singers.

Our name, PRISM, reflects our philosophy of music-making. Although a prism is often defined as a geometrical shape that consists of two equal end shapes, and a number of equal sides, it also refers to any shape with refracting surfaces through which one’s perception is changed when looked through it.

We are a PRISM for choral music, providing a way to discover the beauty embedded in early music for vocal ensemble, and in works by later composers whose creation are either explicitly or implicitly inspired by it. Additionally, we see harmony and balance across the eras, and we look to explore the influences and resemblances between newer works and their predecessors.

We are grateful for your presence at this, our inaugural concert, and we hope you will like what you hear. As we move forward, we hope you will continue to support us in whatever way fits you best. There is a mailing list in the narthex of the church; we hope you will sign it before you leave. We also encourage you to follow us on Facebook (facebook.com/PRISMensemble). If you would like to make a donation, please email us at heyitsprism@gmail.com.

Thank you so much for coming tonight! We hope to see you at our next concert on Friday, February 14, 2020 at 8 p.m., Bridges Hall of Music, Pomona College, Claremont, CA

Adrien Redford, Co-Artistic Director
Donna M. Di Grazia, Co-Artistic Director
Hayden Eberhart, Administrative Director

PRISM – Our Musicians

Sopranos: April Amante, Hayden Eberhart, Melissa Givens, Susanne Waters
Altos: Donna M. Di Grazia, Callie Hoffman-Campbell, Sarah Lynch, Laura Smith-Roethe
Tenors: Matt Brown, Adam Faruqi, Adam Noel, Matt Thomas
Basses: Scott Graff, Brett McDermid, Jae Park, Adrien Redford, Jeremy Taylor

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