Join Madison’s premier early music performance group, Madison Bach Musicians, to savor Claudio Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610, a timeless masterpiece bridging the celestial sound world of Renaissance polyphony to the dramatic thrust of Baroque opera. Internationally acclaimed conductor Andrew Megill will direct a 24-member vocal and period-instrument ensemble of early-music specialists, most of whom have performed the Vespers in concerts throughout the world. Vocalists include sopranos Sarah Brailey (Grammy Award winner) and Arwen Myers; countertenor Geoffrey Williams; tenors Dann Coakwell, James Reese, and Steven Wilson; baritone David Newman; and bass-baritones Joshua Copeland and Jeffrey Fields. The instrumental ensemble will provide a veritable Renaissance feast of sonic colors: sackbuts (Renaissance trombones), cornetti (Renaissance treble woodwinds with a trumpet-style mouthpiece), Baroque violins, violas, violas da gamba, and violones (all gut strung with period bows), theorbos (majestic, long-necked lutes with powerful bass presence), chamber organ, and 17th-century style Italian harpsichord.
Attend a live performance at First Congregational Church May 18 (Saturday evening) or May 19 (Sunday afternoon) or purchase a livestream ticket to view on-demand through June 2. Ticket info at madisonbachmusicians.org.