Early Music Choral Ensembles

Choral

(local and regional)

Church of the Ascension Choir

Routinely performs early music in church services throughout the year. Directed by Thomas Wikman, Choirmaster, and accompanied by David Schrader, organist.

For more info: visit this site.

For current season Church of the Ascension Choir early music performance(s), visit this site, select Music, and download the schedule (PDF file).

Bach Week Festival Chorus

The chorus of the Bach Week Festival in Evanston, Richard Webster, Director.

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"Chicago's Premier Chamber Choir." The mission of Bella Voce is to entertain, inspire, and educate through the performance of choral chamber music. The group is committed to giving top-notch performances of rarely heard music and keeping the art of polyphonic, a cappella singing alive and flourishing. The wide-ranging repertoire includes a cappella literature of the mid- and late-twentieth century, works commissioned from American composers, and sacred music of the Renaissance and Baroque eras. Bella Voce places a special emphasis on little-known pieces and neglected composers. Andrew Lewis, Artistic Director.

For more info: call 312-479-1096; e-mail mail @ bellavoce.org; or visit this site.

2012-2013 season Bella Voce early music performance(s) on: 10/13/2012..., 11/16/2012..., 12/8/2012....

2011-2012 season Bella Voce early music broadcast(s) on: 3/13/2012.

Photos of Bella Voce here, here.

Recordings of Bella Voce here.

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Chicago a cappella

One of fewer than fifty fully professional vocal ensembles in the U.S., Chicago a cappella continually seeks to break new ground in programming, repertoire, and the highest level of professional choral singing. The group draws its repertoire from two primary areas: choral singing's first "golden age" (1480-1620), and music of our own time, written since 1970. Their inventive programs are often based on a historical or cultural theme, and sometimes intersperse spoken readings among their musical selections.

2012-2013 season Chicago a cappella early music performance(s) : 12/1/2012....

Recordings of Chicago a cappella here.

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Chicago Chorale

The Chicago Chorale, Bruce Tammen, conductor, performs choral masterworks of the sixteenth through twenty-first centuries. Based in Chicago's historic Hyde Park-Kenwood neighborhood, the 50-voice choir offers qualified singers the opportunity to sing with a thoughtful and disciplined ensemble, and works to broaden and enrich the choral music audience through a variety of educational outreach activities.

For more info: visit this site.

2012-2013 season Chicago Chorale early music performance(s) on: 3/24/2013.

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Grace Episcopal Church Madrigal Choir

Under the artistic direction of Dr. Dennis E. Northway, the Madrigal Choir sings regularly at worship services at Oak Park's Grace Episcopal Church and gives concert performances several times each year. The Choir's core repertoire consists of unaccompanied motets and madrigals from the fifteenth to the eighteenth centuries. Each December, the Choir presents a holiday Boar's Head Feast, a Renaissance celebration of Christmas.

Gravitacion

Gravitacion is Millikin University's faculty medieval and renaissance vocal ensemble. Formed through a mutual respect for medieval and renaissance repertoire, the members of Gravitacion embrace the understanding that early music has many possibilities for vocal color, poetic expressions, and connection with audiences. While historically informed, Gravitacion is committed to achieving meaningful music experiences for the modern time, combining scholarship, passion, and humor.

Photos of Gravitacion here.

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King Solomon's Singers

Founded in 2010, King Solomon's Singers is dedicated to the performance of Renaissance polyphony and chant. The ensemble is composed of early music veterans who share a love of this repertoire from performing groups such as Chicago Chorale, Schola Antiqua of Chicago, the Oriana Singers, the Chicago Early Music Consort, and Chicago a cappella.

For more info: e-mail info @ king-solomons-singers.org; or visit the group's Facebook page.

2012-2013 season King Solomon's Singers early music performance(s) on: 9/22/2012.

Marion Consort

The Marion Consort, under the artistic direction of Amy Bearden, is an a cappella ensemble specializing in the choral music of the Middle Ages, Renaissance, and Baroque periods. Their mission is to mount performances for various audiences with music by well known composers, while exploring the works of lesser known composers. The Marion Consort can divide into duos, trios, octets, etc. for a well-rounded and blended performance.

For more info: e-mail aebearden @ gmail.com; or visit the Consort Facebook page at this site.

2012-2013 season Marion Consort early music performance(s) on: 7/27/2012..., 2/10/2013, 2/23/2013....

Photos of the Marion Consort here.

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The Opera Company

The Opera Company was founded by director and singer, Oliver Camacho. The mission of The OC is to present concerts combining intimate vocal music (Romantic Art Song, Renaissance Polyphony, Elizabethan Lute Song, Cabaret, Traditional/Folk Song, and even some Opera) with traditions and devices of the public spectacle (Commedia dell'Arte, Dance, Clown, Mask, etc.) thereby giving audiences normally not attracted to classical vocal music a chance to be exposed to its vast treasures outside of what can often be the prohibitive concert hall.

Photos of The Opera Company here, here.

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Oriana Singers

Chicago's "premier a cappella chamber choir." The Oriana Singers have been performing their "breathtaking range" of a cappella songs from classic to fun since 1979 and have sung everything from Renaissance madrigals to Broadway classics in hundreds of concerts around the U.S. and abroad. The group has performed at the Ravinia Festival and the Chicago Civic Opera House, and are regular guest artists of the world famous Joffrey Ballet of Chicago.

For more info: call 773-262-4558; or e-mail thevoice @ oriana.org.

2012-2013 season Oriana Singers early music performance(s) on: 3/16/2013.

Photos of the Oriana Singers here, here, here.

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Rockefeller Bach Soloists

Schola Antiqua of Chicago

Schola Antiqua of Chicago is a professional vocal ensemble dedicated exclusively to the performance of music before the year 1600. Led by musicologist Michael Alan Anderson, the group takes pride in providing the highest standards of research, performance, and education involving many underserved repertories in the Western musical canon. Since its inception in 2000, the ensemble has presented numerous innovative programs around the Midwest, often springing from recent musicological research. In 2006-2007, Schola Antiqua was Artist-in-Residence at the University of Chicago. The ensemble is currently Artist-in-Residence at the Lumen Christi Institute.

2012-2013 season Schola Antiqua early music performance(s) on: 12/7/2012..., 4/27/2013....

Photos of Schola Antiqua here, here, and here.

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University of Chicago Motet Choir

An intimate group of thirty to forty of the University's finest singers, the Motet Choir is the premiere concert and touring vocal group at Chicago. Performs a wide variety of a cappella literature from the Renaissance to the present day.

2012-2013 season University of Chicago Motet Choir early music performance(s) on: 12/7/2012....

VOX 3

VOX 3 is a collective of artists who educate both performers and audience through varied presentations of vocal music, oftentimes early music. VOX 3 builds bridges between branches of art, culture, and history by focusing on three areas: Art Song, Opera,and Education.

For more info: call 773-784-0425; e-mail info @ vox3.org; or visit this site.

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Early Music Choral, Voice, Opera CDs