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We are currently booking for the 2024-2025 concert season. For more information, please contact our manager, Marianne LaCrosse.

View concert proposals here.

"A wonderfully crystalline performance"

- GRAMOPHONE

TALLIS Lamentations 2

"[The Byrd Ensemble] exploit a brighter part of the color palette, enabling perfect intonation and balance."

OREGON ARTS WATCH

NEXT:

ALLEGRI MISERERE

Saturday, April 27, 2024 at 7:30 PM

Holy Rosary Church - 4139 42nd Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98116

Sunday, April 28, 2024 at 3:00 PM

Trinity Parish Church - 609 8th AveSeattle, WA 98104

Sunday, May 11, 2024 

Virtual Concert

The centerpiece of this program of Renaissance and modern music is Allegri’s Miserere. The work was exclusively sung by the Sistine Chapel Choir, though legend says that a 14-year old Mozart visited Rome and wrote out the piece perfectly from memory after just one hearing, sending the Vatican’s guarded secret into the world. The psalm setting is famously known for a high C, sung by a soprano soloist. 

 

The program also features two elaborate psalm settings by English Renaissance composers Robert White and John Sheppard and motets by modern composers John Tavener, Eric Whitacre, and Arvo Pärt.

REGISTRATION OPEN!

INTERNATIONAL RENAISSANCE COURSE 2024

JULY 8-15, 2024  |  LISBON, PORTUGAL

THE GOLDEN AGE OF PORTUGUESE POLYPHONY

Magalhães, Lobo, Cardoso

We are pleased to announce that our Renaissance course 2024 will be held in Lisbon, Portugal, July 8-15, 2024. The course will explore Renaissance polyphony by Portuguese composers, including Filipe de Magalhães (c. 1571–1652), Duarte Lobo (1565-1646) and Manuel Cardoso (1566-1650).

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20

YEAR ANNIVERSARY SEASON

BIG BYRD

Resonating through time

OCT 21, 2023

OCT 22, 2023

NOV 3, 2023

NOV 4, 2023

NOV 25, 2023

NOV 26, 2023

DEC 2, 2023

FEB 3, 2024

FEB 4, 2024

APR 27, 2024

APR 28, 2024

MAY 4, 2024

MAY 5, 2024

Seattle, WA

Portland, OR

Birmingham, AL

Fairhope, AL

Seattle, WA

Seattle, WA

Seattle, WA

Seattle, WA

San Francisco, CA

Seattle, WA

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Seattle, WA

Broadcasts

Broadcasts

Byrd Ensemble
01:24
BIG BYRD: Music by William Byrd
59:12
Byrd Ensemble

BIG BYRD: Music by William Byrd

This special program features our namesake, English Renaissance composer William Byrd. One of the greatest composers of the Renaissance, Byrd wrote an array of sacred and secular compositions for both public and private consumption. As a devout Catholic, Byrd had the challenge of composing for the Protestant church. Perhaps it was this inner conflict that allowed him to produce some of the most beautiful compositions of Renaissance vocal music ever written. Support us by making a donation: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=SNFN2RJUY8QFL 00:00 Introduction 01:38 BYRD Magnificat 12:15 BYRD Nunc dimittis 17:55 About William Byrd 20:30 BYRD Quomodo cantabimus 29:11 BYRD Ne irascaris, Domine 37:08 A Catholic Byrd 40:55 BYRD Ave verum corpus 44:56 Byrd's later life 47:09 BYRD Ad Dominum cum tribularer 57:51 Thank you and Credits A BIG thank you to those who have supported this program! Your contributions help offset lost ticket revenue and encourage us to produce more musical broadcasts while we cannot perform for you in person. PROGRAM: Music by William Byrd (1540-1623) Magnificat & Nunc dimittis Quomodo cantabimus Ne irascaris, Domine Ave verum corpus Ad Dominum cum tribularer SINGERS Soprano: Ruth Schauble, Margaret Obenza Alto: Danielle Reuter-Harrah, Sarra Sharif Doyle, Joshua Haberman, Willimark Obenza Tenor: Orrin Doyle, Carson Lott Bass: Kevin Wyatt-Stone, Clayton Moser DIRECTED AND PRODUCED BY Markdavin Obenza, Scribe Records PROGRAMMING Markdavin Obenza Margaret Obenza VIDEOGRAPHERS Willimark Obenza, Willi Pixel Lauren Kastanas Markdavin Obenza Recorded at St. James Cathedral, Seattle. October 2021 This program is supported, in part, by a grant from the Washington State Arts Commission. This project was supported, in part, by 4Culture/King County Lodging Tax.
NEW WORLD POLYPHONY: Treasures from the Cathedral of Mexico City
43:56
Byrd Ensemble

NEW WORLD POLYPHONY: Treasures from the Cathedral of Mexico City

Byrd Ensemble presents a program of sacred music from the Two Mexico City Choirbooks of 1717. We will perform music by composers Antonio Rodríguez Mata, Antonio de Salazar, and Manuel de Sumaya, alongside music by old world icons that had an unmistakable influence on the Mexican polyphonic style—Tomás Luis de Victoria, Alonso Lobo, and G.P. da Palestrina. Program Translations: https://d999fd7f-7e26-4f91-8977-4ceadb42648d.filesusr.com/ugd/7885b1_05b584b8f7834269aa59b76cacd6597a.pdf *Singers in this video recorded their audio and video separately. Their footage and was combined in post production so they appear on the same stage. We hope you can support the broadcast by either purchasing a virtual ticket or making a donation. Thank you for your support. Buy a virtual ticket: https://www.byrdensemble.com/newworldpolyphony Make a donation: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=SNFN2RJUY8QFL PROGRAM 04:18 PALESTRINA: Sicut lilium inter spinas 11:58 VICTORIA: Ave Regina caelorum 16:56 LOBO: Versa est in luctum 21:47 MATA: Lamentations 30:30 SUMAYA: Adjuva nos Deus 34:19 SALAZAR: O sacrum convivium a8 ENCORE: 37:45 HARRIS: Faire is the heaven *** BYRD ENSEMBLE, directed by Markdavin Obenza SOPRANO Margaret Obenza Danielle Reutter-Harrah Ruth Schauble ALTO Sarra Sharif Joshua Haberman Willimark Obenza TENOR Orrin Doyle Sam Faustine BASS David Hoffman Jared White DIRECTED AND PRODUCED BY Markdavin Obenza, Scribe Records PROGRAMMING Margaret Obenza Markdavin Obenza VIDEOGRAPHERS Julia Baker Lauren Kastanas Markdavin Obenza Margaret Obenza Recorded at Trinity Parish Church, Seattle. January 2021 This program is supported, in part, by a grant from the Washington State Arts Commission. This project was supported, in part, by 4Culture/King County Lodging Tax.
Portuguese Polyphony: Magalhães, Cardoso, and Duarte Lobo
50:21
Byrd Ensemble

Portuguese Polyphony: Magalhães, Cardoso, and Duarte Lobo

PORTUGUESE POLYPHONY Premieres FRI SEPT 10 at 7:00 p.m. PST By the 17th century, the transition to the Baroque style was well underway. Portuguese Renaissance composers, however, were not quick to change with the times. Rather than adopting Baroque writing techniques, they kept developing the Renaissance style and incorporated new harmonic flavors from the emerging Baroque movement, yielding some of the most exotic sounding Renaissance motets of the era. This program features Duarte Lôbo, Filipe de Magalhães, and Manuel Cardoso. Join us online for this program of music from the golden age of Portuguese polyphony, recorded and filmed at St. James Cathedral. 0:00 Introduction 04:45 MAGALHÃES: O Rex gloriae 07:15 MAGALHÃES: Missa O Soberana luz 26:48 CARDOSO: Sitivit anima mea 30:51 CARDOSO: Lamentatio 38:39 LOBO: Audivi vocem 41:16 LOBO: Magnificat secundi toni A BIG thank you to those who have supported this program! Your contributions help offset lost ticket revenue and encourage us to produce more musical broadcasts while we cannot perform for you in person. You can still support the broadcast by making a donation: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=SNFN2RJUY8QFL Program Notes and Text and Translations https://d999fd7f-7e26-4f91-8977-4ceadb42648d.filesusr.com/ugd/7885b1_55ff011792224024b72b578e1a5d1e80.pdf *** BYRD ENSEMBLE, directed by Markdavin Obenza SOPRANO Ruth Schauble Margaret Obenza Christina Siemens Jane Long ALTO Sarra Sharif-Doyle Joshua Haberman Willimark Obenza Erin Calata TENOR Orrin Doyle Sam Faustine Jacob Buys Tim Blok BASS Kevin Wyatt-Stone Doug Fullington Ben Merrill DIRECTED AND PRODUCED BY Markdavin Obenza, Scribe Records PROGRAMMING Markdavin Obenza Doug Fullington VIDEOGRAPHERS Willimark Obenza, Willi Pixel Lauren Kastanas Markdavin Obenza Recorded at St. James Cathedral, Seattle. August 2021 This program is supported, in part, by a grant from the Washington State Arts Commission. This project was supported, in part, by 4Culture/King County Lodging Tax.
ARVO PÄRT: Sunset at Joshua Tree
01:09:46
Byrd Ensemble

ARVO PÄRT: Sunset at Joshua Tree

Listen in place, with the commitment of your attention to music by Estonian composer Arvo Pärt, over a sunset at Joshua Tree National Park. https://www.byrdensemble.com/ 0:00 Introduction 0:30 Seven Magnificat Antiphons: O Weisheit 4:14 Seven Magnificat Antiphons: O Adonai 4:52 Seven Magnificat Antiphons: O Sproß aus Isais Wurzel 6:11 Seven Magnificat Antiphons: O Sclüssel Davids 8:45 Seven Magnificat Antiphons: O Morgenstern 10:48 Seven Magnificat Antiphons: O König aller Völker 12:04 Seven Magnificat Antiphons: O Immanuel 15:30 I Am the True Vine 23:45 The Woman with the Alabaster Box 29:45 Tribute to Caesar 36:05 Berlin Mass: Kyrie 38:58 Berlin Mass: Gloria 43:10 Berlin Mass: Erster Alleluiavers zum Weihnachtsfest 44:11 Berlin Mass: Zweiter Alleluiavers zum Weihnachtsfest 45:35 Berlin Mass: Erster Alleluiavers zum Pfingstfest 46:32 Berlin Mass: Zweiter Alleluiavers zum Pfingstfest 47:35 Berlin Mass: Veni Sancte Spiritus 51:46 Berlin Mass: Credo 55:53 Berlin Mass: Sanctus 01:00:00 Berlin Mass: Agnus Dei 01:02:15 Magnificat "Arvo Pärt" (2013) Available on Scribe Records https://www.scribestudios.us/ Listen to the album: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/7vWbENl0aphBlL0ov1soYp?si=U7LRNaJCTmyDzRTxXnPmqA iTunes: https://music.apple.com/us/album/arvo-p%C3%A4rt/735708382 --- The Byrd Ensemble Markdavin Obenza, director Produced by Markdavin Obenza and Joshua Haberman for Scribe Records Soprano: Maria Mannisto, Margaret Obenza, Christina Siemens, Linda Strandberg Alto: Joshua Haberman, Sarra Sharif Doyle Tenor: Orrin Doyle, Markdavin Obenza Bass: Gustave Blazek, Willimark Obenza, Omaldo Perez, Jonathan Silvia, Thomas Segen Organist: Sheila Bristow Recorded in 2013 at Church of the Redeemer, Kenmore, WA Footage from Joshua Tree National Park, November 22, 2020.
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