Jouyssance Early Music Ensemble polled its membership and asked, “What made you a lover of Early Music?” The singers came up with a variety of medieval and Renaissance classics and rarities, forming the basis for the ensemble’s upcoming program, “Hooked on Early Classics.”
The concerts will be presented on October 22 at 8 p.m. at St. Bede’s Episcopal Church, 3590 Grand View Blvd., in Mar Vista; and on October 23 at 4 p.m. at Church of the Angels, 1100 Avenue 64 in Pasadena. Tickets are available in advance at tickets or at the door, at $25 (General Admission), $20 (Seniors/SCEMS members), or $10 for students with current school ID.
The program will include such familiar favorites as The Echo Song by Orlando di Lasso, Sicut cervus by Palestrina and the Gloria from Guillaume de Machaut’s Messe de Nostre Dame. Other works both beloved and obscure by Thomas Tallis, Francsico Guerrero, William Byrd and more, fill out the program.
The singers noted that they discovered many of their suggested selections in high school or college. Indeed madrigals and motets by the likes of Palestrina , Lasso, Tallis and others once formed the backbone of choral education. Recognizing the diminished role of early music in today’s schools, Jouyssance has launched an educational outreach program, supported in part by a recently awarded Colburn Foundation grant.
Based in Los Angeles, Jouyssance is an auditioned vocal chamber ensemble dedicated to revitalizing the music of the medieval, Renaissance and early Baroque periods. The ensemble has been directed by Dr. Nicole Baker, a noted choral conductor and singer, since 1999. Recently retired from the music faculty at California State University, Fullerton, Dr. Baker also directs the choir at St. Philip the Apostle Church in Pasadena.
For further information, call 213-533-9922 or email nicole@jouyssance.org.
