Organization Member
Contact Information
2069192471
info@byrdensemble.comhttps://www.byrdensemble.com/
Seattle, Washington
Type of Organization
Performing EnsembleAbout
Described as “pure and radiant” (Gramophone), “immensely impressive” (Early Music Review), and “rich, full-voiced, and perfectly blended” (Early Music America), the Byrd Ensemble has been internationally acclaimed for its performances and recordings of chamber vocal music, particularly Renaissance polyphony. The Byrd Ensemble, directed by Markdavin Obenza, is a Seattle-based professional ensemble made up of 10 to 12 singers.
Since 2004, the ensemble has performed in the greater Seattle area and toured across the United States, presenting concerts for the Gotham Early Music Scene in New York with Peter Phillips (director of the Tallis Scholars), the Boston Early Music Fringe Series, and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The Byrd Ensemble participated in the London International A Cappella Choir Competition, where John Rutter described the ensemble as “a fine group that has achieved an enviable standard of tuning, blend, and ensemble.”
The Byrd Ensemble became part of the Scribe Records label in 2011 and has since produced six records which have been reviewed by major early music publications: Early Music America, Gramophone, and Early Music Review. Our Lady: Music from the Peterhouse Partbooks (2011) featured reconstructions by musicologist Nick Sandon of music by lesser-known English Renaissance composers—Pasche, Merbecke, and Ludford—and included two world-premiere recordings. In the Company of William Byrd (2012), Music for the Tudors (2015), and Music of the Renaissance: Italy, England & France (2016) featured more mainstream Renaissance composers Tallis, Sheppard, Byrd, and White. The Byrd Ensemble's recording of Estonian composer Arvo Pärt was reviewed in the Gramophone Magazine in 2014 and was used in the French film L'apparition (2018).
The Byrd Ensemble is represented by Artist Manager Marianne LaCrosse of Suòno Artist Management (marianne@suonoartistmanagement.com)
