Award-winning British vocal ensemble Stile Antico has been hard at work during the past few months. While the group’s packed touring schedule was abruptly paused in March, Stile Antico has used the time to create two unique new projects: The Journey of the Mayflower, a music-drama film that explores the unheard voices of the famous story, alongside the music of the time, and Sundays with Stile Antico, a series of lecture recitals. Both projects are available (behind a paywall) on Vimeo. Kate Ashby, founder-member and soprano with Stile Antico, explains more:
“We were keen to try and turn the difficulties of performing in a global pandemic to our advantage, and find new ways to connect with our audiences. The wonders of modern technology have allowed us to present old music in new ways. Our film exploring the story and legacy of the Mayflower’s voyage has been extremely well received, with critics praising the “stunning performances“. Our lecture-recital series, starting at the end of October, will be a wonderful way to explore the world of Renaissance polyphony in more detail. Each 45 minute episode will focus on a different aspect on the composition and historical context of the music we perform, and will feature full-length performances of some of the finest music of the time. As the winter nights draw in, we hope people will settle down by the fireside with a glass of something nice of a Sunday evening, to delve deeper into the world of 16th century choral music and enjoy the wonderful music.”
The Journey of the Mayflower is out now to rent for three months on Vimeo.com. The Sunday evenings with Stile Antico series starts on 25th October and continues for four weeks.
