Music for Three

Mary Larew

Jess Sytsma

Sam Sytsma

~Crossover between voices and instruments in 3-part music of the European Renaissance~

Farmington musicians, Jess and Sam Sytsma, will be joined by Mary E. Larew, a friend based in New Haven, CT, with whom they have collaborated since university and college days. All three will be singing as well as playing instruments in order to explore the possibilities of interchange between singers and players during the Renaissance. They will be joined for some pieces by Kathryn Sytsma on viola da gamba, a representative instrument from the period. You can expect to hear music by Italian, English and French composers including Landini, Dunstable and Machaut. As was common at the time, the performers will improvise to varying degrees, from simple embellishments on written scores to completely free improvisation.

Mary E. Larew is a performer, composer and director who has specialized in early and contemporary music with the vocal quintet Uncloistered and through her studies at Oberlin Conservatory of Music, Ohio, and the University of York, UK. In 2006, she founded Viriditas, an ensemble of flexible forces specializing in music-theatre from the fringes of the repertoire, medieval to modern.    Jess Sytsma performs as a violinist and singer in Farmington alongside her teaching of violin and music for early years. During her studies at the University of York, UK, she specialized in baroque violin performance, from which has grown an enthusiasm for bringing early violin repertoire to life for modern audiences.    Sam Sytsma grew up in Farmington. He studied singing and keyboard instruments at Oberlin Conservatory of Music; the Royal Conservatoire, The Hague in The Netherlands; and together with vocal quintet Uncloistered at the University of York, UK. Before returning to the US, he sang in the Lincoln Cathedral Choir in England for two years. Currently he performs and teaches in Farmington.

Saturday May 26th, 7:30pm at Nordica Auditorium at UMF. Donations at the door.

 

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Laurie Kennedy viola Yuri Funahashi piano

Maine Mountain Chamber Music Completing its tenth season, MMCM, under the direction of Laurie Kennedy and Yuri Funahashi, will celebrate with special guest soprano Suzanne Nance, who has performed with opera companies and orchestras in the US and in Europe, most recently in Prague, London, Philadelphia, Chicago and New York. Also featuring violinist Jennifer Ellowich and cellist Jennifer Lucht Saturday, June 16, 7:30 p.m. - Nordica Auditorium at UMF Admission: $12; free for ages under 16 & for UMF students

Suzanne Nance