In 1704, an accidental discovery during an experiment in Berlin produced the world’s first synthetic pigment. While attempting to create a red pigment, color maker Johann Jacob Diesbach instead produced a vivid, deep blue unlike anything the world had seen before. Marketed as “Berlin Blue” and later known as “Prussian Blue,” the color became one of the most sought-after pigments in Europe. Prussian Blue traces this first synthetic pigment through the intertwined worlds of music, science, and commerce, including the exchange between Berlin and London after Diesbach’s monopoly was broken in 1724 by a British chemist, allowing the pigment to spread rapidly throughout Europe

Music by Graun, Handel, Schaffrath, Pepusch, Quantz, J.C. Bach, and C.P.E Bach.

Tickets can be purchased here.

In 1704, an accidental discovery during an experiment in Berlin produced the world’s first synthetic pigment. While attempting to create a red pigment, color maker Johann Jacob Diesbach instead produced a vivid, deep blue unlike anything the world had seen before. Marketed as “Berlin Blue” and later known as “Prussian Blue,” the color became one of the most sought-after pigments in Europe. Prussian Blue traces this first synthetic pigment through the intertwined worlds of music, science, and commerce, including the exchange between Berlin and London after Diesbach’s monopoly was broken in 1724 by a British chemist, allowing the pigment to spread rapidly throughout Europe

Music by Graun, Handel, Schaffrath, Pepusch, Quantz, J.C. Bach, and C.P.E Bach.

Tickets can be purchased here.

In 1704, an accidental discovery during an experiment in Berlin produced the world’s first synthetic pigment. While attempting to create a red pigment, color maker Johann Jacob Diesbach instead produced a vivid, deep blue unlike anything the world had seen before. Marketed as “Berlin Blue” and later known as “Prussian Blue,” the color became one of the most sought-after pigments in Europe. Prussian Blue traces this first synthetic pigment through the intertwined worlds of music, science, and commerce, including the exchange between Berlin and London after Diesbach’s monopoly was broken in 1724 by a British chemist, allowing the pigment to spread rapidly throughout Europe

Music by Graun, Handel, Schaffrath, Pepusch, Quantz, J.C. Bach, and C.P.E Bach.

Tickets can be purchased here.

Come celebrate the Fall with some Consort music! Food, snack, and beverages will be provided. Please email nkleinman22@gmail.com with more questions.

Address provided upon registration, Astoria, Queen 11106

Space is limited, so please RSVP to reserve your spot.

Step into the intimate world of seventeenth-century France, where two of today's leading interpreters of French Baroque music, Myriam Rignol and Mathilde Vialle, bring to life the extraordinary music of the legendary Sainte-Colombe and his celebrated pupil Marin Marais, alongside a new work by Doug Balliett. Immortalized in the film Tous les matins du monde, these composers transformed the expressive possibilities of the viol, creating music of astonishing beauty, tenderness, and virtuosity. From whispered conversations to dazzling displays of brilliance, this programme reveals a rich musical world far removed from the grandeur of Versailles - one of intimacy, imagination, and deeply human emotion. This is a rare opportunity to experience one of the most beautiful and deeply moving corners of the French Baroque repertoire.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2DgE3W5HwE

Tickets can be purchased here.

In the 16th and early 17th centuries, musicians loved to show off their ability to improvise and embellish fancy motifs called passaggi, breaking of divisions, or diferencias by adding expressive and technically challenging ornamentation to vocal works. Venice, a center for printing using moveable type, became a hotspot for the publication of instructional sources on the technique. We will explore some of the sources of inspiration including passaggi by Dalla Casa, Rognoni, Bassano, and the Spanish composer Ortiz.

VITA WALLACE , violin
CLAIRE SMITH BERMINGHAM, violin
LAWRENCE LIPNIK, viola da gamba
PATRICIA ANN NEELY, viola da gamba
RICHARD KOLB, lute

Tickets

Audiences are invited into the unique sound world of European courts of the 17th century, where the viola da gamba and harp reigned supreme. This intimate program pairs the luminous suite of Marin Marais with the profound, rarefied voices of his Italian and English forbears—Girolamo Frescobaldi, Luzzasco Luzzaschi, William Lawes—as well as contemporaries such as Robert de Visée. From pleading canzoni to spritely courtly dances, the music traces a lineage of elegance and daring invention—ornamented lines unfurl over a murmuring continuo as passions flicker between shadow and candlelight.

At once sumptuous and introspective, these works reveal a private side of noble life: salons humming with gossip, gardens steeped in perfume, and musicians pushing their art to its expressive edge in courtly chambers and chapels. Whether you’re new to early Baroque or already a devoted listener, period instrument ensemble A Golden Wire—featuring Thomas Fields and Arnie Tanimoto on viola da gamba, and Parker Ramsay on harp—will offer an hour of refinement, virtuosity and intimacy.

Tickets and more information about this program can be found here.

If you talk to any Bach scholar or crack open a biography of the great master, they’ll tell you it can be hard to get a peek into Bach’s life, especially his earliest and most formative years. Whereas his music is boundless, there aren’t many detailed sources on how exactly Bach was educated and what his concrete philosophy of music might have been. After all, he famously wrote no books nor treatises, letters in his hand are few, and his opinions about music are recorded second or third hand from his family or students. 

Where might that leave us? Well, what we do have is a wonderful trove of music that Bach was exposed to and collected throughout his life, in particular, examples of dense counterpoint. Though Bach never traveled more than 180 miles from the town where he was born, he amassed an incredible knowledge of music from all over Europe, spanning most of the 17th century, right up to keeping track of trends with his contemporaries.

In this evening’s program, A Golden Wire takes a fresh approach with fugues and canons of Bach, interspersed with his organ and solo violin works and those of his forbears. The voices of Palestrina, Frescobaldi, Buxtehude and Böhm will guide audiences through a the soundscape that Bach himself knew.

Parker Ramsay, organ

Arnie Tanimoto · Tommy Fields · Ryan Cheng · Charlie Reed · Stephen Moran, viols

More information and tickets available here. $5 tickets are available at the door for members of the American Harp Society and Viola da Gamba Society of Greater New York

Repast creates a new live score for the film The Iron Mask (1929), based on Alexandre Dumas' final chapter of the D’artagnan trilogy, The Vicomte of Bragelonne: Ten Years Later. The film follows the Three Musketeers as they return from retirement to save Louis XIV from his illegitimate twin who attempts to usurp the French throne. Music by Lully, Jacquet de La Guerre, Marais, Charpentier, Couperin, Praetorius, DuCaurroy, Boesset, and Caroubel.

Performers:
Natalie Rose Kress and Rebecca Nelson, violins
Caroline Nicolas and Sarah Stone, violas da gamba
Kevin Payne, theorbo
Stephanie Corwin, bassoon
Gabe Shuford, harpsichord

Tickets and more information can be found here.

A workshop presented by musicologist and viol player Tod Hedrick and hosted by VdGS/GNY, featuring:

• A mini-lecture on Renaissance Italian poetics, the sounds, forms, and meanings of a verse, and how to apply these to play madrigals more persuasively (and have more fun with your consort colleagues!)

• Viol playing techniques for imitating voices and the sounds of madrigals

• Practice melodies for all levels of players

• Suggested madrigal repertoire for viol(s)

About Tod:

Tod Hedrick is a viol performer and teacher in the New York area. He holds a PhD in musicology from CUNY and has coached many novice classes, ensembles, and individuals. He has presented at several national conferences, and his dissertation can be found on ProQuest and at CUNY Academic works.

Location TBA in Manhattan

Reminder: You must be a member in good standing to attend

Repast creates a new live score for the film The Iron Mask (1929), based on Alexandre Dumas' final chapter of the D’artagnan trilogy, The Vicomte of Bragelonne: Ten Years Later. The film follows the Three Musketeers as they return from retirement to save Louis XIV from his illegitimate twin who attempts to usurp the French throne. Music by Lully, Jacquet de La Guerre, Marais, Charpentier, Couperin, Praetorius, DuCaurroy, Boesset, and Caroubel.

Performers:
Natalie Rose Kress and Rebecca Nelson, violins
Caroline Nicolas and Sarah Stone, violas da gamba
Kevin Payne, theorbo
Stephanie Corwin, bassoon
Gabe Shuford, harpsichord

Tickets and more information can be found here.

Join Adam Young and Arnie Tanimoto for an intimate evening of music by Sainte-Colombe, Johann Schenck, and Matthew Locke, performed on viols by New York luthier Gabriela Guadalajara.

After the concert, stay for a community party and open reading session —bring your viols, enjoy refreshments, and let's make music together!

Tickets: $20 at the door; no one turned away for lack of funds!

Mark Kramer, Viola da gamba, will present solo and chamber works of Georg Philipp Telemann - the ‘Baroque Orpheus’ who took Europe by storm with his imaginative and effervescent works for diverse instruments.

Mr. Kramer will be playing a rare viol by Johann Gottfried Schmid, Leipzig 1713. He will be joined by Ars Antiqua artists; Kristen Watson, Soprano - Daphna Mor, Recorder - Jörg-Michael Schwarz, Baroque Violin - Geoffrey Burgess Baroque Oboe - Dušan Balarin, Theorbo - Jeffrey Grossman, Harpsichord.

More details can be found here.

Tickets can be purchased here.

Come join us for our Spring Play-in!

The day features morning and afternoon consorts, potluck consorts, novice classes for beginners, coffee and snacks, a membership meeting, and concludes with the Viola da Gamba Orchestra.

Schedule:

9:30-10:00 Meeting and greeting; breakfast foods and coffee or tea
10:00-12:00 Morning Consorts and Novice class
12:00-1:30 Lunch / Meeting and Announcements
1:30-3:00 Afternoon Consorts and Novice class
3:00-3:15 Pause for Coffee
3:15-4:30 Viola da Gamba Orchestra and farewells

We look forward to seeing you there!

Reminder: You must be a member in good standing to attend

Dear viol lover friends!

Please join us on Sundays from 2pm to 4pm for viol consort fun for all levels!

We have a big room for group play (music provided) and smaller rooms for self-directed projects (bring the charts you want to work on!)

Bring a viol of any size, your talent at any level, and a music stand!
There is no coach's fee for this play-in, but we do invite you to contribute to the Food Mission of Advent Church.

This is a member's VdGS/GNY event where you can join us in drinking wine, eating carbs, and playing the consort music of Henry Purcell. No coaching, just playing for fun.

If you’re interested, please email info@vdgsgny.org and say which size viol you’d like to play and whether you would describe your level as advanced beginner, intermediate, or high intermediate.

Venue address will be sent out upon RSVP, New York, New York 11106, United States. Please contact info@vdgsgny.org for specific venue location in Queens, NY.

Reminder: you must be a member in good standing to attend.

Profiling two English folk heroes, King Arthur and Robin Hood, Repast is joined by the chivalrous bass-baritone Paul Max Tipton. Legendary King Arthur and his circle of gallant knights hold court with Dibdin’s The institution of the Garter, or Arthur's Round Table restored (1745) and Purcell’s King Arthur (1691). Robin Hood, a rebel hero of broadside ballads and Shield’s comic opera Robin Hood (1784), comes through as the people’s champion.

Performers:

Paul Max Tipton, bass-baritone
Natalie Rose Kress and Shelby Yamin, violins
Adam Cockerham, theorbo
Sarah Stone, viola da gamba
Stephanie Corwin, bassoon
Gabe Shuford, harpsichord

Purchase tickets here.

Dear viol lover friends!

Please join us on Sundays from 2pm to 4pm for viol consort fun for all levels!

We have a big room for group play (music provided) and smaller rooms for self-directed projects (bring the charts you want to work on!)

Bring a viol of any size, your talent at any level, and a music stand!
There is no coach's fee for this play-in, but we do invite you to contribute to the Food Mission of Advent Church.

Profiling two English folk heroes, King Arthur and Robin Hood, Repast is joined by the chivalrous bass-baritone Paul Max Tipton. Legendary King Arthur and his circle of gallant knights hold court with Dibdin’s The institution of the Garter, or Arthur's Round Table restored (1745) and Purcell’s King Arthur (1691). Robin Hood, a rebel hero of broadside ballads and Shield’s comic opera Robin Hood (1784), comes through as the people’s champion.

Performers:

Paul Max Tipton, bass-baritone
Natalie Rose Kress and Shelby Yamin, violins
Adam Cockerham, theorbo
Sarah Stone, viola da gamba
Stephanie Corwin, bassoon
Gabe Shuford, harpsichord

Purchase tickets here.

Profiling two English folk heroes, King Arthur and Robin Hood, Repast is joined by the chivalrous bass-baritone Paul Max Tipton. Legendary King Arthur and his circle of gallant knights hold court with Dibdin’s The institution of the Garter, or Arthur's Round Table restored (1745) and Purcell’s King Arthur (1691). Robin Hood, a rebel hero of broadside ballads and Shield’s comic opera Robin Hood (1784), comes through as the people’s champion.

Performers:

Paul Max Tipton, bass-baritone
Natalie Rose Kress and Shelby Yamin, violins
Adam Cockerham, theorbo
Sarah Stone, viola da gamba
Stephanie Corwin, bassoon
Gabe Shuford, harpsichord

Purchase tickets here.

Whether student, amateur or professional, every viol player enjoys playing consort music. The Renaissance and Baroque offer an unparalleled wealth of repertoire. However, what if we were to push the boundaries and explore new repertoire?

In this lecture, Thibault Back de Surany will explore the fascinating relationship between Romantic composers, and Johannes Brahms in particular, with consort music, and how their choral music can work for viol consort.

He will also share his experience with “new music” and explain how consort music can remain a fascinating source of inspiration for living composers.

This free lecture will be presented through Zoom. You will receive a link for viewing this lecture from the VDGS/GNY email in advance of this event.

You must be a member in good standing to attend.

A Golden Wirereturns to the Zurcher Gallery for an evening of music for voice and viols.

The sounds of the viola da gamba and the baroque harp are seldom heard in many recital halls, and even more seldom together in consort. Arnie Tanimoto and Parker Ramsay began collaborating in 2019, captivated by the sound of two peculiarly resonant and intimate instruments in consort. Sonorous and haunting, the collaboration has grown into a mission to revivify music which might be considered academic or too cerebral.

The program is intended to be informal, and showcase to audiences what we as members bring to the ensemble as artists, practitioners and scholars. Co-directors Parker Ramsay (harp) and Arnie Tanimoto (viol) will be joined by Lucine Musaelian (voice and viol) as they guide audiences through an evening in the seventeenth century.

Parker Ramsay and Arnie Tanimoto - Marin Marais, Pièces de viole, Livre II - Suite en sol
Sareri hovin mernem - Lucine Musaelian, Oliver Dover, Fred Thomas - Live at Sands Films

Tickets can be purchased at the door. Admission is $25 [CASH ONLY]. All proceeds go to the artists.

For more information, click here.

Dear viol lover friends!

Please join us on Sundays from 2pm to 4pm for viol consort fun for all levels!

We have a big room for group play (music provided) and smaller rooms for self-directed projects (bring the charts you want to work on!)

Bring a viol of any size, your talent at any level, and a music stand!
There is no coach's fee for this play-in, but we do invite you to contribute to the Food Mission of Advent Church.

Abendmusik Consort of Viols explores the Franco-Flemish influence represented in the Harmonice Musices Odhecaton (One Hundred Songs of Harmonic Music).

Published in Venice in 1501 by Octaviano Petrucci, The Odhecaton is the earliest known publication of polyphonic music using moveable type. The pieces exist originally as vocal works, however in The Odhecaton the text is not underlayed, lending speculation that these pieces were intended to be played by an instrumental ensemble.

The composers represented include Johannes Ockeghem, Josquin des Prez, Antoine Brumel, Antoine Busnois, Alexander Agricola, Jacob Obrecht, and Hayne van Ghizeghem, along with several anonymous works.

Tickets

Poor Robin’s Almanack

Thomas Fields ~ viol
Lucine Musaelian ~ voice & viol
Arnie Tanimoto ~ viol
Parker Ramsay ~ harpsichord & harp

How can we guess the weather? Supposing we know what’s coming, do we end up following through on our grand designs? In a program including selections from Christopher Simpson’s The Months and Thomas Simpson’s Taffel Consort, A Golden Wire will give audiences a glimpse of the ways in which time, the seasons, and life’s transitions were thought about in 17th-century England.

More information is available here.

This concert is free, no reservations are necessary.

Dear viol lover friends!

Please join us on Sundays from 2pm to 4pm for viol consort fun for all levels!

We have a big room for group play (music provided) and smaller rooms for self-directed projects (bring the charts you want to work on!)

Bring a viol of any size, your talent at any level, and a music stand!
There is no coach's fee for this play-in, but we do invite you to contribute to the Food Mission of Advent Church.

A concert experience with music for women and by women in the Middle Ages in the Iberian Peninsula.

What did women do in their spare time in the Iberian Peninsula in Medieval times? Did they have jobs? Did they compose music or write poetry? What were women’s ideals of beauty and social expectations? Come and find out more!

This music experience includes a pre-concert lecture about the manuscripts and instruments, medieval instruments showcase (rebec, flutes, plectrum lute, vielle, harp, psaltery and more) and a concert created by SaSa, in collaboration with Christa Patton, Kenneth and LuGene Be. Join us for entrancing music, comedic and dramatic storytelling, poetry, and art displayed onto a screen, about Iberian Medieval women.

Special guest singer/musician Salome Sandoval from Durham, NC will be accompanied by LuGene Be, Kenneth Be and Christa Patton, performing on medieval musical instruments, including harps, plucked and bowed instruments, flute,
and percussion.

Tickets: $25 in advance and at the door (cash, credit cards, Venmo and Paypal accepted).

Purchase tickets or learn more here.

Dear viol lover friends!

Please join us on Sundays from 2pm to 4pm for viol consort fun for all levels!

We have a big room for group play (music provided) and smaller rooms for self-directed projects (bring the charts you want to work on!)

Bring a viol of any size, your talent at any level, and a music stand!
There is no coach's fee for this play-in, but we do invite you to contribute to the Food Mission of Advent Church.

Dear viol lover friends!

Please join us on Sundays from 2pm to 4pm for viol consort fun for all levels!

We have a big room for group play (music provided) and smaller rooms for self-directed projects (bring the charts you want to work on!)

Bring a viol of any size, your talent at any level, and a music stand!
There is no coach's fee for this play-in, but we do invite you to contribute to the Food Mission of Advent Church.

Parthenia, New York’s premiere viol consort, will present Italia Mia, a concert on Thursday, February 5 @ 6:30 PM at Maison Française at Columbia University, 515 West 116th Street in Manhattan.

The program will feature works that Parthenia will begin recording the next day, including canzonas, dances, madrigals, and motets by Italian composers of the 16th century, such as Verdelot, Arcadelt, Andrea Gabrieli, Monteverdi, and Tromboncino, with guests soprano Sherezade Panthaki and lutenist Christopher Morrongiello. The ensemble will perform on 16th-century replica viols and lutes

The event is free and open to the public, but reservations are required. They can be made here.

For more information, contact Parthenia at https://parthenia.org/contact/.