2021-22 Workshop season!
Saturday, September 18, 2021
Wendy Gillespie
Online via zoom
10:00-Noon PDT
Registration free for members
Registration $15 for non-members
Registration required no later that Thursday, Sept. 16
One bicinium at a time
Please join Wendy to play half a dozen duets and canons by Morley, Josquin, Obrecht and more. You get to choose whether you want to play from old notation or modern notation, and you can play whatever instrument you wish (tuned to A-415)
Saturday, November 20, 2021
Ros Morley
Online via zoom
10:00-Noon PDT
Registration free for members
Registration $15 for non-members
Registration required no later that Thursday, Sept. 18
Songs of Solace: Music for Marguerite of Austria, Dame de Dueil
This workshop will examine some of the beautiful chansons by Pierre de la Rue, court composer for Marguerite of Austria. These reflect the sadness Marguerite was known for, written in the era of the birth of the viol.
Saturday, January 22, 2022
Alison Crum
Online via zoom
10:00-Noon PDT
Registration free for members
Registration $15 for non-members
Reflections on Resonance
One of the most fundamental aspects to consider when playing any stringed instrument is resonance. This workshop will be looking at the various ways in which we can improve resonance in our playing, including some specific fingering, bowing and phrasing tips, but also looking at the instrument itself. It will be suitable for players of any size of viol and any level of experience.
Saturday, February 19, 2022
Joanna Blendulf
Online via zoom
10:00-Noon PDT
Registration free for members
Registration $15 for non-members
TBA
TBA
Saturday, March 19, 2022
Larry Lipnik
(In person if possible)
10:00 am -4:00 pm PDT
Registration $50 for members
Registration $65 for non-members
Registration required no later that Sunday, March 13
Proof of vaccination required
ALL YE THAT JOY IN WAILING: Michael East, Thomas Morley
and the anglicization of the Italian madrigal.
and the anglicization of the Italian madrigal.
Larry Lipnik explores a wide variety of disciplines and musical styles, on gamba, recorder and as a vocalist; a founding member of Parthenia and Lionheart, guest of The Venice Baroque Orchestra, New York City Opera and contributor to the Cambridge Guide to the Worlds of Shakespeare.
Saturday, May 14, 2022
Martha McGaughey
(In person)
THE JOY OF JENKINS
10:00 am -4:00 pm PDT
Registration $50 for members
Registration $65 for non-members
Registration required no later that Saturday, May 7
Proof of vaccination required
There is a reason that, for so many of us, Jenkins is the favorite consort composer. His music is beautiful, of course, but it is also harmonically adept, inventive, and wonderfully varied. In this workshop we’ll play four-, five-, and six-part fantasias and pavans, and also look at some of the the more “commercial” dance pieces that Jenkins wrote. All of his music is a great starting point for discussion of technique and sound.
2020-21 Workshop season!
Saturday, July 11, 2020
Welcome to our first online workshop featuring
Ros Morley
Online Zoom
10:00-11:30 am PDT
Duets in the tradition of Georg Rhau’s Bicinia
Luther’s passion for the psalms and his conviction that music was the perfect vehicle for spiritual engagement and growth in school children created a market for a huge repertoire of duets to be published in Germany as the Reformation took hold. Georg Rhau’s collection of Bicinia was reprinted many times through the 16th century and spawned copycat publications throughout Europe. This workshop will present a tasting menu of duets in this tradition. Some of these pieces have been transposed down so that everything can be played on tenors and basses. Treble viol players will be able to play the upper lines. There will also be opportunities to play from facsimiles of some of the untransposed pieces and to practice playing form clefs that you need work on.
Saturday, September 12, 2020
David Morris
Online Zoom
10:00-11:30 am PDT
Free for members
$15 for non-members
Skill building tips for the housebound
Even when you’re on your own, there are ways to improve your sight reading and general technique that are fun, painless and sometimes counter-intuitive. I’ll suggest a whole slew of ways to get you ready for the day that you get to read consorts in a live setting once again.
Preparatory session before workshop with Adaiha MacAdam-Somer
Friday, September 11, 2020 at 4:00 PM PDT.
Saturday, October 10, 2020
Alison Crum
Online Zoom
10:00-11:30 am PDT
Free for members
$15 for non-members
We will be offering a supplemental preparatory session with Adaiha MacAdam-Somer on Friday October 9 at 4:00 pm PDT
Playing the dots: A practice in slow and fast dotted passages
Almost every piece of music includes dotted notes, in many different contexts, and at all sort of speeds. Having a viol bow in your hand makes the playing of dotted notes much harder than one might think!
This workshop is all about how to play dotted notes, depending on the musical situation and style. We will look at several short extracts drawn from the standard English consort repertoire, including some early pieces by Mundy, Gibbons, Byrd, Ferrabosco I and Tye, and then some later examples of music by Ward, Jenkins and Purcell.
For some examples we will all play in unison (or octaves), and music will be provided in four clefs.
For others you will be able to choose whichever line(s) of the score suits your instrument, and we will discuss the needs of each part.In between working on these various examples, Alison will talk a little about various different bow holds, and we might even do a bit of plucking, since this often clarifies the rhythm and enhances the effect of dotted notes.
This workshop is all about how to play dotted notes, depending on the musical situation and style. We will look at several short extracts drawn from the standard English consort repertoire, including some early pieces by Mundy, Gibbons, Byrd, Ferrabosco I and Tye, and then some later examples of music by Ward, Jenkins and Purcell.
For some examples we will all play in unison (or octaves), and music will be provided in four clefs.
For others you will be able to choose whichever line(s) of the score suits your instrument, and we will discuss the needs of each part.In between working on these various examples, Alison will talk a little about various different bow holds, and we might even do a bit of plucking, since this often clarifies the rhythm and enhances the effect of dotted notes.
Saturday, November 14, 2020
Joanna Blendulf
Online Zoom
10:00-11:30 am PDT
Free for members
$15 for non-members
Joanna will also be offering a one-hour supplemental preparatory session on Friday November 13 at 4:00 PM PST
The Tuneful Senfl
After a brief introduction to Ludwig Senfl (1486-1542/43) and his music, we will go through some of his more famous tunes together (Ach Elselein, Es taget, Ich stund an einem morgen) as a warm-up. We will then venture into Senfl’s masterful mashups (quodlibets) by playing two tunes together at the same time! Next, we will look at Senfl’s trickier counterpoint in his untexted Carmens and Tandernacs. We will hone our bowing strategies and articulation using exercises adapted from those pieces, to help bring more “zen” into your “Senfl”!!
Saturday, December 12, 2020
Larry Lipnik
Online Zoom
10:00-noon am PDT
Free for members
$15 for non-members
To Shorten Winter’s Sadness: Music for the winter season from Elizabethan England
Banish the winter blues and immerse yourself in a sumptuous array of English Renaissance consort music for the season from Court, Church, and Village Square by Weelkes, Tye, Morley, Byrd, and Holborne. Focus on phrasing and articulation; music in two to five parts.
Saturday, January 9, 2021
Brent Wissick
Online via Zoom
10 AM – Noon PST
Free for current members
$15 for non-members
We also offering a supplemental preparation session on Friday Jan 8, 4-5 PM PST, led by Adaiha Macadam-Somer.
Bowing with Expression: Favorite English Tunes and Telemann’s Viola da Gamba Sonata in A Minor
Brent will lead us in a session on physical techniques for allowing your bow to make some sounds and shapes you may feel but want to make more audible. We will also consider some basic music theory and style concepts that might help you make more choices about which moments in a melody or bass line are the ones you want to express.
Saturday, February 13, 2021
Catharina Meints
Online Zoom
10:00-11:30 am PDT
Free for members
$15 for non-members
We also offering a supplemental preparation session on Friday Feb 12, 4-5 PM PST, led by Adaiha Macadam-Somer.
Simpson as Pedagogue
This workshop will provide technical preparation for tackling the Grounds of Christopher Simpson, and an approach to using them to elevate your technique.
The first half of this class will include right and left hand exercises to prepare for the challenges of Simpson. In the second half, Cathy will present ways to use Simpson as a teacher.
Saturday, March 13, 2021
Sam Stadlen
Online Zoom
10:00-11:30 am PDT
Free for members
$15 for non-members
No two notes alike: finding your way in consort music
The workshop will include several sections:
Looking up from the music
The ability to look up from your part to communicate and co-ordinate with your fellow players is essential. In this video, you’ll play the Tenor 1 part – music has been supplied to allow any instrument to play the part; treble, tenor, or bass.
No Two Notes Alike: Making shapes
Creating unified phrase shapes is essential in consort playing. This is especially the case in dance music, which has clear rhythmic direction. It’s very important to give each note a purpose or function so that no two consecutive notes ever sound the same – each note has something different to say.
Finding your role in the group
Identifying structure, both large scale and on an individual level, will help unify the sound, expression, and ensemble of the consort. Each player must balance their individual and group roles.
Some fun to finish: Mr Picforth’s In Nomine
Saturday, April 10, 2021
Martha McGaughey
Online Zoom
10:00-11:30 am PDT
Free for members
$15 for non-members
We also offering a supplemental preparation session on Friday April 9, 4-5 PM PST, led by Adaiha Macadam-Somer.
Taking Time Without Losing Time: Articulation in Duets
Play both parts of duets from the very simple to the less simple with Martha McGaughey. Music by Tallis, Locke, Gibbons, Blavet, Schenck, and Couperin.
Saturday, May 15, 2021
Elisabeth Reed
Online Zoom
10:00-11:30 am PDT
Free for members
$15 for non-members
Circular Attention – Fun with Rounds and Canons
Perhaps you remember singing rounds at school or on long car rides as a child I remember being confused the first time we stopped singing in unison and began to sing parts. It was initially hard to stick to my own part when someone else was singing the same tune but not at the same time. Gradually, I was able to hear myself and also enjoy the relationship of my part to the other part. This ability to pay attention to several things at once is a fundamental building block of good chamber music playing. Adding layers of complexity is a challenge and it can be illuminating to notice how and when our attention breaks down. For the workshop, we will pay attention to how we sit, breathe, and physically relate to the instrument. We will play in unison first and finally in canon (with me on the Zoom) and see what happens!
2019-20 Workshop season!
Saturday, October 12, 2019
David Morris
1704 NE 43rd Avenue
Portland, OR
Portland, OR
Music for Charles I & Charles II
David Morris delights in concerted music from the 16th- 21st centuries but has a special fondness for late Italian madrigals, Restoration music theater and anything weird and wonderful.
Saturday, November 16, 2019 (NOTE CORRECTED DATE)
Lisa Terry
St Michael & All Angels Church
1704 NE 43rd Avenue
1704 NE 43rd Avenue
Portland, OR
Chanson et fantasie – music for four to six viols
from Busnois to Charpentier
Lisa performs with Parthenia, Dryden Ensemble, Lyra Consort, Pegasus Early Music and Tenet and also serves as president of the Viola da Gamba Society of America.
Saturday, March 7, 2020
Sarah Cunningham
St Michael & All Angels Church
1704 NE 43rd Avenue
1704 NE 43rd Avenue
Portland, OR
Making the Fantasy Real: Technical and musical elements of shaping the line
Sarah teaches viola da gamba and historical performance at the Julliard School as well as at various summer academies. Her passion is for improvisation in free and early styles.
Saturday, May 9, 2020
Larry Lipnik
St Michael & All Angels Church
1704 NE 43rd Avenue
1704 NE 43rd Avenue
Portland, OR
ALL YE THAT JOY IN WAILING: Michael East, Thomas Morley
and the anglicization of the Italian madrigal.
Larry Lipnik explores a wide variety of disciplines and musical styles, on gamba, recorder and as a vocalist; a founding member of Parthenia and Lionheart, guest of The Venice Baroque Orchestra, New York City Opera and contributor to the Cambridge Guide to the Worlds of Shakespeare
2018-19 Workshop season!
Saturday, September 29, 2018
Ros Morley
Trinity Episcopal Cathedral
Portland, OR
Portland, OR
Family Affairs
Examining the work of different generations of composers from the same family can often give us a special glimpse into important stylistic shifts or fashions. Among the musical dynasties in the 16th and 17th centuries are several who wrote music specifically for viols (or for strings in general) and whose music is wonderful to play. This workshop will investigate the music of several pairs of family members such as the Venetian uncle and nephew, Andrea and Giovanni Gabrieli, and two dynasties whose members worked in both Italy and England, father and son, Ferrabosco I and II, and cousins Giovanni and Jerome Bassano.
Saturday, November 10, 2018:
Mary Springfels
Trinity Episcopal Cathedral
Portland, OR
Portland, OR
Music for Elizabethan homes and chapels, including pieces by Thomas Tallis and Robert Parsons. Apt for viols and voices, if anyone cares to sing.
Saturday, February 9, 2019 POSTPONED DUE TO WEATHER
We will include this workshop in our 2019-20 season.
ALL YE THAT JOY IN WAILING: Michael East, Thomas Morley and the anglicization of the Italian madrigal.
Explore vocal and instrumental works along with their Italian models for contrast and comparison. Works by Morley, East, Mico, Monteverdi, Nanino, Giovannelli, Marenzio and others.Repertoire to include:
Gastoldi, Ove tra l’herb’ e i fiori // Morley, Hard by a crystal fountain
Nanino, Morir non puo // East, All ye that joy in wailing
Giovannelli, Morirò di dolor // Morley, For very grief I die
Monteverdi, La trà’l sangue // Mico, Fantasia “Latral”
Marenzio, O merry world (Italian Madrigals Englished)
Gastoldi, Ove tra l’herb’ e i fiori // Morley, Hard by a crystal fountain
Nanino, Morir non puo // East, All ye that joy in wailing
Giovannelli, Morirò di dolor // Morley, For very grief I die
Monteverdi, La trà’l sangue // Mico, Fantasia “Latral”
Marenzio, O merry world (Italian Madrigals Englished)
Saturday, March 30, 2019:
I LOVE LUCETTE: Music of Renaissance France
A morning of delightful polyphonic chansons from the French secular theater, and an afternoon of French consort music by Le Jeune, D’Estrée, Moderne and du Carroy. All levels welcome.
Saturday, June 1, 2019:
Lee Inman
Overthinking the bow
Overuse of comfortable bowing habits can mean that we narrow our options for more varied musical expression. Being more aware about how we choose to use the bow will likely enhance the musical experience for everyone. In this workshop, we’ll investigate the range of choices available to us.
Trinity Episcopal Cathedral
Portland, OR
Portland, OR
2017-2018 Season
Saturday, May 5, 2018:
Shira Kammen
2 – 5 part settings of the popular basse-danse tune La Spagna
Trinity Episcopal Cathedral
Portland, OR
Portland, OR
Saturday, March 10, 2018:
Joanna Blendulf
Consort music of Anthony Holborne and William Brade
Trinity Episcopal Cathedral
Portland, OR
Portland, OR
Saturday, January 20, 2018:
Wendy Gillespie
Music of Lassus, Ferrabosco I, based on the plainchant ‘Da pacem Domine’
Willamette University
Salem, OR
Salem, OR
Saturday, November 11 2017:
John Mark Rozendaal
Tenorlieder of Ludwig Senfl
Trinity Episcopal Cathedral
Portland, OR
Portland, OR
Saturday, September 23, 2017:
Ros Morley
Black and Whites: music of John Black, Roberty White and William White
Trinity Episcopal Cathedral
Portland, OR
Portland, OR
2016-2017 Season
Saturday, May 13, 2017:
Joanna Blendulf
Hassler Madrigals on Viols
Trinity Episcopal Cathedral
Portland, OR
Portland, OR
Saturday, March 4, 2017:
Joanna Blendulf
Madrigals and Consort music of Ferrabosco the Elder and His Contemporaries
Grace Lutheran Church
Eugene, OR
Eugene, OR
Saturday, January 14, 2017:
Catharina Meints — Technique and In Nomine Workshop
Technical teachings: right hand, left hand Practice pointers. Cantus firmus of Gloria Tibi Trinitus in In Nomine. Pre-rehearsed consorts.
Trinity Episcopal Cathedral
Portland, OR
Portland, OR
Saturday, November 12, 2016:
Pat O’Scannell
Full of Sound and Fury: Music of Shakespeare’s plays
Trinity Episcopal Cathedral
Portland, OR
Portland, OR
Saturday, September 17, 2016:
Tina Chancey and John Mark Rozendaal – Music of the French Renaissance
Cancelled due to illness.
Trinity Episcopal Cathedral
Portland, OR
Portland, OR
2015-2016 Season
Saturday, May 2, 2016:
Kerry McCarthy
Singer and scholar and four singers: four voice William Byrd’s Ave verum corpus
Trinity Episcopal Cathedral
Portland, OR
Portland, OR
Saturday, March 20, 2016:
Lee Inman
Dowland’s Lachrimae with Lutenist Hideki
Trinity Episcopal Cathedral
Portland, OR
Portland, OR
Saturday, January 9, 2016:
Josh Lee
Improvisations over a bass line
Trinity Episcopal Cathedral
Portland, OR
Portland, OR
Saturday, October 17, 2015:
Sarah Mead
Modes and Moods, short pieces in various modes also included recorders
Trinity Episcopal Cathedral
Portland, OR
Portland, OR
Saturday, September 19, 2015:
Joanna Blendulf
Suite by Thomas Simpspon,John Ward, Weelkes Thoralis and William White
Eugene, OR
Saturday, May 2, 2015:
Wendy Gilespie
In Nomine by Picforth, La Spagna A. Nonny Mouse
Trinity Episcopal Cathedral
Portland, OR
Portland, OR