Early Music Mining Conference April 10, 2010

This conference features the presentation and performance of newly edited and previously unpublished works of Renaissance choral music in what eminent British choral conductor Jeremy Summerly has called "a landmark event for the global early music community."

Chalice Consort is honored by the participation of our luminary Guest Directors, including early music specialists Davitt Moroney (UC Berkeley), Jeremy Summery (Royal Academy of Music, London), David Trendell (King's College, London), and Geoffrey Webber (Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge).

Under the direction of Davitt Moroney, Chalice Consort will open the conference with a performance of the little-known Missa "Ave Maria" by the early sixteenth-century English composer Thomas Ashwell.

The Missa Ave Maria will be followed by the modern-day premiere performance and presentation of the five newly "mined" editions by interesting and obscure composers including, as Moroney jokes, "that famous composer Anonymous, who lived for such a long time and wrote so much!"

After each presentation, there will be a moderated panel discussion of each new edition. The conference will end with all attendees being invited to vote for their two favorite editions, which will then be performed by Chalice Consort at a future concert.

According to Summerly, this event is especially significant because the competition and conference, in effect, provide "new" music for all those interested in music of the Renaissance era, something that is not possible in the traditional sense of "new." Summerly points out that while "performers of contemporary music can commission composers to write new pieces, the equivalent for early musicians" can only be the "rediscovery of forgotten treasures, championed by the editor and realized by dedicated performers." The Early Music Mining Conference is the realization of this goal.

Sponsored by Early Music America, EventBrite, Whole Foods & St. Mark's Lutheran Church.

Official Website: http://www.chaliceconsort.org/emmc.html