SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 7:30-8:30 PM

FREE TO ATTEND!

PRESENTED BY CANTABILE VOCAL ENSEMBLE

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Death, it seems, has always been a muse. Cantabile Vocal Ensemble, a six-voice a cappella group specializing in the music of the European Renaissance, presents Lamentable Traditions, an exploration of the déploration, the venerable practice of composers honoring one another in music after death. Anchored by Josquin de Prez’s tender Nymphes des bois and joined by Machaut, Ockeghem, Binchois, Tallis, Byrd, and, some six centuries later, Roxanna Panufnik, the program offers something for devoted lovers of Renaissance polyphony and newcomers to the genre alike. Yet this is no unrelieved dirge: a few gleefully bawdy pieces give the word “lamentable” its double meaning. Expect gorgeous harmony, a few well-earned laughs, and perhaps a blush or two. Come mourn with us, and leave rather more cheerful than you arrived.

Cantabile Vocal Ensemble is a self-directed a cappella group based in the Pioneer Valley, devoted to the vocal chamber music of the European Renaissance, both sacred and secular. Since its first concert at Wistariahurst Museum in Holyoke in 2002, the ensemble has become a respected fixture of the regional music scene, presented by organizations including Arcadia Players, Mohawk Trail Concerts, and the Amherst Woman’s Club. Highlights of recent seasons include an all-Gesualdo program, “The Prince of Love and Death,” alongside a range of collaborations, guest appearances, and programs that stretch beyond the Renaissance.