Bourgie Hall presents

The Gesualdo Six – English Motets

A journey through the Golden Age of Renaissance English polyphony. Two centuries of political and religious transformations that witnessed the medieval esthetics of works by Power and Sheppard, the sublime counterpoint of Tallis and Byrd, and the rich textures of Tomkins and White.

The Gesualdo Six is an award-winning British vocal ensemble comprising some of the UK’s finest consort singers, directed by Owain Park. Praised for their imaginative programming and impeccable blend, the ensemble formed in 2014 for a performance of Gesualdo’s Tenebrae Responsories in Cambridge and has gone on to perform at numerous major festivals across the UK, Europe, North America and Australia. Notable highlights include a concert as part of the distinguished Deutschlandradio Debut Series, debut at Wigmore Hall in 2021, and collaborations with the Brodsky Quartet, London Mozart Players, Luxmuralis, William Barton and Matilda Lloyd.

The ensemble integrates educational work into its activities, regularly holding workshops for young musicians and composers. The Gesualdo Six has curated two Composition Competitions, with the 2019 edition attracting entries from over three hundred composers around the world. The group have recently commissioned new works from Joanna Ward, Kerensa Briggs, Deborah Pritchard, Joanna Marsh, and Richard Barnard alongside coronasolfège for 6 by Héloïse Werner.

Videos of the ensemble performing a diverse selection of works filmed in Ely Cathedral have been watched by millions online. The group released their debut recording English Motets on Hyperion Records in early 2018 to critical acclaim.

Artists
Owain Park, conductor
Guy James, countertenor
Joseph Wicks, tenor
Josh Cooter, tenor
Michael Craddock, baritone
Sam Mitchell, bass

Program
FOREST Qualis est dilectus meus
SHERYNGHAM Ah, gentle Jesu
SHEPPARD In manus tuas
POWER Beata progenies
WEELKES All people, clap your hands
WHITE Christe qui lux es et dies
TOMKINS When David heard
TALLIS
Te lucis ante terminum
If ye love me
In manus tuas
BYRD
Ave verum corpus
Afflicti pro peccatis nostris
Vigilate
Laudate pueri Dominum

Tuesday, February 21, 2023 at 7:30pm
To purchase your tickets visit: www.mbam.qc.ca/en/bourgie-hall/