Emily Baker
Special to The Morning Star
Recorders, shawms, bagpipes, dulcians, racketts, tartolds, citterns and sordunes: an extensive collection of unique early music instruments will be coming to life in Vernon.
As part of Vernon Proms, internationally-renowned early music specialists, multi-instrumentalists and instrument makers Laura Kuhlman, Gayle Neuman and Phil Neuman, will be presenting The Oulde Almaine, an evening of music from the 14th, 15th, and 17th centuries. The concert will take place in the All Saints Anglican Church, a venue of intimate ambience and acoustics perfect for an early music trio, July 15 at 7 p.m.
“Come and experience a delightful evening of instruments you may never have heard before, as you discover the unique, joyful character of early music,” said Natalia Polchenko, organizer.
Related: Vernon Proms back for year three
The musicians will be featuring an extensive collection of wind, string and percussion instruments, as well as voice. The program will include compositions by Renaissance composer Tielman Susato; late Rennaisance composer Maddalena Casulana, the first female composer in western music history to have her music published; 17th-century stationer and composer John Playford and others.
The Okanagan’s own Oko Baroquo ensemble will play a cameo.
Kuhlman and the Neumans are members of the Oregon Renaissance Band, a 12-person ensemble that has been sharing early music with audiences across North America and Germany for more than 25 years. Their recordings include Now Make We Joye and Carnevale.
Phil Neuman co-founded and co-directs the Oregon Renaissance Band and has performed for the Regensburg Early Music Festival, has produced and recorded seven CDs for Pandourion Records, including French Music of the 14th Century, Music of the Ancient Greeks and The One Horse Open Sleigh, has written and recorded music for Oregon Public Broadcasting and has played for audiences across three continents. His Theme and Variations for recorder ensemble won first place in the San Francisco Recorder Composition Competition.
Gayle Neuman, co-founder and co-director of the Oregon Renaissance Band, is a celebrated vocalist and multi-instrumentalist who has performed for audiences in the United States, Canada, Japan, Israel, Turkey, Greece and Jordan. She and Phil have made more than 400 early wind and stringed instruments including krummhorns, cornamusen, racketts, and vielles. Their music was used in the recent award-winning film Buddymoon and in the 2016 film Ben-Hur.
Kuhlman, a performer on recorder, shawm, dulcian, krummhorn, sordune and bagpipe, has performed with the Burgundian Ensemble, the Piffaro Renaissance Band, Lizodes, in Equador, and several theatre orchestras. She is music director of the Portland Recorder Society and the Recorder Orchestra of Oregon, as well recent Past President of the American Recorder Society. Kuhlman currently performs with the Oregon Renaissance Band in Portland, Oregon, and Project Zeffiro Renaissance Wind Band in Albany, California.
Tickets are $27 general, $23 senior and student and free for kids 12-and-under through the Ticket Seller, 250-549-7469, www.ticketseller.ca. Remaining tickets will be available at the door.
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