Polyhymnia is a small ensemble of singers and instrumentalists focusing on
historically informed performance of sacred music from the courts and
cathedrals of the Renaissance world. The singers that comprise the
ensemble are drawn from many sources, including some of the finest
church choirs in New York. Past and present members have sung with
Saint Thomas Fifth Avenue, Saint Ignatius of Antioch, Saint Luke in the
Fields and Holy Apostles. Originally artists-in-residence at Saint John’s in
the Village, the ensemble moved to its current home at Saint Ignatius of
Antioch in 2003, when the ensemble and its audience outgrew its original
home. Currently producing three concerts a year in New York,
Polyhymnia has also made a name for itself at performances in Boston as
a popular entry in the Boston Early Music Festival fringe events, and has
been the guest choir at a number of special events, most notably the
centenary celebrations of Holy Cross Monastery, in Westpark NY.
Since 2000, director John Bradley has been creating original editions of
music for the ensemble, some of it secreted in manuscript collections since
the 16th-century. Working in concert with libraries, liturgical historians and
institutions, Polyhymnia hopes to both preserve and reintroduce choral
masterworks of the Renaissance and early Baroque in ways that both
entertain and elucidate. In addition to the concert series, the ensemble’s
unique relationship with Saint Ignatius of Antioch, a forerunner in the
preservation of historical liturgy, provides opportunities to perform
Renaissance and Baroque music in a liturgical context, while fostering
musical artistry and scholarship in these interdependent disciplines.
Since its formation in 1994, Polyhymnia has amassed a vast repertoire
performed in both traditional concerts as well as historical liturgical
reconstructions. Mr. Bradley has reconstructed several liturgies, from
Seville, Imperial Germany and Tudor England, which have included works
by both well known composers like Lassus and Palestrina, and a wide
array of unjustly neglected composers including Aston, Clemens non Papa,
Crecquillon, de Rore, Fayrfax, Gombert, Porta, Vaet and Willaert.
historically informed performance of sacred music from the courts and
cathedrals of the Renaissance world. The singers that comprise the
ensemble are drawn from many sources, including some of the finest
church choirs in New York. Past and present members have sung with
Saint Thomas Fifth Avenue, Saint Ignatius of Antioch, Saint Luke in the
Fields and Holy Apostles. Originally artists-in-residence at Saint John’s in
the Village, the ensemble moved to its current home at Saint Ignatius of
Antioch in 2003, when the ensemble and its audience outgrew its original
home. Currently producing three concerts a year in New York,
Polyhymnia has also made a name for itself at performances in Boston as
a popular entry in the Boston Early Music Festival fringe events, and has
been the guest choir at a number of special events, most notably the
centenary celebrations of Holy Cross Monastery, in Westpark NY.
Since 2000, director John Bradley has been creating original editions of
music for the ensemble, some of it secreted in manuscript collections since
the 16th-century. Working in concert with libraries, liturgical historians and
institutions, Polyhymnia hopes to both preserve and reintroduce choral
masterworks of the Renaissance and early Baroque in ways that both
entertain and elucidate. In addition to the concert series, the ensemble’s
unique relationship with Saint Ignatius of Antioch, a forerunner in the
preservation of historical liturgy, provides opportunities to perform
Renaissance and Baroque music in a liturgical context, while fostering
musical artistry and scholarship in these interdependent disciplines.
Since its formation in 1994, Polyhymnia has amassed a vast repertoire
performed in both traditional concerts as well as historical liturgical
reconstructions. Mr. Bradley has reconstructed several liturgies, from
Seville, Imperial Germany and Tudor England, which have included works
by both well known composers like Lassus and Palestrina, and a wide
array of unjustly neglected composers including Aston, Clemens non Papa,
Crecquillon, de Rore, Fayrfax, Gombert, Porta, Vaet and Willaert.
| Polyhymnia a 501 (c) 3 tax exempt organization, is ensemble in residence at The Church of Saint Ignatius of Antioch located at the corner of West 87th Street and West End Avenue on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. If you would like to become a contributor, please click on the "Donate Now" button above or contact us and we will send you the appropriate materials. Polyhymnia The Church of St. Ignatius of Antioch 552 West End Avenue New York, NY 10024 917-838-4636 info@polyhymnia-nyc.org |
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This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the
New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership
with the City Council.
New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership
with the City Council.
