Performers
Bienen Contemporary/Early Vocal Ensemble , directed by Andrew Megill
Program
Time Stands Still
Stacy Garrop † | New Work*
Rebecca Clarke | Weep Ye No More
Steven Stucky | Drop, Drop Slow Tears
C.H.H. Parry | Never Weather Beaten Snail
Dowland and Gibbons | Several works
*World Premiere Performance
^ Midwest Premiere Performance
† Illinois-based Composer
The first concert of the 2025 Dunbar Festival of Early Music. The Festival celebrates the works of Orlando Gibbons and John Dowland. In addition to works by these two composers, BCE offers contemporary riffs on their music, including a world premiere by Chicago composer Stacy Garrop.
BCE — the initials could easily stand for Beyond the Common Era or Before the Common Era. The 24-voice ensemble, conducted by Andrew Megill, sings a highly specialized, virtuosic repertoire for advanced choral singers, concentrating on music of the 21st century and drawing relationships to its polyphonic roots in early music, primarily that of the Renaissance. This ensemble is only open to music majors.
