October 19-21, 2018
Will Kemp Returns: a Jigs Revival
Featuring Steve Player with violin band, lute and guitar, pipe and tabor, bagpipe and costumes by Meriem Bahri.
Pre-concert lecture 1/2 hour prior to the performance. Doors open 45 minutes prior to the concert.
OCTOBER 19, 8 pm Ruggles Hall – doors open 7:15 pm
Newberry Library, 60 W Walton St, Chicago, IL 60610
OCTOBER 20, 8 pm International House – doors open 7:15 pm
The University of Chicago, 1414 E 59th St, Chicago, IL 60637
OCTOBER 21, 3 pm Galvin Recital Hall – doors open 2:15 pm
Northwestern University Campus, 70 Arts Cir Dr, Evanston, IL 60208
Click on a photo to learn more about the artist. Want to see who is performing in each of our shows? Click on the concert title to view. You can do the same with instrumentalists and vocalists!
Brandi Berry Benson
Violinist and 3Arts awardee Brandi Berry Benson, whose “four-string acrobatics” and “indispensable skill” (TimeOut Chicago) have been praised as “alert [and] outstanding” (Chicago Classical Review), as her “riffs.. powered by a flashing blur of bow arm, [as they] rolled out with irresistible glee” (Washington Post).
Brandon J. Acker
Brandon J. Acker is a classical guitarist, recording engineer and specialist in early plucked instruments.
Corey Shotwell
Tenor Corey Shotwell, whose voice has been praised for its “light, sweet beauty,”(Bay Area Reporter) is particularly celebrated for his performance of music from the 17th and 18th centuries.
Dan Meyers
A versatile multi instrumentalist, Dan Meyers has developed a reputation as a flexible and engaging performer of both classical and folk music; his credits range from premieres of avant-garde chamber music, to headlining a concert series in honor of Pete Seeger at the Newport Folk Festival, to playing Renaissance instruments on Broadway as part of the “band” for the Shakespeare’s Globe productions of Twelfth Night and Richard III.
David Douglass
Although the bowed string instruments most overwhelmingly associated with the Renaissance period are the various viols (particularly the viola da gamba), David Douglass became interested in the use of his instrument during that period.
Ellen Hargis
Soprano Ellen Hargis is one of America’s premier early music singers, specializing in repertoire ranging from ballads to opera and oratorio.
Eric Miranda
Eric Miranda’s varied singing career spans two decades and has included solo appearances at Orchestra Hall, at the Ravinia Festival, and in Millennium Park with the Grant Park Symphony Chorus.
Jeremy David Ward
As a player of bass instruments, Jeremy David Ward specializes in playing well with others. Jeremy delights in crafting foundations on which an ensemble can thrive.
Meriem Bahri
Meriem Bahri is a French and Tunisian costume designer praised by the press for her « gorgeous and evocative », « spectacular » and « sumptuous array of period-perfect » costumes (New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Chicago Tribune, respectively). After completing a PhD in science (2010, Université de Lille), she turned definitely to her great passion for costumes when she moved to Chicago.
Steven Player
Steve Player, dancer, player and general handyman. Continues to perform with interesting ensembles in Europe and the USA in projects that combine multi talented individuals. Since his last visit to Chicago with The Newberry Consort and the “Jigs” programme he has toured the US with Norway’s Barokksolistene and their Alehouse Session programme, exploring the music and dance that flourished in England in the 17th century under the Puritans, when all fun was banned.
Tim Macdonald
Praised for his “athletic” and “impressive and stylistically Scottish playing” (Dr. John Turner & Dr. Melinda Crawford), Tim Macdonald is a regular performer, scholar, composer, and teacher of early Scottish fiddle music.