Iestyn Davies and Fretwork to Collaborate and Perform English Renaissance Masterpieces in October
Fretwork; Iestyn Davies
Superstars of the Early Music World Unite to Perform on Sunday, October 27, 2019, in Chicago.
Well-known and admired superstars countertenor Iestyn Davies and viol consort Fretwork—both notable for their influence in the realm of the early music world—are set to join forces for a stunning collaboration this October in Chicago as they perform English Renaissance masterpieces.
The performance, which is being called Silent Noon: Works by Byrd, Gibbons, Lawes, Jenkins, Handel, and others—is set for 3 PM Sunday, October 27, 2019, and will take place in Mandel Hall.
Both Fretwork and Davies are well-known and renowned, each with significant awards for recordings and performances of both centuries-old music and contemporary compositions that have peppered their successful careers.
Davies, widely considered one of the greatest countertenors in the world, has frequented Chicago’s classical music scene, making regular appearances with the Haymarket and Lyric Operas. Once a chorister at St. Johns’ College Cambridge (and also a teen in a popular boy-band nearly signed to Sony), Davies is now sought by major opera halls the entire world through and is a well-loved soloist. His recordings have received wide acclaim and accolade, including a Grammy and two Gramophone awards.
Fretwork, too, is no stranger to praise or accolades. Often regarded for its energetic and expressive performances (both with classical and contemporary music), its recordings have become the standard for which performances of the viol repertoire are judged.
A regular guest of the Howard Mayer Brown International Music Series, Fretwork will again, introduce audiences to the breathtaking centuries-old music that the viol consort was created for.
Before the concert, Professor of Music Robert Kendrick will take the audience inside the music and the period with a pre-concert lecture from the very stage that Fretwork and Davies will perform on. Ticket prices for the October 27 event at Mandel Hall will vary.