Sounds and Symbols
The Marriage of Image, Text, and Music
Saturday May 17, 2014
9:30 to 4:00 PM
☼
St. Mary Magdalen Church
2005 Berryman Street, Berkeley
Please join us in welcoming Adam Knight Gilbert, the new director of the SFEMS Medieval & Renaissance Workshop at Sonoma State University when he comes to the Bay Area to direct our annual day-long music workshop on May 17. The proceeds go toward scholarships to the summer workshop, to be held this year from June 15-21 in SSU’s fabulous new Green Music Center. The MedRen Collegium is a favorite event for early music enthusiasts to enjoy the pleasures of a large mixed ensemble and unusual repertoire.
For people of the Middle Ages and Renaissance, music wasn’t just pretty; it almost always meant something, either through allegorical symbolism of theology or architecture and madrigalistic representation of images, text, and emotion. This year’s MedRen theme explores “The Marriage of Sound and Symbol.” Adam has created a tantalizing preview of the summer workshop for the collegium. We will touch on navigating the realm of musical symbolism, visiting the special moment in music history when composers became fascinated with bringing 
together these elements. Featured will be works by Henricus Isaac, Josquin Desprez, and Ludwig Senfl who set to music not only the name of the Lord and the Virgin Mary, but also the Medici Coat of Arms, the planets, and even erotic allegory.
Singers, viols and other strings, recorders, flutes, lutes, harps, dulcians, sackbuts, cornetts and all manner “soft” early instruments are welcome.
As always, we feature a pot-luck lunch and appreciate all contributions to the table. Coffee, tea, juice and water will be provided.
For information about the SFEMS Med/Ren and other summer music workshops visit our main workshop page or download the complete brochure by clicking on the image of the 2014 Workshops Brochure.
Register online simply by simply filling in the online Collegium Registration Form or register by mail by downloading the Sounds and Symbols Flyer.
For collegium registration information please contact:
Greta Haug-Hryciw [email protected] or Adam Gilbert [email protected]
