". . . unforgettable . . . their real achievement is
to recognize the energy in the music's original design,
and to find a contemporary counterpart.
That is the triumph of the Waverly Consort."
— Alan Rich, Los Angeles Herald Examiner

THE WAVERLY CONSORT offers programs altogether unique in the contemporary concert hall. Drawing on a repertory of several centuries, the group has long been an audience favorite, both in its home city of New York and in its annual tours to major concert halls from coast to coast.

THE WAVERLY CONSORT's Christmas Story is a very special holiday event. Premiered in the medieval Sculpture Court of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1980, The Christmas Story later moved to The Cloisters, where many have come in a yearly pilgrimage to hear this beautiful seasonal music from the great cathedrals of Europe in an original setting. In addition to the performances at The Cloisters, The Christmas Story travels each year to communities throughout North America.

In the spirit and pageantry of the medieval church dramas and mystery plays, eight singers and five instrumentalists playing reproductions of medieval instruments recount the events of Christmas – the message of the archangel Gabriel to the shepherds, the journey of the Magi to the manger at Bethlehem, the intrigue of Herod and his court, the flight into Egypt – in an uplifting and moving celebration of ritual drama and song.

"This is the way to begin the Christmas season"
- The Los Angeles Times

"One of the joys of the season"
- The Chicago Tribune

"Beautifully realized . . . an event to cherish"
- The Louisville Courier Journal

Click PRESS for reviews and descriptions.

SCHEDULE OF PERFORMANCES, 2007

Sunday, Nov. 25, 3:00 pm
Beall Concert Hall
School of Music and Dance
University of Oregon
Eugene, OR

Tuesday, Nov. 27, 8:00 pm
Arkley Center for the Performing Arts
Eureka, CA

Thursday, Nov. 29, 7:30 pm
Woodworth Chapel
Tougaloo College
Jackson, MS

Friday, Dec. 7, 8:00 pm
Yoder Barn Theater
Ferguson Center for the Arts
Chistopher Newport University
Newport News, VA

Saturday, Dec. 8, 2:00 pm and 8:00 pm
Yoder Barn Theater
Ferguson Center for the Arts
Chistopher Newport University
Newport News, VA

Saturday, Dec. 15, 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm
The Cloisters
Fort Tryon Park
New York, NY

Sunday, Dec. 16, 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm
The Cloisters
Fort Tryon Park
New York, NY

T H E W A V E R L Y C O N S O R T
presents

THE YEAR 1492
Spanish Music in the Age of Exploration

IN 1492 THREE MOMENTOUS EVENTS changed forever the Iberian peninsula and the world. First, on New Year's night the opulently splendid Moorish palace of the Alhambra fell to the conquering Christians, and soon afterward King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella entered Granada in triumph. Next, on March 31, the Spanish monarchs issued an edict ordering all Jews to accept conversion to Christianity or leave Spain, causing an exodus of Spanish Jews to points worldwide. And finally, on August 3, before sunrise, Christopher Columbus set sail on his first historic voyage. The repercussions of these events are felt throughout the world to the present day.

Our program documents this tumultuous time through its music. For while Spain pushed toward internal unity and imperial expansion, its music continued to mirror the bright patch-work quilt of diversity that had uniquely colored Iberian culture on the peninsula. Our musical portrait of 1492 features chronicles in song of the conquest at Granada; vibrant Moorish-influenced popular songs and dances of 15th-century Spain; elegant Christian court and chapel music from the reigns of "los reyes católicos"; and songs of the outcast Sefardim, sung in new lands and preserving to our day the lore and language of their original home.

One of the Waverly Consort's signature programs, The Year 1492 evokes the mysterious and exotic musical legacy of that irrevocably lost, far-away time.

"Spanish Renaissance music was paid honor by the Waverly Consort…a perfect concert."
EL TIEMPO, Bogotá, Colombia

"On every count, the presentation was an act of love for the music, overflowing with sublime elegance and beauty."
LA MAÑANA, Montevideo, Uruguay

The Year 1492
SCHEDULE OF PERFORMANCES, 2008

Sunday, April 6, 1:00 pm
The Cloisters
Fort Tryon Park
New York, NY

Wednesday, April 16, 8:00 pm
Fine Arts Recital Hall
Southeastern Oklahoma State University
Durant, OK
 
Friday, April 18, 8:00 pm     
Tiedtke Concert Hall
Bach Festival Society
Winter Park, FL

For information contact:
MCM Artists
P.O. Box 589, Millbrook, NY 12545
Phone 845-677-5881 – Fax 845-677-5912
www.mcmartistsworldwide.com