SKYLARK+ RECITALS
Concert-length digital performances curated and sung by Skylark artists
Watch on the evening of release day to join a post-recital conversation with the artist
A Visit to Robert Burns’ Scotland
Peter Walker AVAILABLE NOW Critically-acclaimed singer and award-winning piper Peter Walker performs songs and pipe tunes from 18th century Scotland, focusing on the works of the great poet Robert Burns.
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A Night in the Flower District
Sarah Moyer AVAILABLE NOW Take a journey through the early 20th century in this exciting program involving music from the Tin Pan Alley genre. Accompanied by the ukulele, her newfound passion, Sarah Moyers plays popular songs we all know, as well as some we may never have heard before.
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In Colors of Feelings
Rebecca Myers AVAILABLE NOW Rebecca Myers (accompanied by pianist Laura Ward) virtuosically performs Art Song from France and America, including music by Claude Debussy and Samuel Barber’s masterwork Knoxville: Summer of 1915.
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When She Loved Me
Michael Hawes AVAILABLE NOW Baritone and pianist Michael Hawes offers a beautiful concert featuring unique pairings of songs by Randy Newman, Franz Schubert, and Florence Price, recorded in the stunning Pianoforte Studios in Chicago.
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In the Dreamed of Places
Sophie Amelkin and Matthew Goinz AVAILABLE NOW Join Soprano Sophie Amelkin and Baritone/Pianist Matthew Goinz for an evening exploring beautiful selections from musical theatre, including classics from Les Misérables, Songs for a New World, Funny Girl, and Dear Evan Hansen.
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Both Sides of the Tweed & Beyond
Fiona Gillespie AVAILABLE NOW Join Skylark Soprano Fiona Gillespie and gifted instrumentalist Paul Morton for an evening exploring folk and lute songs from France, Scotland, England, and America.
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vignettes
Enrico Lagasca AUGUST 23 Join Enrico Lagasca for a unique multimedia concert exploring loss, hope, nostalgia, and finding peace, through the music of Schubert, Purcell, Josquin, Seiber, Brown Jr., Bricusse, Ichiro, and San Pedro. Enrico will be joined by several special guest artists from around the world.
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Le stagione d'amore
The seasons of love Megan Roth AUGUST 30 Experience the complexities of love through masterful storytelling by beloved composers and poets of the Art Song genre. Featuring works from the Romantic era to present-day, this program is sure to simultaneously tug the heartstrings and give you a chuckle or two!
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The Nightingale and the Rose
Two centuries of Russian Song Fotina Naumenko SEPTEMBER 13 Join Skylark Soprano Fotina Naumenko for a mesmerizing evening of Russian Art Song, from two centuries of composers including Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Rachmaninoff, and Prokofiev.
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Transported Elsewhere
You can't always get what you want Clare McNamara OCTOBER 4 Inspired by reflection in isolation, Clare McNamara and her husband, pianist Ian Garvie, explore the wistful longing for other places and other times. A mostly-English mixture of 20th-century Art Songs and old classic tunes, including pieces by: Herbert Howells, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Ned Rorem, Hoagy Carmichael, Joseph Kosma, and more.
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My Beloved is Mine
Songs by Benjamin Britten Helen Karloski and Paul D'Arcy OCTOBER 18 Join married couple Helen Karloski (mezzo-soprano) and Paul D’Arcy (tenor) for an evening of solos and duets by the great 20th-century British composer Benjamin Britten. The recital features Britten’s Canticles I and II, as well as the boisterous Cabaret Songs, selections from his Folksong Arrangements, and Choirmaster’s Burial from Winter Words. The recital will be rounded out with pieces by Henry Purcell featuring Britten’s imaginative piano realizations.
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Carrie Cheron: Unplugged
Carrie Cheron NOVEMBER 15 Join singer-songwriter Carrie Cheron for an evening of gorgeous vocal music accompanied by guitar, featuring original compositions, traditional and contemporary folk music, and popular music of multiple genres.
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THEMED SKYLARK MINI-CONCERTS
Safely recorded by a small group of Skylarks in quarantine
Summer in the Garden, Part 1
Of Birds and Bees AUGUST 16 Our first Skylark+ mini-concert features playful and beautiful songs about birds and bees, including Stanford’s ethereal The Bluebird and Janequin’s boisterous Chansons des Oiseaux.
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Summer in the Garden, Part 2
From an English Garden SEPTEMBER 6 Our second mini-concert features songs of some of Britain’s finest composers, including Edward Elgar’s epic My Love Dwelt in a Northern Land and Arthur Sullivan’s poignant The Long Day Closes.
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Songs for a Choral Wedding
Willan, Whitacre, Billings, and Duruflé SEPTEMBER 20 Our chamber group of Skylark shares four of our favorite pieces for a beautiful choral wedding, including Healy Willan’s radiant Rise Up, My Love, My Fair One and Eric Whitacre’s emotive This Marriage.
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Monteverdi + Ukulele
Two of Monteverdi's greatest compositions OCTOBER 11 Skylarks share two of Claudio Monteverdi’s most intoxicating pieces, Zefiro Torna (featuring Skylark tenors Nathan Hodgson and Paul D’Arcy) and Lamento della Ninfa, featuring Skylark Soprano Soprano Sarah Moyer. Prepare yourself for high drama and vocal virtuosity!
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A Choral Tenebrae Service
From a wine cellar OCTOBER 25 An enchanting mini-concert inspired by the meditative Tenebrae service. This magical recording from a candlelit wine cellar features Gregorian chant and gorgeous renaissance music, including the Lamentations of Jeremiah, by Thomas Tallis.
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Two Sea Shanties
American Classics NOVEMBER 8 A quintet of Skylark tenors and basses shares two classic pieces from the Sea Shanty genre: Shenandoah, arranged by Marshall Bartholomew, and Lowlands, arranged by Robert Shaw and Alice Parker.
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German Sacred Classics
Walther, Bach, and Rheinberger NOVEMBER 22 Our chamber group of Skylark shares three stunning classics of German sacred music, including a rousing one-on-a-part a cappella rendition of Bach’s monumental Lobet den Herrn.
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O Magnum Mysterium
From Gregorian Chant to Morten Lauridsen DECEMBER 13 Explore four gorgeous settings of the iconic Christmas text O Magnum Mysterium, ranging from simple Gregorian chant to Morten Lauridsen’s 20th-century classic.
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A Carols Party
An informal serenade DECEMBER 20 Join a quartet of Skylarks for an informal Carols party, as they read through a stack of festive seasonal music in the warm glow of Christmas lights.
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INSIGHT SESSIONS
In-depth discovery sessions on musical topics
Rachmaninoff's Vespers
An 8-part series AVAILABLE NOW Matthew Guard hosts an 8-part in-depth series exploring one of the masterworks of the choral canon, culminating in a recording of Skylark’s epic performance at St. Paul’s Harvard Square in the fall of 2019.
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Exploring Masterpiece
A digital art gallery AVAILABLE NOW Matthew Guard takes you on a guided tour through a digital art gallery pairing visual art and music, including a full archival concert recording from St. John’s Georgetown in Washington, DC.
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Once Upon a Time
Creating a new classic SEPTEMBER 24 Matthew Guard reflects on the creation of Skylark’s “alluring” (Gramophone) and “genre-defying” (Limelight) new recording, Once Upon a Time.
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Unraveling the ballad
Fiona Gillespie SEPTEMBER 30 The ballad is an intriguingly mystical, yet elusive song form to grasp. Join Fiona Gillespie for an in-depth look at the origin, history, and transformation of specific ballads from Ireland and the British Isles that represent pillars in the genre. You'll come away with a clear understanding of the ballad, fascinating history, some beautiful new songs, surprising stories, and the resources to dig into further listening if you wish! The session will include sung samples and supplementary reference texts.
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The world of Benjamin Britten
Dr. Christopher Jackson OCTOBER 14 Join us for a special video blog created by Skylark Bass and Benjamin Britten scholar, Dr. Christopher Jackson. What makes Britten sound like Britten? Why is he so admired by performers, audiences, and scholars? Through the use of select audio and visual examples, he will further illuminate the selections from Helen and Paul's upcoming recital, as well as other selections from Britten’s immense choral and vocal output.
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Seven Words from the Cross
Matthew Guard OCTOBER 22 Matthew Guard hosts an in-depth exploration of Skylark’s GRAMMY®-nominated album Seven, created for our European debut at St. John’s Smith Square London in 2018.
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Winter's Night
Matthew Guard DECEMBER 9 Matthew Guard shares the story behind the creation of Skylark’s pristinely sung Christmas album, Winter’s Night.
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CHORAL CONVERSATIONS
Fascinating discussions with leaders in the choral field
Simon Carrington
AVAILABLE NOW Artistic Director Matthew Guard interviews Simon Carrington, founder of the King's Singers and Professor Emeritus at Yale University, about his career in the King’s Singers and beyond.
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Nell Shaw Cohen
AVAILABLE NOW Artistic Director Matthew Guard interviews composer Nell Shaw Cohen about her life and work as a composer, with a particular emphasis on her composition ‘Transform the World with Beauty’, commissioned for Skylark in 2019 for our ‘Masterpiece’ program.
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Eric Alatorre
AVAILABLE NOW An entertaining chat with one of the most celebrated bass voices (and mustaches) in the choral world, about life in Chanticleer and beyond!
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Clare McNamara
AVAILABLE NOW Matthew Guard interviews Skylark Clare McNamara on one of her unique areas of expertise: the fascinating and other-worldly music of Hildegard von Bingen.
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Mark Anthony Carpio
AUGUST 13 Artistic Director Matthew Guard interviews Mark Anthony Carpio, choirmaster of The Philippine Madrigal Singers, one of the world’s finest chamber choirs. The 'Madz' are recognized worldwide not only for their purity of sound, but also for performing while seated.
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Benedict Sheehan
SEPTEMBER 24 Matthew Guard and Benedict Sheehan discuss the innovative and collaborative process of creating the “Story Score” for Once Upon a Time, as well as their upcoming collaboration on A Christmas Carol.
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Gregory Brown
OCTOBER 28 Artistic Director Matthew Guard hosts a discussion with composer Gregory Brown, frequent Skylark collaborator and creator of the critically-acclaimed Missa Charles Darwin.
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Dana Whiteside
NOVEMBER 25 Artistic Director Matthew Guard interviews Skylark Baritone Dana Whiteside on his unique dual career as a nationally renowned soloist and a Community Economic Development Director for the City of Boston.
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SKYLARK +
$18 / month - Suggested household subscription to Skylark + 50% of annual value will be recognized as a tax-free donation |
SKYLARK + Basic
$9 / month - Suggested individual subscription for students, educators, or anyone suffering from financial hardship during COVID-19 |
You will be directed to Paypal to complete your subscription. Once your subscription is complete, you will receive an email inviting you to complete your login to the "Members only" area of SKYLARK +.
If you would prefer not to use paypal, you can email us at info@skylarkensemble.org to subscribe.
If you would prefer not to use paypal, you can email us at info@skylarkensemble.org to subscribe.
100% of the proceeds from SKYLARK + will support the careers of our Skylark artists
Learn more about the impact of COVID-19 on the careers of professional performers through our blog post
Learn more about the impact of COVID-19 on the careers of professional performers through our blog post