Under the direction of Paul Cienniwa, Sine Nomine choral ensemble will celebrate, in concert, the 2012 canonization of Hildegard von Bingen. Born in Germany in 1098, Hildegard was a remarkable woman of the Middle Ages; an Abbess, she was known as a visionary, naturalist, poet, and mystic, as well as an accomplished composer. 900 years of music will converge when local saxophonist Marcus Monteiro infuses medieval chants with the contemporary sounds of jazz. Concerts will take place on Saturday, November 10 at 7:30 at St. Pius V Catholic Church, 55 Elmhurst Ave., Providence, RI, and Sunday, November 11 at 3:00 at St. Lawrence Martyr Church, 265 County St., New Bedford, MA. Admission will be $20.
The program highlights Hildegard's original compositions in a variety of interpretations, along with polyphonic works by early composers Andrea Gabrieli and Adrian Willaert. Sine Nomine director Paul Cienniwa adds, “one of the challenges of performing Hildegard—or any old music for that matter—is trying to find ways which make the music relevant to the modern audience while also honoring the performance practices of the composer’s day. For example, Hildegard’s music was mostly written for women’s voices, but we will perform a number of her chants using the entire ensemble.”
Also featured will be the concert premiere of a Hildegard-based work by Bristol, Rhode Island native and Sine Nomine member Jennifer Charleson. An avid fan of Hildegard, Charleson writes, “by intermixing her chants in their original form with more modern sounds, our audience will gradually find themselves engulfed in the transcendent and mystical power of Hildegard's artistry, which retains its potency after almost 900 years.”
Sine Nomine is excited to be collaborating with local jazz saxophonist Marcus Monteiro who will interweave improvisations through some of the chant portions of the program. Monteiro said, “as a saxophone player, it is always an absolute joy to perform music that was not written with a saxophone in mind. Hildegard's music specifically lends itself well to the nuances of the saxophone. It is the seeming contradiction of a medieval sound with a modern instrument that I find the most alluring about this program. Modal improvisation is very common in jazz and it is here where we find Hildegard's music at its roots. Her music is timeless. Improvising in her style will be an honor.”
About Sine Nomine choral ensemble
In its 19TH year, Sine Nomine is a nineteen voice auditioned choral ensemble, drawing its members from Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts. The ensemble performs throughout the area, from Providence to Wareham, in fall and spring concert series. Singers range from professionals to accomplished amateurs who rehearse weekly in Fall River.
About the director
A resident of Fall River, Massachusetts, Paul Cienniwa leads an active musical life in southeastern Massachusetts and the Boston/Providence regions as a conductor and soloist. He is director of Sine Nomine choral ensemble, choral director at Framingham State University, and director of music at First Church in Boston, where the professional First Church Choir can be heard weekly on WERS (88.9 FM) Boston. For the 2012-13 seasons, he is serving as Chorus Master for the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra. As a harpsichordist, he performs extensively and has been cited by the Huffington Post for his “inner sense of creative flow, fueled by an abundance of musical imagination and desire.” In 2003, he was awarded the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Yale University. For more information, visit www.paulcienniwa.com.
About Marcus Monteiro
New Bedford native Marcus Monteiro’s career as a jazz saxophonist began at the age of nine, with school lessons, and quickly progressed as he developed an avid interest in improvisation, learning from, and performing with local musicians. After developing his skills at UMass Dartmouth, studying performance and composition, as a “perpetual student,” he continued his interest in various genres of music, and in early childhood music education. He has performed extensively in the US and Canada, and has enjoyed being part of the festival circuit playing with Santi at the Panama Jazz Festival in 2006 and more recently his own group, The Marcus Monteiro Quartet opened for Esperanza Spalding at the Falmouth Jazz Festival. www.iammarcus.com
For more information about Sine Nomine choral ensemble and to order tickets, go to www.sinenominechoir.org
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