Stile Antico is firmly established as one of the world’s most accomplished and innovative vocal ensembles. Working without a conductor, its twelve members have thrilled audiences on four continents with their fresh and vibrant performances of Renaissance polyphony. Its bestselling recordings for Harmonia Mundi have earned accolades including the Gramophone Award for Early Music, Diapason d’or de l’année, Edison Klassiek Award, and Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik. The group has received three Grammy® nominations, and performed live at the 60th Grammy® Awards at Madison Square Garden.
Stile Antico has appeared at many of at Europe’s most important venues, including the Wigmore Hall, Amsterdam Concertbebouw, and Leipzig Gewandhaus, and regularly features at such prestigious festivals as the BBC Proms and the Antwerp, Utrecht and York Early Music Festivals. The group tours regularly to the US and Canada, has appeared in Mexico, Colombia, Korea, Macau and Hong Kong, and will visit Japan for the first time during the current season.
Stile Antico’s members rehearse and perform as chamber musicians, each contributing artistically to the musical results. In addition to its core repertoire, the group has premiered works by John McCabe, Huw Watkins, Nico Muhly, Giles Swayne, and Joanna Marsh, and appeared with such diverse collaborators as Fretwork, the Folger Consort, Marino Fomenti, B’Rock, Rihab Azar, and Sting. Stile Antico regularly leads courses at Dartington, and continues to expand its work with younger people with the support of the Stile Antico Foundation. The group’s latest recording, A Spanish Nativity, is released late in 2019. ‘…the singing is staggeringly beautiful’ Sunday Times
BREAKING THE HABIT
Music by and for women in Renaissance Europe
The sixteenth century saw an unprecedented number of female rulers. From the powerful Medici women in Italy to the great Tudor queens of England, women across Europe held more power than ever before. Many of these monarchs used their patronage to facilitate the production of music of exquisite beauty by the finest composers of the day, extravagant showcases of their power contrasting with intimate and personal compositions. The century also saw the first publications of music by female composers, often Italian nuns, whose convents supported musical groups of astonishing ability. In this fascinating programme Stile Antico shines a light on an often-neglected repertoire, bringing to life women from the Renaissance through song.
