Featuring music by three seminal Renaissance composers from the 15th and 16th-century Flemish School: Josquin des Prez, Nicolas Gombert, and Thomas Crecquillon. Accompanying these works are two contemporary pieces by British composers Kerensa Briggs and Gabriel Jackson, whose music draws inspiration from Renaissance masterpieces.
Described as “pure and radiant” (Gramophone), “immensely impressive” (Early Music Review), and “rich, full-voiced, and perfectly blended” (Early Music America), the Byrd Ensemble has been internationally acclaimed for its performances and recordings of chamber vocal music, particularly Renaissance polyphony. John Rutter describes the ensemble as “a fine group that has achieved an enviable standard of tuning, blend, and ensemble.” Founded in 2004, the Byrd Ensemble, directed by Markdavin Obenza, brings together some of the finest choral singers in North America in one beautifully blended ensemble.
The Byrd Ensemble also aims to bring modern relevance to Renaissance masterpieces by commissioning Renaissance-inspired works from prominent contemporary composers. In 2023, the Byrd Ensemble commissioned a Byrd-inspired work, Fallings, by American composer Nico Muhly to celebrate 500 years of the death of William Byrd; and in 2025 commissioned a Palestrina-inspired work by British composer Kerensa Briggs to mark the 500th Anniversary of Palestrina.
About the Program
Among the most celebrated musicians of his age, Josquin des Prez (c. 1450/55–1521) enjoyed an extraordinary reputation during his lifetime. He held numerous posts across Europe and his works were widely disseminated in his lifetime. His complex polyphonic style that emphasized the connection between the text and the music had a lasting effect on the generations that followed.
A leading figure of the next generation, Nicolas Gombert (c. 1495–c. 1560) intensified the polyphonic style he inherited from Josquin, with whom he apparently studied during Josquin's later years. His music is characterized by dense, seamless textures and pervasive imitation, often minimizing clear cadences to create a continuous musical flow. As the Grove Encyclopedia notes, if imitation is a common device in Josquin, it is integral in Gombert.
Thomas Crecquillon (c. 1505–1557), active in the Habsburg chapel alongside Gombert, is especially known for his elegant chansons as well as sacred works. His style employed much of Josquin's imitative style, but with a greater emphasis on smooth melodic lines and a lighter, more lyrical approach to each textual line.
The Byrd Ensemble will perform works by these three influential composers alongside Renaissance-inspired works by contemporary British composers Kerensa Briggs (b.1991) and Gabriel Jackson (b.1962). It's sure to be an exquisite program and we hope you can join us in welcoming back this stellar group to Victoria. Get your tickets today!
Program
JOSQUIN: Benedicta es
CLEMENS: Ego flos campi
GOMBERT: Media vita
BRIGGS: Media vita
JOSQUIN/RUE: Absalon fili mi
GOMBERT: Lugebat David Absalon
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CRECQUILLON: Pater peccavi
MOUTON: Nesciens mater
JACKSON: O sacrum convivium
GOMBERT: Magnificat tertii et octavi toni