VINTAGERuby

In VINTAGERuby, Ars Nova’s blended voices unfurl the sonic marvels of the Elizabethan court. Thomas Tallis and William Byrd, Gentlemen of the Chapel Royal and masters of polyphony, composed music with devotion and diplomacy, navigating a treacherous political environment with Queen Elizabeth’s support and protection. Tallis’s famous “Spem in alium,” a monumental work of forty independent voice parts, rises in waves of supplication, while Byrd’s gentle prayer for his sovereign (“O Lord, Make Elizabeth our Queen”) breathes loyalty and sublime beauty into every phrase. Madrigals from The Triumphs of Oriana, a collection of works assembled in 1601 in honor of Elizabeth, offer intimate glimpses of the queen’s mythic aura.

Threaded through this choral tapestry, our program welcomes another presence: Elizabeth herself. Actor Tamara Meneghini summons the monarch’s intellect, vulnerability, and unapologetic power in her acclaimed one-woman play Elizabeth I: In Her Own Words, adapted for these performances. As choir and queen share the stage, the audience witnesses a vibrant dialogue between the music of the English masters and the sovereign’s private reflections. The concert features soaring polyphony contrasted with the quiet words of a single voice; a touching portrait of the beloved queen and the music she heard, supported, and cherished.

Praise for Elizabeth I: In Her Own Words
~ “A heart-wrenching, intimately moving portrait of an individual who continues to speak to the hearts and minds of so many” ~ Theatre Weekly

~ “A faultless production in every way, beautifully written, superbly performed, going through a huge range of emotions effortlessly, Meneghini delivers a sexy, emotionally powerful queenly performance…”
~ British Theatre Guide

Artwork: “Heaven and Earth” by Scott Fraser