You can tell Spring has arrived when Virginia Tech's Early Music Ensemble, directed by John Howell, is heard practicing songs about love, lovers, good wine, Bonnie Sweet Robin, exuberant musicians, and the charms of Maytime. Enjoy these happy sounds and more at 3 p.m. on Sunday, April 22, in the Recital Salon of Squires Student Center on the Virginia Tech campus.
Admission is free.
The emphasis is on English music from the reigns of Queen Elizabeth and King James. Fantasias that would have entertained those monarchs will be played by consorts of stringed instruments, recorders and flutes. A consort song about Maytime will feature all the singers plus the violin consort, while recorders will accompany soprano Meredith Piplani and tenor David Adams as they share their thought on the song of the Cuckoo. A small madrigal ensemble including Piplani, Brundage and Adams along with Kristin Parrish, Grant Mericle and Matt Schrader will offer madrigals from Italy, Germany, and England, while the brass ensemble will play pieces by Leipzig town bandsman Johann Pezel that would have been heard from the church tower on a beautiful Spring afternoon. This concert is presented by the Virginia Tech School of the Arts.