Rare Byrds Ensemble to Showcase Medieval Music This Saturday

A free concert featuring the Rare Byrds ensemble will take place on November 1 at 14:00 in the gallery foyer. This event follows a talk by artist Kushana Bush at 13:00 in the gallery auditorium. The concert will highlight music from the medieval period, the Renaissance, and contemporary pieces inspired by medieval themes.

The Rare Byrds ensemble consists of Jonathan Cweorth and Dylan Kirby on recorders, Simone Petrich on nyckelharpa, and Alan Edwards on spinet and portative organ. Their performance will include a range of works, such as the Saltarello dance, “Stella Splendens,” and “Summer is icumen in,” along with selections from Benjamin Britten‘s “The Ceremony of Carols.” This concert will mark the ensemble’s second performance of medieval music this year, following their appearance at the Tūhura Otago Museum Medieval Fun Day in March.

Bush, a contributor to the exhibition “Paradise of Imagination: Medieval & Modern Encounters,” will discuss her artworks during her talk. This exhibition features pieces from various collections, including the Hocken Collections and Dunedin Public Library’s Reed Collection. Bush’s artworks—The Covered Hours, The Apple Creeper Hours, and The Hazing Hours—created in 2016, reflect a visual language that draws inspiration from the luminosity of medieval art and illuminated manuscripts.

During the concert, Edwards will showcase two unique keyboard instruments. One is a spinet modeled after a specific instrument from the 1770s, and the other is a portative organ he built himself. “The portative organ is the type of organ that would have been used in medieval times,” Edwards explained. “I built it from scratch using timber I had around the house. It is quite authentic, except the bellows can be operated using the feet, rather than requiring a second person to pump them. And it makes a really nice, deep sound.”

The concert promises to be an engaging celebration of medieval music and its influences. Cweorth expressed excitement about the opportunity to perform again, stating, “It’s fun to be able to showcase this fascinating musical period, as well as Renaissance and modern works inspired by it, once again in this concert.”

With a blend of lively performances and insightful discussions, this event offers a unique opportunity for audiences to experience the richness of medieval music and its lasting impact on contemporary art.