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An All-Star Cast for We’ll Be There!
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Top row, l-r: Anne Azéma, Luke Scott, Camila Parias, Mildred Walker
Middle row: Jordan Weatherston Pitts, Milton Wright, Deborah Rentz Moore
Bottom row: Libor Dudas, Ian Saunders, Corey Dalton Hart, Joel Cohen

We are delighted to be featuring these distinguished artists on November 6, as Camerata gives its first live performance since March 2020. We will begin this new season with a moment of remembrance for victims of the pandemic.

Then, appropriately, we will look towards Camerata’s past, and our ensemble’s many concerts and live recordings of early American music, but also toward a vibrant future, as we focus intently on the African-American contribution to our shared spiritual heritage.

Please welcome our colleagues, old and new, to the concert stage. We’ll be there!

The Seasons Turn…
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As the last days of summer lead to the equinox and the start of the new season, we share with you a Renaissance litany of saints by the great Heinrich Isaac (c.1450-1517), hoping that good spiritual energy will follow in the weeks and months to come. This track is excerpted from our recent CD Treasures of Devotion (available for purchase HERE). The soloists are tenors Michael Barrett and Dan Hershey. 

Camerata Musicians Say:
“We’ll Be There!”
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Summer is a time to relax and enjoy life, agreed. But for a company like ours, it’s also a season of intense work, preparing for the musical events to come, beginning in the fall.

Our roster of superb artists for Camerata’s 2021-22 season is now virtually complete, and we want to share their portraits with you. Individually and together, they will be there, singing and playing repertoire ranging from the European Middle Ages to the historic American spiritual tradition, providing us all with beautiful music and vital life energy during these challenging times. Please come see and hear these exceptional people! We would love to hear from you.


Top row: Anne Azéma, Luke Scott, Camila Parias, Ian Saunders, Allison Monroe
Middle row: Jordan Weatherston Pitts, Craig Juricka, Milton Wright, Mildred Walker, Christa Patton
Bottom row: Dan Hershey, Michael Barrett, Shira Kammen, Deborah Rentz Moore, Joel Cohen

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And, as a later-summer gift, here’s a lovely American spiritual, “Something New,” to announce our season full of new things, and to celebrate the renewal of life that comes with programming and casting for the coming months.

Hodie Christus Natus Est:
Coming Soon from Harmonia Mundi!
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Here are some candids of our wonderful crew – Camila Parias, Deborah Rentz Moore, Anne Azéma, Christa Patton, and Shira Kammen – from this week’s recording sessions for our upcoming Harmonia Mundi CD Hodie Christus Natus Est, which will be released in October. And as part of our 2021-22 Boston series, you can hear this program live in December and all these wonderful musicians in Douce Dame Jolie in March – tickets will go on sale soon!

Seasonal Medieval English Music
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Photo: Fabio Fuser

Our Advent musical selection for this weekend, from medieval England, is the delicious “Angelus ad Virginem.” (Even Chaucer was a fan.) The thirteenth-century text and tune narrate the Angel Gabriel’s appearance to Mary. Today we’ll let you imagine the story as Christa Patton and Shira Kammen play the instrumental lines on medieval-style harps, an instrument associated, then as now, with angelic grace. Please enjoy! 


Remember that you can hear our program of Medieval Christmas music live in the Boston area December 17-19, or stream it on-demand starting December 23!

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As we went out a-walking…
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We embarked on a profound adventure, tying together both Black and White American spirituals, in the unique, pioneering We’ll Be There! program. Listen below as Jordan Weatherston Pitts assumes the role of the passionate young preacher in the spiritual “Let Us Cheer The Weary Traveler,” and then, if you are moved by his performance, consider purchasing an online ticket to the entire concert! It’s still available for streaming on-demand, through November 28. If you had to miss the live performance you can enjoy the full-length concert video, as many times as you wish, during the streaming period.

A Boston Legend Joins Up with Camerata
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He had a series of hit records in his younger years, and received a Grammy Award nomination in 2010. He also had a long, distinguished career on the bench in the Boston municipal court system. Still active as a singer, stage producer, and choral director, the Honorable Milton Wright joins the Camerata on November 6 as we present We’ll Be There: American Spirituals, Black and White, 1800-1900. A few days ago, we sat down with Judge Wright for an interview; here are some excerpts of our talk with a most unusual, multi-faceted person.