Purdue News

October 23, 1998 Early music vocal ensemble to perform Nov. 15 WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Theatre of Voices, a small vocal ensemble under the direction of early music expert Paul Hillier, will perform a concert of mystical and medieval music at 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 15, in Loeb Playhouse in Stewart Center at Purdue University. The concert is a part of the Loeb Music collection, presented by Purdue Convocations and Lectures. British-born singer/composer Hillier, a Grammy nominee and two-time Edison Prize recipient, formed the ensemble after moving to the University of California at Davis as professor of music in 1990. The group debuted at the Berkeley Early Music Festival in June 1992. Theatre of Voices is now based in Bloomington, Ind., where Hillier is director of the Early Music Institute at the Indiana University School of Music. Theatre of Voices is comprised of Christopher Bowers-Broadbent, organist; Paul Elliott, tenor; Steven Rickards, alto; Ellen Hargis, soprano; Paul Hillier, baritone and musical director; and Alan Bennett, tenor. The ensemble records extensively for Harmonia Mundi USA, where its recordings of medieval, renaissance and contemporary music have enjoyed popular success. For example, the ensemble's 1997 release "De Profundis," featuring the music of Arvo Part, sold more than 70,000 copies during its first six months on the market. It also was nominated for the "New Horizon Award," which honors recordings that demonstrate significant potential to reach new, younger or broader audiences without compromising artistic quality. The ensemble continues to break barriers with its recordings and performances, as evident by this quote from the Internet-themed Wired Magazine: "[Theatre of Voices] will move your ear in remarkable ways: toward simplicity, toward spirituality and inner peace. ... Throughout, voices fold and dovetail like slowly moving dancers, sounding chords of celebration, sorrow, fright and rage." Tickets to the Nov. 15 performance are $16 for the public, $10 for Purdue students, at campus box offices. Charge by phone at (765) 494-3933 or 1-800-914-SHOW. Members of the audience are invited to engage the ensemble in an informal discussion after the performance. CONTACT: Sue Stevens, Convocations publicist, (765) 494-9712; e-mail, snstevens@convos.purdue.edu Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; e-mail, purduenews@purdue.edu To the Purdue News and Photos Page