Artists

Biography:

Praised for a “rich, natural sound that’s larger and more complex than the sum of its parts,” (National Public Radio) New York Polyphony is regarded as one of the finest vocal chamber ensembles in the world. The four men, “singers of superb musicianship and vocal allure,” (The New Yorker) apply a modern touch to repertoire that ranges from austere medieval melodies to cutting-edge contemporary compositions. Their dedication to innovative programming, as well as a focus on rare and rediscovered Renaissance and medieval works, has not only earned New York Polyphony critical acclaim, but also helped to move early music into the classical mainstream.

The ensemble’s growing discography includes two GRAMMY®-nominated releases and albums that have topped the “best of” lists of The New Yorker, Gramophone, and BBC Music Magazine. Their Avie Records releases, I sing the birth (AV2141) and Tudor City (AV2186) received widespread critical acclaim.

“A stunning tour through chant, polyphony and renaissance harmonies,” (Minnesota Public Radio) New York Polyphony’s 2010 effort Tudor City spent three weeks in the Top 10 of the Billboard classical album chart. It has been featured on Danish Public Radio, American Public Radio and NPR’s All Things Considered.

New York Polyphony’s debut album I sing the birth was released in 2007. An intimate meditation on the Christmas season, the disc garnered unanimous praise. Gramophone named it “one of the season’s best,” BBC Music Magazine selected it as ‘Editor’s Christmas Choice’, and Classic FM Magazine (UK) deemed it “a disc for all seasons.”

New York Polyphony has toured extensively, participating in major concert series and festivals around the world. Highlights include Miller Theatre at Columbia University Early Music Series; Rheingau Musik Festival, Thüringer Bachwochen (Germany); Festival Oude Muziek Utrecht (Netherlands); Stiftskonzerte Oberösterreich (Austria); Festival de Música de Morelia (Mexico); Elora Festival (Canada); and Choral at Cadogan Hall in London. They have been featured on Performance Today for American Public Media, Footprints to Paradise: A Medieval Christmas for Public Radio International, and BBC Radio 3’s In Tune. In December 2011, New York Polyphony made its national television debut on The Martha Stewart Show.

Recent engagements include a debut performance at London’s Wigmore Hall, residencies at Dartmouth College and Stanford University, a broadcast holiday event for Minnesota Public Radio, and the European premiere of the Missa Charles Darwin—a newly commissioned secular Mass setting based on texts of Charles Darwin by composer Gregory Brown—at the Museum für Naturkunde in Berlin, Germany. In 2013, New York Polyphony participated in the New York premiere of Jonathan Berger’s chamber opera cycle Visitations at the PROTOTYPE Festival.