DUC Chamber Music Series: The Newberry Consort

Beguiling and intelligent, provocative and classic, ravishingly beautiful and deliciously edgy-The Newberry Consort has been delighting audiences for nearly three decades. Directed by David Douglass, Newberry Musician-in- Residence, and early music diva Ellen Hargis, the ensemble plumbs the Newberry Library's vast music collection and assembles a star-studded roster of local and international artists to bring world-class performances of music from the 13th to the 18th centuries to its audiences in Chicago and on tour around the world. Affiliated with the Newberry Library Center for Renaissance Studies, the

Consort also serves as an ensemble-in-residence at both the University of Chicago and Northwestern University. In addition to an annual concert series in Chicago, the Consort has an active touring schedule.

David Douglass is a founding member of The Newberry Consort, and took the position of Musician-in-Residence at the Newberry Library and director of The Newberry Consort in 2007. A performer on Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque bowed-string instruments, his playing has been praised by The New York Times for its "eloquence" and "expressive virtuosity".  Through his groundbreaking work in the field of the early violin he was the first to developed a historical technique which produces "a distinctively 'Renaissance' sound and style for the violin" (Fanfare).  This particular exploration culminated in his founding of the ensemble, The King's Noyse, a Renaissance violin band.  As director of The King's Noyse, and through his recreation of the improvisational repertory of the early violin band, he has received praise for his "enterprise and imagination" (Stereophile). He is also in demand as a freelance performer, record producer, writer, and lecturer on historical performance practice.

Newberry Consort co-director and soprano Ellen Hargis is one of America’s premier early music singers, specializing in repertoire ranging from ballads to opera and oratorio. She has worked with many of the foremost period music conductors and ensembles, appearing at many of the world's leading festivals. Her discography embraces repertoire from medieval to contemporary music, and includes two nominations for Grammy Awards for Best Opera. As a specialist in historical staging, Ms. Hargis has served as Assistant Director to Gilbert Blin at the Boston Early Music Festival since 2007, and for three seasons, was Stage Director in Residence for Chicago’s Haymarket Opera Company.   Ms. Hargis co-directs the renowned Newberry Consort in Chicago, and directs Early Music Vancouver’s Baroque Vocal Programme.  She teaches voice at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, is a visiting professor at the Eastman School of Music, and is Artist-in-Residence with the Newberry Consort at the University of Chicago and Northwestern University.

Charles Metz studied piano at Penn State University, beginning his harpsichord studies through private lessons with the legendary Igor Kipnis. In the process of earning a Ph.D. in Historical Performance Practice at Washington University in Saint Louis, he studied with Trevor Pinnock. More recently, he has worked with Webb Wiggins and Lisa Crawford at the Oberlin Conservatory. A regular with the St. Louis Chamber Music Society, in 2013 Charles Metz was the featured keyboard soloist in Bach’s Fifth Brandenburg Concerto under conductor Nicholas McGegan. He has performed across the Chicago area in past seasons with Ars Antigua Chicago and appeared this season with that ensemble in several performances of Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater. In 2014, he appeared with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and the Newberry Consort in the Música Barroca Mexicana program. Mr. Metz’s list of performance credits includes international appearances in the Netherlands, Germany, and Costa Rica. In addition to his performing activity, he serves on the Board of Directors of Early Music America.