Parthenia Viol Consort Presents Exuberance is Beauty: William Blake, the Viol, and the Book - A Virtual Event on February 17

Parthenia, New York’s premiere viol consort, will present Exuberance is Beauty: William Blake, the Viol, and the Book, a virtual event on Wednesday, February 17 @ 3PM, in cooperation with The Morgan Library and Museum.

Members of Parthenia join The Morgan’s Sheelagh Bevan, Andrew W. Mellon Associate Curator, Printed Books & Bindings, and Robinson McClellan, Assistant Curator of Music Manuscripts and Printed Music, in exploring the “exuberant beauty” of visionary poet William Blake (1757-1827) and the music he inspires in our time, featuring Will Ayton’s 2002 song cycle scored for viola da gamba and voice, A Reliquary for William Blake.

The program will be contextualized with an introduction to the Morgan’s exceptional holdings of Blake’s illuminated printing, such as Songs of Innocence and of Experience, followed by a conversation with curators and musicians.

The online event is free, but participants must register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/exuberance-is-beauty-william-blake-the-viol-and-the-book-tickets-136909077737. For more information, visit https://www.themorgan.org/programs/exuberance-beauty-william-blake-viol-and-book or call 212-685-0008 ext. 560.

Parthenia is a quartet of viols which animates ancient and contemporary. Parthenia is presented in concerts and festivals across America including Bargemusic, Music Before 1800, Maverick Concerts, The Rockport Chamber Music Festival, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Miller Theatre and the Yale Center for British Art, and in Europe at the Regensburg Tage Alter Musik. The ensemble produces its own concert series in NYC, collaborating regularly with the world's foremost early music specialists including Piffaro, Julianne Baird, Paul O'Dette, Blue Heron and ARTEK. Parthenia actively commissions and premieres works by today's composers including Eleonor Sandresky, Richard Einhorn, Phil Kline, Frances White, Max Lifchitz, Will Ayton, Nicholas Patterson and Kristin Norderval. Parthenia’s latest CD Nothing Proved, on the MSR Classics label, features music by Hildegard von Bingen, Frances White, Kristin Norderval, and Tawnie Olson. They are represented by Shirley Hunt, GEMS Live! Director of Booking and Artist Representation.

Parthenia is Beverly Au, Lawrence Lipnik, Rosamund Morley and Lisa Terry. Visit them at http://www.parthenia.org. They are the Early Music Ensemble in Residence at Stern College for Women.

Parthenia's concert season is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts, with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. Parthenia is a sponsored organization of the New York Foundation for the Arts, and is a member of Early Music America and Chamber Music America.

###