Musica da Camera kicks off St. John’s series

Performing the music of ensembles from the 10th through 16th centuries in a current, living format for today’s audiences is no easy task. But it’s exactly what Musica da Camera is committed to doing.

Director Milton G. Scheuermann Jr., who founded the group in 1966, is so committed to making certain the sound is authentic that he has even built reproductions of period instruments to create it.

Music lovers will have the opportunity to hear Musica da Camera Sept. 23 in Thibodaux as the 12th season of the Music at St. John’s Concert Series kicks off with a performance by the New Orleans-based group.

LaDonna Alexander, president of the concert series’ board, said Musica da Camera “will bring a uniqueness to our series, performing ‘old music.'”

The group’s performance is called “Sing a Tapestry, Weave a Song,” and features songs and dances of the Middle Ages and Renaissance, translating the visual patterns and textures of fabric into sound and rhythm.

According to Scheuermann, the work was inspired by the musical references in the historical novels of Dorothy Dunnet. While a tapestry is “a woven decorative fabric, the design of which is built up in the course of weaving,” the band’s music is similarly defined. Melody and rhythm are woven together as crosswise threads of a musical fabric.

Ultimately, the sounds of various instruments unite to create texture and weight, the warm feel of wool and the cool touch of silk.

In “Sing a Tapestry,” troubadour’ love songs, devotional songs of the Cantigas de Santa Maria and Renaissance dances are woven into a tapestry of sound embracing the centuries, Scheuermann explained.

The sounds of Musica de Camera are well known in New Orleans and across the Gulf South. The group started what is the oldest “early music” radio program in the world. “Continuum” is broadcast on NPR affiliate WWNO2 on Sundays mornings.

In addition, the group has five CDs on Centaur Records, and has earned a number of awards including the Mayor’s Art Award, Early America/Millennium of Music National Public Radio Competition and the KXMS Fine Arts Radio International Award.

The mission of the Music at St. John’s Concert Series is “promoting the study, appreciation, and understanding of music by bringing excellent, recognized performers of classical music and traditional jazz to the Tri-parish area at a modest cost.”

Other performances this season:

The Les Amis de la Chanson choir, Dec. 9;

Joe Krown Organ Combo performing jazz, Jan. 20, 2008;

Alexander-Soares Violin and Piano Duo, April 6, 2008.

Series tickets are on sale for $30 for adults, $15 for students over 18, and free for students under 18. In addition, individual performance tickets are $10, $5, and free. Alexander said that tickets are available at the door Sept. 23 or through the mail from St. John’s Church.

For more information, call (985) 447-2910.