Early Music Boston

Standing, L-R: Mark Maiden,
Sheila Beardslee, Audrey Benevento
Seated, L-R: Brian Warnock, George Mastellone

Founded by Boston-area recorder teacher Sheila Beardslee in 1995, CONCORDIA CONSORT is the performance ensemble representing Recorders/Early Music Metrowest, the metroWest’s participatory early music program. For over a decade, Concordia has contributed period music for over 200 services at churches throughout New England. Concordia has been heard in live broadcast on for WCRB, WHRB and WGBH Radio and has performed in concerts historic King’s Chapel in downtown Boston, for the Concord Museum, at Middlesex Community College, MIT Chapel, Williams College and other venues.

Concordia was the guest ensemble in The Boston Boy Choir’s 2001 holiday concerts. The group was featured in two concerts during the Museum of Science’s acclaimed Leonardo da Vinci exhibit, and was tapped for First Night performances in Boston and Portsmouth NH.

Named Ensemble-in-Residence at Trinity Episcopal Church in Concord, Concordia has collaborated with Portsmouth (NH)-based Pavane Renaissance Dance Ensemble for a program of Elizabethan music, dance and poetry in the Society for Historically Informed Performance summer series. Concordia has also performed with Ars et Amici choral ensemble, Vox Lucens Renaissance Choir and Coro Stella Maris. Guest artists have included sopranos Eileen Cecelia Callahan and Maria Georgakarakou, and countertenor Andrei Caracoti.

Concordia’s first CD, “Ay me, Ohime,” featuring English and Italian 16th-17th century music, will be released in April 2009.

Concordia Consort members are Christine Alderman and Janet Gibson (Concord), George Mastellone (Arlington), Brian Warnock (Jamaica Plain) and Sheila Beardslee, director (Acton).

Under Ms. Beardslee’s direction, Concordia’s members have toured Italy, performing annually in Rome, Florence, Siena, Orvieto, Bolzano, Venice and Padua.