Parthenia Viol Consort to Perform William Lawes at The Church of Saint Luke in the Fields

Parthenia, New York's premiere viol consort, will be in concert on Sunday, May 7 at 4:00 PM, performing William Lawes - The Complete Consort Sets for Six Viols and Organ at The Church of Saint Luke in the Fields, 487 Hudson Street in Manhattan. The event will also include a pre-concert lecture by Erik Ryding at 3:00 PM in the church's Laughlin Hall.

William Lawes, courtier and composer for Charles I of England, was killed in the Civil War at age 43. Lawes himself was a dynamic viol player, and his works for six viols and organ offer stunning harmonies and emotional journeys to the listener and performer alike.

Guest artists will Joanna Blendulf and Alice Robbins, viol, and David Shuler, organ.

Tickets are $40 and $25. For more information, call 212-866-0468 or visit www.gemsny.org/events/parthenia-2016-2017-season. A post-concert reception will be hosted by the Board of Directors of Parthenia in Laughlin Hall.

Parthenia is a dynamic quartet of viols which animates ancient and contemporary repertoires with a ravishing sound and a remarkable sense of ensemble. 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 records on the MSR Classics label, and is represented by GEMS Live artists management.

Parthenia is Beverly Au, Lawrence Lipnik, Rosamund Morley and Lisa Terry. Visit them at www.parthenia.org.

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.