The Rose Ensemble with Piffaro, the Renaissance Band

500th Anniversary of the Reformation

Presented by the Kalamazoo Bach Festival Society in collaboration with the Michigan Festival of Sacred Music

On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther nailed his “95 Theses” onto the door of the  All Saints’ Church in Wittenberg, Germany and altered not only the world’s theological landscape, but also the entire European musical perspective. Five hundred years later, those hammer blows still resonate. Piffaro, the Renaissance Band and The Rose Ensemble will guide listeners through a musical exploration of that first formative century of the Reformation, from intimate hymns penned by Luther himself to the great master Michael Praetorius’ grand elaborations for multiple choirs of instruments and voices. This collaboration will also include a pre-concert talk and two outreach activities in the community.                         

Founded in 1996 by Artistic Director Jordan Sramek, The Rose Ensemble has achieved an international reputation as a premiere American early music ensemble. Each performance illuminates centuries of rarely heard repertoire, bringing to modern audiences research from the world’s manuscript libraries and fresh perspectives on history, culture, politics and spirituality from around the globe. With ten critically acclaimed recordings and a diverse selection of concert programs, the group has thrilled audiences across the United States and Europe with repertoire spanning 1,000 years and over 25 languages.

The Rose Ensemble is the recipient of the 2005 Chorus America Margaret Hillis Award for Choral Excellence, and first prize winner in both sacred and secular music categories at the 2012 Tolosa Choral Contest in Spain (part of the European Choral Grand Prix). The group’s concerts and recordings have been called “first class” (Neuss-Grevenbroicher Zeitung), “impassioned and brightly alive” (Choral Journal) and “engaging . .. satisfying” (Gramophone). Founder Jordan Sramek received the 2010 Louis Botto Award from Chorus America “for entrepreneurial zeal.”?

The Rose Ensemble’s recent performance highlights include appearances at Early Music Now (Milwaukee, WI), the University of Vermont Lane Series (Burlington, VT), California Lutheran University (Thousand Oaks, CA), Cornell University (Ithaca, NY), St. Quirinus Cathedral (Neuss, Germany), and the Misiones de Chiquitos Choral Festival (Bolivia). In 2014, The Rose Ensemble  made their debut appearance with the Minnesota Orchestra in a special holiday program.

The Rose Ensemble can be heard regularly on American Public Media and the European Broadcasting Union (most notably with annual Christmas broadcasts) and has recently featured in special live broadcasts on Iowa Public and Vermont Public Radio.