Revolution!

Early American Music from the signing of the Declaration of Independence to the Civil War Featuring a new composition for early American instruments and voices by Jonathan Woody

Streaming online June 1-22, 2026

As the United States reaches its 250th anniversary, The Newberry Consort performs a program of music that shaped the founding of our nation. Using early American instruments such as the square piano, keyed bugle, fiddle, percussion, as well as an ensemble of vocal specialists, this concert connects America’s musical past and present through early American styles and composers.

The music spans from the signing of the Declaration of Independence through the start of the Civil War, and comes from a wide variety of American cultures and traditions, including choral and sacred harp music, Moravian sacred music, solo salon and cotillion music, military music, spirituals, and abolitionist music.

The culmination of the program features an original composition for American period instruments and voices written by composer and bass-baritone Jonathan Woody. The Newberry Consort is excited and proud to present the world premiere of Woody’s piece in Chicago.

The concert will feature familiar favorites as well as American music specialists new to the Consort. The former include the ever-versatile tenor/alto singer Matthew Dean, Chicago period trombonist Paul Von Hoff, historical percussionist Brandon Podjasek, and period violinist Brandi Berry Benson. Among others, they will be joined by square pianist Sylvia Berry (playing an original 18th-century Broadwood piano), Jeffrey Stockholm, a virtuoso of keyed bugle and period brass, countertenor Patrick Dailey, and Chicago-based soprano Kimberly Jones.

    A Mexican Christmas

Music from the Convent and Cathedral of Puebla

Our beloved holiday tradition returns! This December, The Newberry Consort returns to its roots with a new program of festive holiday music from Mexico. Curated by Newberry Consort Artistic Director Liza Malamut in collaboration with musicologists Paul Feller-Simmons and Ireri Chavez-Bárcenas, this program will feature joyous villancicos and lush sacred polyphony from the convent and cathedral of Mexico for voices, winds, plucked instruments, and percussion.

The concerts will feature sights and sounds for everyone. A one-to-a-part women’s choir featuring Estelí Gomez, Salomé Sandovál, Lucía Mier y Teran Romero, Gabrielle Timofeeva López, and Victoria Marshall sings the beautiful polyphony of the Puebla convent, joined by Newberry Consort fan favorites Matthew Dean and Eric Miranda for the large-scale cathedral music.

The singers are joined by a fabulous Baroque band featuring Dušan Balarin and William Simms (guitars, vihuela, theorbo), Rachel Begley (bajón, recorders), Andrés Guzman and Liza Malamut (sackbuts), Anna Steinhoff (viola da gamba), Javier Saume Mazzei (percussion), and Jacob Reed (chamber organ).

The concert also features a beautiful backdrop of historical imagery and bilingual translations by Newberry Consort projection artist and historian Shawn Keener. A pre-concert discussion panel will be led by artistic director Liza Malamut and musicologists Paul Feller-Simmons and Ireri Chavez-Bárcenas.

Friday, December 4, 2026 at 7:30 PM

Saint Mary of the Lake Catholic Church

4220 North Sheridan Road, Chicago, IL 60613

Seating will open at 6:40pm. Our pre-concert talk will begin at 6:45, and the concert will begin at 7:30.

 A Mexican Christmas

Music from the Convent and Cathedral of Puebla

Our beloved holiday tradition returns! This December, The Newberry Consort returns to its roots with a new program of festive holiday music from Mexico. Curated by Newberry Consort Artistic Director Liza Malamut in collaboration with musicologists Paul Feller-Simmons and Ireri Chavez-Bárcenas, this program will feature joyous villancicos and lush sacred polyphony from the convent and cathedral of Mexico for voices, winds, plucked instruments, and percussion.

The concerts will feature sights and sounds for everyone. A one-to-a-part women’s choir featuring Estelí Gomez, Salomé Sandovál, Lucía Mier y Teran Romero, Gabrielle Timofeeva López, and Victoria Marshall sings the beautiful polyphony of the Puebla convent, joined by Newberry Consort fan favorites Matthew Dean and Eric Miranda for the large-scale cathedral music.

The singers are joined by a fabulous Baroque band featuring Dušan Balarin and William Simms (guitars, vihuela, theorbo), Rachel Begley (bajón, recorders), Andrés Guzman and Liza Malamut (sackbuts), Anna Steinhoff (viola da gamba), Javier Saume Mazzei (percussion), and Jacob Reed (chamber organ).

The concert also features a beautiful backdrop of historical imagery and bilingual translations by Newberry Consort projection artist and historian Shawn Keener. A pre-concert discussion panel will be led by artistic director Liza Malamut and musicologists Paul Feller-Simmons and Ireri Chavez-Bárcenas.

Saturday, December 5, 2026 at 4:00 PM

Galvin Hall at Northwestern University

70 Arts Cir Dr, Evanston, IL 60208

Seating will open at 3:10pm. Our pre-concert talk will begin at 3:15, and the concert will begin at 4:00.

    A Mexican Christmas

Music from the Convent and Cathedral of Puebla

Our beloved holiday tradition returns! This December, The Newberry Consort returns to its roots with a new program of festive holiday music from Mexico. Curated by Newberry Consort Artistic Director Liza Malamut in collaboration with musicologists Paul Feller-Simmons and Ireri Chavez-Bárcenas, this program will feature joyous villancicos and lush sacred polyphony from the convent and cathedral of Mexico for voices, winds, plucked instruments, and percussion.

The concerts will feature sights and sounds for everyone. A one-to-a-part women’s choir featuring Estelí Gomez, Salomé Sandovál, Lucía Mier y Teran Romero, Gabrielle Timofeeva López, and Victoria Marshall sings the beautiful polyphony of the Puebla convent, joined by Newberry Consort fan favorites Matthew Dean and Eric Miranda for the large-scale cathedral music.

The singers are joined by a fabulous Baroque band featuring Dušan Balarin and William Simms (guitars, vihuela, theorbo), Rachel Begley (bajón, recorders), Andrés Guzman and Liza Malamut (sackbuts), Anna Steinhoff (viola da gamba), Javier Saume Mazzei (percussion), and Jacob Reed (chamber organ).

The concert also features a beautiful backdrop of historical imagery and bilingual translations by Newberry Consort projection artist and historian Shawn Keener. A pre-concert discussion panel will be led by artistic director Liza Malamut and musicologists Paul Feller-Simmons and Ireri Chavez-Bárcenas.

Sunday, December 6, 2026 at 4:00 PM

Murphy Auditorium at the Driehaus Museum

50 East Erie Street, Chicago, IL 60611

Seating will open at 3:10pm. Our pre-concert talk will begin at 3:15, and the concert will begin at 4:00.

100 Years of Love & War

Music and Poetry from Medieval England and France

Journey with The Newberry Consort to medieval England and France during the Hundred Years’ War! This March, The Newberry Consort presents music from the time of the Hundred Years’ War, a period of conflict between the kingdoms of France and England during the 14th and 15th centuries.

Music features selections by Guillaume Machaut, John Dunstaple, and many other medieval songs, ballads, and dances—including, of course, the famous Agincourt Carol, recounting the Battle of Agincourt between the armies of Henry V of England and Charles VI of France.

Medieval song specialists Elena Mullins Bailey, Karin Weston, and Matthew Dean join Gabriel Smallwood on organetto, Mary Vanhoozer-Rodriguez on hurdy-gurdy and vielle, and Orí Harmelin on plectrum lute. The ensemble is joined by a medieval wind trio featuring Rotem Gilbert and Adam Gilbert on shawms, bagpipes, and recorders, with artistic director Liza Malamut on slide trumpet, recorder, and percussion. The concert also features beautiful imagery and translations by historian and projection artist Shawn Keener.

The music is interspersed with readings of poetry and prose written during and about the Hundred Years’ War, curated by award-winning historian and author Michael Livingston. Dr. Livingston is celebrated for his rigorous scholarship and captivating storytelling, from historical battlefields to fantastical realms.

Join us for a pre-concert talk—and find out why Dr. Livingston thinks the 100 Years’ War was actually 200 years long! Dr. Livingston’s books, including his most recent Bloody Crowns: A New History of the Hundred Years’ War, will be available for purchase at the concerts.

Friday, March 12, 2027 at 7:30 PM

First Unitarian Church of Hyde Park

5650 S Woodlawn Ave, Chicago, IL 60637

Seating will open at 6:40pm. Our pre-concert talk will begin at 6:45, and the concert will begin at 7:30.

100 Years of Love & War

Music and Poetry from Medieval England and France

Journey with The Newberry Consort to medieval England and France during the Hundred Years’ War! This March, The Newberry Consort presents music from the time of the Hundred Years’ War, a period of conflict between the kingdoms of France and England during the 14th and 15th centuries.

Music features selections by Guillaume Machaut, John Dunstaple, and many other medieval songs, ballads, and dances—including, of course, the famous Agincourt Carol, recounting the Battle of Agincourt between the armies of Henry V of England and Charles VI of France.

Medieval song specialists Elena Mullins Bailey, Karin Weston, and Matthew Dean join Gabriel Smallwood on organetto, Mary Vanhoozer-Rodriguez on hurdy-gurdy and vielle, and Orí Harmelin on plectrum lute. The ensemble is joined by a medieval wind trio featuring Rotem Gilbert and Adam Gilbert on shawms, bagpipes, and recorders, with artistic director Liza Malamut on slide trumpet, recorder, and percussion. The concert also features beautiful imagery and translations by historian and projection artist Shawn Keener.

The music is interspersed with readings of poetry and prose written during and about the Hundred Years’ War, curated by award-winning historian and author Michael Livingston. Dr. Livingston is celebrated for his rigorous scholarship and captivating storytelling, from historical battlefields to fantastical realms.

Join us for a pre-concert talk—and find out why Dr. Livingston thinks the 100 Years’ War was actually 200 years long! Dr. Livingston’s books, including his most recent Bloody Crowns: A New History of the Hundred Years’ War, will be available for purchase at the concerts.

Saturday, March 13, 2027 at 4:00 PM

St. Luke’s Episcopal Church

939 Hinman Ave, Evanston, IL 60602

Seating will open at 3:10pm. Our pre-concert talk will begin at 3:15pm, and the concert will begin at 4:00pm.

100 Years of Love & War

Music and Poetry from Medieval England and France

Journey with The Newberry Consort to medieval England and France during the Hundred Years’ War! This March, The Newberry Consort presents music from the time of the Hundred Years’ War, a period of conflict between the kingdoms of France and England during the 14th and 15th centuries.

Music features selections by Guillaume Machaut, John Dunstaple, and many other medieval songs, ballads, and dances—including, of course, the famous Agincourt Carol, recounting the Battle of Agincourt between the armies of Henry V of England and Charles VI of France.

Medieval song specialists Elena Mullins Bailey, Karin Weston, and Matthew Dean join Gabriel Smallwood on organetto, Mary Vanhoozer-Rodriguez on hurdy-gurdy and vielle, and Orí Harmelin on plectrum lute. The ensemble is joined by a medieval wind trio featuring Rotem Gilbert and Adam Gilbert on shawms, bagpipes, and recorders, with artistic director Liza Malamut on slide trumpet, recorder, and percussion. The concert also features beautiful imagery and translations by historian and projection artist Shawn Keener.

The music is interspersed with readings of poetry and prose written during and about the Hundred Years’ War, curated by award-winning historian and author Michael Livingston. Dr. Livingston is celebrated for his rigorous scholarship and captivating storytelling, from historical battlefields to fantastical realms.

Join us for a pre-concert talk—and find out why Dr. Livingston thinks the 100 Years’ War was actually 200 years long! Dr. Livingston’s books, including his most recent Bloody Crowns: A New History of the Hundred Years’ War, will be available for purchase at the concerts.

Sunday, March 14, 2027 at 4:00 PM

St. James Cathedral

65 E. Huron St, Chicago 60611

Seating will open at 3:10pm. Our pre-concert talk will begin at 3:15pm, and the concert will begin at 4:00pm.

Gabrieli’s Ring

Teacher-Student Legacies in Italy, Germany, & Beyond

A Polychoral Extravaganza with Singers, Strings, and Brass!

In 1651, Heinrich Schütz wrote of his beloved teacher, Giovanni Gabrieli:

“On his deathbed, he bequeathed to me out of singular affection, in memory of him, one of his rings left behind, which after his death was presented and delivered to me by his father confessor.”

This beautiful story is the inspiration for The Newberry Consort’s final program of this 40th-Anniversary season: a celebration of teachers and their students during the late Renaissance and early Baroque.

The program features works for singers, strings, cornetti, sackbuts, lutes, and organ—from small-scale chamber music to the grand polychoral masterpieces—all composed by teacher-student lineages including:

Andrea Gabrieli, Giovanni Gabrieli, Heinrich Schütz, & Sophie Elisabeth

Giulio Caccini, Francesca Caccini, & Settimia Caccini

Cipriano da Rore, Marc’Antonio Ingegneri, & Claudio Monteverdi

Salomone Rossi, Giovanni Battista Buonamente, & Marco Uccellini

…and many more!

Friday, May 7, 2027 at 7:30 PM

First Unitarian Church of Hyde Park

5650 S Woodlawn Ave, Chicago, IL 60637

Seating will open at 7:00pm, and the concert will begin at 7:30.

Gabrieli’s Ring

Teacher-Student Legacies in Italy, Germany, & Beyond

A Polychoral Extravaganza with Singers, Strings, and Brass!

In 1651, Heinrich Schütz wrote of his beloved teacher, Giovanni Gabrieli:

“On his deathbed, he bequeathed to me out of singular affection, in memory of him, one of his rings left behind, which after his death was presented and delivered to me by his father confessor.”

This beautiful story is the inspiration for The Newberry Consort’s final program of this 40th-Anniversary season: a celebration of teachers and their students during the late Renaissance and early Baroque.

The program features works for singers, strings, cornetti, sackbuts, lutes, and organ—from small-scale chamber music to the grand polychoral masterpieces—all composed by teacher-student lineages including:

Andrea Gabrieli, Giovanni Gabrieli, Heinrich Schütz, & Sophie Elisabeth

Giulio Caccini, Francesca Caccini, & Settimia Caccini

Cipriano da Rore, Marc’Antonio Ingegneri, & Claudio Monteverdi

Salomone Rossi, Giovanni Battista Buonamente, & Marco Uccellini

…and many more!

Saturday, May 8, 2027 at 4:00 PM

St. Luke’s Episcopal Church

939 Hinman Ave,

Evanston, IL 60202

Seating will open at 3:30pm concert will begin at 4:00.

Gabrieli’s Ring

Teacher-Student Legacies in Italy, Germany, & Beyond

A Polychoral Extravaganza with Singers, Strings, and Brass!

In 1651, Heinrich Schütz wrote of his beloved teacher, Giovanni Gabrieli:

“On his deathbed, he bequeathed to me out of singular affection, in memory of him, one of his rings left behind, which after his death was presented and delivered to me by his father confessor.”

This beautiful story is the inspiration for The Newberry Consort’s final program of this 40th-Anniversary season: a celebration of teachers and their students during the late Renaissance and early Baroque.

The program features works for singers, strings, cornetti, sackbuts, lutes, and organ—from small-scale chamber music to the grand polychoral masterpieces—all composed by teacher-student lineages including:

Andrea Gabrieli, Giovanni Gabrieli, Heinrich Schütz, & Sophie Elisabeth

Giulio Caccini, Francesca Caccini, & Settimia Caccini

Cipriano da Rore, Marc’Antonio Ingegneri, & Claudio Monteverdi

Salomone Rossi, Giovanni Battista Buonamente, & Marco Uccellini

…and many more!

Sunday, May 9, 2027 at 4:00 PM

Murphy Auditorium at The Richard H. Driehaus Museum

50 E. Erie St,

Chicago, IL 60611

Seating will open at 3:30pm, and the concert will begin at 4:00.