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This is the second of our FREE appearances with the Houston Public Library (HPL) system for the Spring 2026 season. This will not only be an Early Music Month event but also part of the Bach In The Subways movement, which is dedicated to its grassroots mission of expanding public access to Classical music in celebration of Johann Sebastian Bach’s birthday.
- The McCrane-Kashmere Gardens Neighborhood Library is based in Kashmere Gardens, which is a historically African-American neighborhood situated in the Northeast region of the Greater Houston area.
- Our repertoire will consist of various arrangements involving the viola da gamba for Johann Sebastian Bach’s works as part of the Bach In The Subways movement.
- Repertoire will focus on 3-4 part viol consort, occasionally featuring other variations in the consort such as viol duets and voice and viol. All vocals will be sung by Les Touches member Jocelyn Ursua, a trans woman who has been vocally training as a tenor
- Brief lectures and opportunities for a petting zoo will be provided for a hands-on experience for audience members to learn more about the viola da gamba and to understand its role in the world of early music.
Visit the HPL website provided in this page to register your attendance for FREE!
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About Les Touches
- Founded in 2011 by Pedro Funes-Whittington at the Jacobs School of Music and the Early Music Institute at Indiana University, Les Touches is a viol consort whose core repertoire includes the works of many of England’s most prominent early music composers such as William Byrd and John Coprario, as well as the works of composers whose work deserves wider recognition, such as George Jeffreys and Peter Phillips. The ensemble has performed across the United States, working with groups such as Texas Early Music Project and the South Dakota Chorale, and continues to pursue collaboration with other musicians and ensembles. In 2014, Les Touches held its inaugural season in Texas and began a partnership with Viols of Houston, with whom they provide outreach programs in local schools. In 2015, Les Touches was named one of the 10 finalists in the York Young Artist International Competition.
- Les Touches continues to share their passion for the viol and make its fascinating consort repertoire, as an aspect of early music, accessible to their general community in the Greater Houston region of Southeast Texas.
- Since the debut of their most recent revival in 2024, they were featured in a performance/lecture presentation hosted by Early Music America at the Chamber Music America 2025 Conference at Rice University.
- This presentation consisted of a repertoire of 4-part consort pieces from a range of composers from Jenkins to Coperario, intertwined with brief lectures about the history of viol performance and appearances from local grade school viol program Viols of Deer Park
- Les Touches is currently partnered with the Houston Public Library system — their most recent collaboration was a free performance/lecture series hosted at 11 branch locations for the library’s “Summer Reading For Adults” program.
- This presentation followed a similar format to the CMA conference, consisting of repertoire for 3-part consort, voice and viol, and violin with viol consort featuring a guest appearance from Baroque violinist Nadia Lesinska.
- This series was offered for free to the general public of Greater Houston and received grant support from the Viola da Gamba Society of America and individual donors.
- Les Touches’ current revival consists of the following members:
- Pedro Funes-Whittington: treble/tenor/bass viol
- Elisabeth Ellison: bass viol
- Matt Dunn: tenor/bass viol
- Jocelyn Ursua: treble/tenor/bass viol; vocalist (tenor)
