New England Polyphony

Elisse Albian ~ soprano
Elisa Sutherland ~ alto
Tim Eriksen ~ tenor
John Taylor Ward ~ bass
Douglas Balliett ~ New England viol

In eighteenth-century New England, small towns often had their own proprietary hymn books, full of original short songs based on popular folk melodies, fiddle tunes, and the like. In its day, this music functioned as a record of significant social and political shifts, and later was used to remind us of the nation’s earliest ideals. Ruckus presents this unique American repertoire in historically-informed style including a rare presentation of the New England viol.

Ruckus is a Baroque band with a fresh, visceral approach to early music. The ensemble objective is to fuse the early music movement’s questing, creative spirit with the grit, groove and jangle of American roots music, creating a unique sound of “rough-edged intensity” (The New Yorker). Ruckus’ first album, an acclaimed collaboration with Emi Ferguson of Bach Sonatas and Preludes, debuted at #2 on the Billboard charts.