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This is the first of our FREE appearances with the Houston Public Library (HPL) system for the Spring 2026 season. These concerts are not only offered for free to expand public access to the Greater Houston area but also to demonstrate the diversity of musicians in the early music community.
- The Montrose Library is located in its eponymous neighborhood, which is considered an epicenter of the LGBT community in the Greater Houston area and is also home to various cultural landmarks such as the Rothko Chapel and the Menil Collection.
- Our repertoire will serve as a preview for our church concert scheduled the same month, and we plan to include brief lectures about the history of the viol and a viol petting zoo geared particularly to newcomers to early music and the viola da gamba.
- 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.
- This audience members to learn more about the viola da gamba and to understand its role in the world of early music.
- The material in our presentation is also an opportunity to demonstrate the diversity of musicians in the early music community, which can be potentially impactful with features such as a trans woman singing tenor for a local audience in a predominantly queer neighborhood.
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 with financial 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)
