Philadelphia, PA – Piffaro, Philadelphia’s acclaimed Renaissance Band, invites audiences to its annual Christmas concert, In the Midwinter Light, featuring GRAMMY-winning tenor James Reese. Together, they will illuminate the beauty of the French and English Renaissance Christmas season.
The concert will be presented in three historic sacred spaces throughout the greater Philadelphia region. Performances begin Friday, December 4, at the Church of the Holy Trinity in Rittenhouse Square, continue Saturday, December 5, at the Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill, and conclude Sunday, December 6, at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Wilmington, DE. For those unable to attend in person, a filmed performance will be available to stream online December 18–31. Tickets and season passes are on sale at piffaro.org.
In the Midwinter Light transports listeners to the quiet, cold, dark winters of Renaissance Europe, where people gathered around hearths in palaces and cottages to sing noëls, ballads, and airs de cour. They told stories about Christmas that were tender, reverent, and funny. “Jimmy possesses a beautiful, clear voice and exudes so much warmth,” says artistic director Priscilla Herreid. “He’s the perfect person to relay these stories, set so similarly on both sides of the English Channel.” The program will include music by William Byrd, Thomas Campion, Antoine Brumel, Jean Maillard, and Eustache de Caurroy, among others.
“I’m delighted to be back with Piffaro – my hometown Renaissance team – for gorgeous Christmas music from centuries past,” says Reese. “The sound that Piffaro makes is extraordinary and transporting. I can’t imagine a better way to kick off my holiday season than with the magical world of recorders, shawms, and sackbuts.”
Ticket Information
Tickets and subscriptions are on sale now. Prices start at $29 for in-person ticketsYouth and full-time students always attend free of charge.How to purchase: available online at piffaro.org, by phone at 215-235-8469, or at the venue one hour before concerts.
