Folger Consort Presents Medieval Musical Selections and Poetry Performances Based on Geoffrey Chaucer’s 'A Parlement of Foules' for Valentine’s Day Weekend

With a world-premiere commission by composer Juri Seo, inspired by medieval traditions, and readings from Chaucer by Holly Twyford

Folger Consort, the award-winning early music ensemble-in-residence at the Folger Shakespeare Library, invites audiences to celebrate music, love, and poetry with four concerts of The Love Birds: Chaucer’s A Parlement of Foules. Performances take place Friday, February 14 through Sunday, February 16, 2025, blending medieval music with a bold world-premiere composition by acclaimed composer and Guggenheim Fellow Juri Seo and readings from Geoffrey Chaucer’s 14-century poem by acclaimed DC actor Holly Twyford.

“Valentine’s Day has inspired us to create a February program around Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Parlement of Foules, with its timely (and original) reference to St. Valentine as the patron saint of lovers,” says co-Artistic Director Robert Eisenstein. “We’ve selected some of our favorite French and English songs featuring bird song from the period to accompany readings from the poem and commissioned Juri Seo, one of the most exciting and imaginative composers on the classical music scene today, to create new musical settings of Chaucer’s dream vision.”

Juri Seo, whose compositions form the centerpiece of this program, is renowned for her ability to weave the textures and forms of early music into a modern musical language. An acclaimed composer and pianist, Seo has received prestigious awards, including a Guggenheim Fellowship, and her works are celebrated for their emotional depth and structural sophistication. For this concert, Seo has created a four-movement work (with movements interspersed among the poetry and period music) that complements Chaucer’s A Parlement of Foules, capturing the wit and charm of his avian world through music.

“In the introduction to a 1914 edition Parlement of Foules, editor C.M. Drennan describes Chaucer as ‘above all a humorist,’” says Seo. “I found this humorous warmth that transcends disagreements, uncertainty, and desperation deeply resonant with my own artistic tendencies. Chaucer’s vibrant vocabulary and flexible rhythms were a joy to set, because they ring beautifully with both the tongue and the ear.”

Seo’s new composition, Fowles of Every Kinde sets five stanzas from the heart of Chaucer’s A Parlement of Foules. The piece blends themes of love, nature, and politics through the antics of a parliament of birds. Chaucer, author of the Canterbury Tales and often called the father of English literature, paints a scene in which over 35 bird species gather to debate matters of the heart, each representing different facets of society. Seo’s four-movement work captures the energy of Chaucer’s feathered assembly.

“We are challenged and delighted with the music Juri has produced for A Parlement of Foules—to be interspersed with all manner of music from the period and recitation of the Chaucer. We can’t wait to share it with our audience,” states co-Artistic Director Christopher Kendall. Folger Consort’s lineup of guest artists includes Kristen Dubenion-Smith (mezzo soprano), Crossley Hawn (soprano), Brian Kay (medieval lute, citole), Dan Meyers (recorder, percussion, bagpipes),  Margot Rood (soprano), and Mary Springfels (vielle and citole).

Holly Twyford, a stalwart of the DC theatre scene and four-time Helen Hayes Award-winner, will read passages from Chaucer’s poem. Twyford previously performed with the Folger Consort for the 2007 staging of The Second Shepherds’ Play, in addition to acting in seventeen productions for Folger Theatre including Hamlet, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, and The Taming of the Shrew.

The program will also feature musical selections that Chaucer himself may have known, including English works from the 13th and 14th centuries. Among these are charming bird songs, engaging dances, and the famous Summer Canon. In tribute to Chaucer’s connection to the French poet and composer Guillaume de Machaut, Folger Consort will perform two of Machaut’s songs—the lyrical chanson Rose, lis and the lively Gais et jolis. Rounding out the program are songs evoking birds and bird calls, along with Jacopo da Bologna’s delightful 14th-century Italian piece celebrating the noble eagle.

Tickets can be purchased online at www.folger.edu/consort or by contacting the Folger box office at (202) 544-7077. Tickets are $20-$45, with discounts available for Folger members and subscribers, seniors, students, educators, military and their families, and groups.

More information online at: www.folger.edu/whats-on/the-love-birds/

Early Music Seminar:

On Wednesday, February 12 at 6pm, Folger Consort Artistic Director Robert Eisenstein leads a virtual seminar that offers a sneak peek at the music performed in The Love Birds: Chaucer’s A Parlement of Foules. Mr. Eisenstein will be joined by David Wallace, a past President of the New Chaucer Society. The event will be hosted on Zoom; $10, with discounts for Folger Members and Subscribers.

About Juri Seo:

Juri Seo is a Korean American composer and pianist based in Princeton, New Jersey. She seeks to write music that encompasses extreme contrast through compositions that are unified and fluid, yet complex. She merges many of the fascinating aspects of music from the past century with a deep love of functional tonality, counterpoint, and classical form. Her composition honors include a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Koussevitzky Commission from the Library of Congress, a Goddard Lieberson Fellowship and the Andrew Imbrie Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the Kate Neal Kinley Memorial Fellowship, Copland House Residency Award, the Ilshin Composer Prize, and the Otto Eckstein Fellowship from Tanglewood. She has received commissions from the Fromm Foundation, the Barlow Endowment, the Goethe Institut, and the Tanglewood Music Center. Her portrait albums Mostly Piano and Respiri were released by Innova Recordings. She is Associate Professor of Music at Princeton University.

About the Artists:

Kristen Dubenion-Smith (Mezzo soprano) Recognized for her “velvety legato and embracing warmth of sound” (Washington Classical Review) and “lyric-mezzo of uncommon beauty” (Washington Post), mezzo soprano Kristen Dubenion-Smith enjoys an active career performing oratorio and sacred vocal chamber music, specializing in music of the medieval, renaissance, and baroque eras. As a concert soloist, Kristen has earned recognition for her performances of Bach and Handel. Recent highlights include Bach’s St. Matthew Passion with the Washington National Cathedral Baroque Orchestra, Handel’s Esther with Opera Lafayette, and Bach’s Christmas Oratorio with the Washington Bach Consort. Ms. Dubenion-Smith also sings on the 2021 Grammy winning recording of The Prison by Ethel Smyth with the Experiential Orchestra. 2024–2025 season highlights include Bach’s St. Matthew Passion with the Washington Bach Consort, Mozart’s Requiem with the Washington National Cathedral Baroque Orchestra, Durufle Requiem with Choralis, and debuts with The Thirteen, Variant 6, and Musica Spira.

Robert Eisenstein (Medieval fiddles) – see below.

Crossley Hawn (Soprano) has served as a soloist with ensembles including Folger Consort, Cathedra, the Washington Bach Consort, The Thirteen, the City Choir of Washington, Chatham Baroque, Choralis, the Reston Chorale, Maryland Choral Society, and University of Maryland Summer Chorus. Hawn was the winner of the 2018 Choralis Young Artists Competition. In addition to her solo work, Hawn is an active ensemble singer. She is a member of Eya Medieval Music and has also appeared chorally with the US Air Force Band’s Singing Sergeants, Kinnara, True Concord, EXO Choir, Chorosynthesis, Chantry, and The District Eight. She has performed worldwide in Italy, Canada, Switzerland, France, England, Germany, Austria, and Hungary. She is an Artistic Director of Bridge, a professional vocal chamber ensemble specializing in new works for voices. Hawn served as project manager and ensemble singer for Experiential Orchestra’s Grammy-winning premiere recording of Dame Ethel Smyth’s The Prison.

Brian Kay (Medieval lute, citole) is a modern-day troubadour. He is the Artistic Director of the early music meets early theater group THEATRO and is currently overseeing their international recording of music from the plays of William Shakespeare. He won a GRAMMY Award for his work on Apollo’s Fire’s Songs of Orpheus with tenor Karim Sulayman. He works as a musician and recording artist for the Netflix music lab and is a featured soloist on the soundtrack of Netflix original series The Witcher. He has performed worldwide, including Folger Consort, the National Concert Hall of Dublin, Belfast Castle (Northern Ireland), Carnegie Hall, and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. His live radio appearances include NPR, Baltimore’s WYPR and WIYY (98ROCK), Boston’s WGBH, and Cleveland’s WCLV. A multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, arranger, and a traditional and historical music specialist, he has recorded with labels Avie Records and Sono Luminus.

Dan Meyers (Recorder, percussion, bagpipes) A versatile multi-instrumentalist, Dan Meyers is a flexible and engaging performer of both classical and folk music; his credits range from premieres of contemporary chamber music, to headlining a concert series in honor of Pete Seeger at the Newport Folk Festival, to playing Renaissance instruments on Broadway for Shakespeare’s Globe. He is a founding member of the early music/folk crossover group Seven Times Salt, and in recent seasons he has performed with the Newberry Consort, Hesperus, the Henry Purcell Society of Boston, Early Music New York, Amherst Early Music, 21st Century Consort, In Stile Moderno, and the Cambridge Revels, making concert and theatrical appearances in New York City, Washington, DC, Chicago, Minneapolis, Memphis, Santa Fe, at the Yellow Barn Summer Festival in Vermont, and at the “La Luna e i Calanchi” festival in Basilicata (Italy).

Margot Rood (Soprano) hailed for her “sterling, gleaming tone and magnificent control” (The Washington Post), performs a wide range of repertoire. 2024-025 performances include her debuts with Folger Consort and Repast Baroque, as well as return appearances with the Washington Bach Consort, Blue Heron, Handel & Haydn Society, and True Concord Voices & Orchestra. Recent solo appearances include those with Toronto’s Tafelmusik BaFebroque Orchestra, Edinburgh’s Dunedin Consort, South Florida’s Enlightenment Festival, the Washington Bach Consort, the Cleveland Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, the New Jersey Symphony, the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, New World Symphony, Handel & Haydn Society, TENET Vocal Artists, Seraphic Fire, Bach Collegium San Diego, A Far Cry Chamber Orchestra, and numerous concerts with acclaimed ensemble Blue Heron.

Holly Twyford (Narrator) is excited to return to the Folger Shakespeare Library. She is proud to have performed in seventeen Folger Theatre productions, including a previous collaboration with Robert Eisenstein and the Folger Consort in Mary Hall Surface’s adaptation of The Second Shepherds’ Play. Holly has performed in over eighty productions in theaters in the Washington, DC area including Studio Theatre, Arena Stage, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, Theatre J, and Signature Theatre. A five-time Helen Hayes Award recipient, Holly was also honored with Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Emery Battis Award for Acting Excellence for her portrayal of Anna in Harold Pinter’s Old Times. She is proud to be a charter member of Studio Theatre’s Cabinet, a Ford’s Theatre Associate Artist, a Lunt-Fontanne Fellow, and especially a DC-based artist.

Mary Springfels (Vielle and citole) is a veteran of the American Early Music Movement. She is a native of Los Angeles and moved to New York at the age of 21 to join New York Pro Musica as their viola da gambist. From that time on, Mary has been an active participant in prominent early music ensembles, including Folger Consort, the Waverly Consort, Concert Royal, the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, Ars Lyrica Houston, and the Texas Early Music Project (Austin). Mary directed the Newberry Consort in Chicago for 20 years, during which time the group made a number of critically acclaimed recordings. She has also been a continuo player for the Chicago Opera Theater, Central City Opera, and the New York City Opera. Currently, she is a co-director of Severall Friends, an early music ensemble based in Santa Fe. Mary teaches all over the country.

Folger Consort Artistic Directors:

Robert Eisenstein has led over 200 productions and performances with Folger Consort over the past 40 years, including Measure + Dido at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and Napa Valley Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice at Strathmore, The Fairy Queen, and Hildegard Von Bingen’s Ordo Virtutum at the Washington National Cathedral. Recently retired as the Director of the Five College Early Music Program; Music Director for the Five College Opera Project production of Francesca Caccini’s La Liberazione di Ruggiero; Mount Holyoke College faculty emeritus, where he taught music history and performed the viola de gamba, violin, and medieval fiddle. He is an active participant in Five College Medieval Studies. Recipient of Early Music America’s Thomas Binkley Award for outstanding achievement in performance and scholarship by the director of a college early music ensemble.

Christopher Kendall is founder of the Folger Consort. He is Dean Emeritus of the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance in Ann Arbor. In Washington, in addition to his work with Folger Consort, since 1975 he has been Artistic Director and conductor of the 21st Century Consort, the new music ensemble-in-residence at the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. Mr. Kendall served as Director of the University of Maryland School of Music from 1996 to 2005. Associate Conductor of the Seattle Symphony from 1987 to 1992 and Director of the Music Division and Tanglewood Institute of the Boston University School for the Arts from 1993 to 1996, Mr. Kendall has guest conducted many orchestras and ensembles in repertoire from the 18th to the 21st centuries. His recordings can be heard on the Bard, Delos, Nonesuch, Centaur, ASV, Arabesque, Innova, Bridge, and Smithsonian Collection labels.

About Folger Consort:

For 47 seasons as the early music ensemble in residence at the Folger Shakespeare Library, Folger Consort has delighted audiences with a stunning repertoire of early music spanning roughly 800 years. With world-class guest artists, from virtuoso soloists to large choirs and orchestras, Folger Consort has performed masterpieces of the most renowned composers and hidden treasures from those who might otherwise be lost to history. Performing in the intimate setting of the Folger’s Elizabethan Theatre, as well as such grand spaces as Washington National Cathedral and the Kennedy Center, Folger Consort has also toured nationally and internationally to Shakespeare’s Globe and other prestigious venues.

Among other awards and critical acclaim for its performances and recordings, Folger Consort has received Best Classical Chamber Ensemble from the Washington Area Music Awards multiple times. For more on Folger Consort, please visit www.folger.edu/folger-consort.

Folger Consort recordings are available for purchase and digital download at iTunes and available for streaming on Spotify.

About Folger Shakespeare Library:

The Folger Shakespeare Library makes Shakespeare’s stories and the world in which he lived accessible. Anchored by the world’s largest Shakespeare collection, the Folger is a cultural center where curiosity and creativity are embraced, and conversation is always encouraged. Visitors to the Folger can choose how they want to experience the arts and humanities, from interactive exhibitions to captivating performances, and from path-breaking research to transformative educational programming. The Folger welcomes everyone to connect in their own way—from communities throughout Washington, DC, to communities across the globe.

Following a multiyear building renovation, the Folger’s historic Capitol Hill home reopened to the public on June 21, 2024. Learn more at www.folger.edu

Tickets and Information:

What:  Folger Consort: The Love Birds: Chaucer’s A Parlement of Foules

When:   Friday, February 14–Sunday, February 16, 2025

Where:  Folger Shakespeare Library,
201 East Capitol Street, SE, Washington, DC

Tickets:  $20-$45, with discounts available; Purchase via phone at (202) 544-7077 or online at www.folger.edu/whats-on/the-love-birds/

Folger Consort 2024-25 Sponsors:
 

Premier Season Sponsors
Dr. Bill & Evelyn Braithwaite
Andrea “Andi” Kasarsky

Production Sponsor
Gail Orgelfinger and Charles Hanna

Contributing Sponsor
Mr. Leslie C. Taylor
Mary Augusta and George D. Thomas

Associate Sponsor
David and Lenka Lundsten
Robert J. and Tina M. Tallaksen
Mike Newton and Dr. Linda Werling

Artist Sponsors
Karl K. and Carrol Benner Kindel

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