Asteria is a

vocal ensemble A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which ...

founded in 2003 that specializes in historically-informed performances of

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

and Renaissance music, based on extensive research with original source material. It is based in Brooklyn, New York. The act consists of Sylvia Rhyne, soprano, and Eric Redlinger,

tenor A tenor is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The low extreme for tenors is wide ...

and lute player. Their

repertoire A repertoire () is a list or set of dramas, operas, musical compositions or roles which a company or person is prepared to perform. Musicians often have a musical repertoire. The first known use of the word ''repertoire'' was in 1847. It is a ...

is anchored in 15th century

chanson A (, , french: chanson française, link=no, ; ) is generally any lyric-driven French song, though it most often refers to the secular polyphonic French songs of late medieval and Renaissance music. The genre had origins in the monophonic so ...

, including noted composers such as Du Fay and Antoine Busnoys. Winners of the 2004 Unicorn Prize for best North American early music

ensemble Ensemble may refer to: Art * Architectural ensemble * Ensemble (album), ''Ensemble'' (album), Kendji Girac 2015 album * Ensemble (band), a project of Olivier Alary * Ensemble cast (drama, comedy) * Ensemble (musical theatre), also known as the ...

specializing in medieval and renaissance music, they have since toured extensively in Europe and the Americas. They have recorded 3

CDs The compact disc (CD) is a digital optical disc data storage format that was co-developed by Philips and Sony to store and play digital audio recordings. In August 1982, the first compact disc was manufactured. It was then released in Octo ...

of polyphonic chansons for the

Magnatune Magnatune is an American independent record label based in Berkeley, California, founded in spring 2003. It only sold music for download through its website but added a print-CD-on-demand service in late 2004 and in October 2007 began selling c ...

label A label (as distinct from signage) is a piece of paper, plastic film, cloth, metal, or other material affixed to a container or product, on which is written or printed information or symbols about the product or item. Information printed ...

. Asteria is a member of GEMS, a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to the promotion and advancement of early music in New York City.

Discography

*''Le souvenir de vous me tue'' (2004) UPC: 643157337928 *''Soyes loyal'' (2006) UPC: 643157378396 *''Un tres doulx regard'' (2009) UPC: 859701552819 *''For the love of Jacqueline'' (2012) UPC: 859701552819

References

{{Reflist

External links

asteriamusica.com , Sylvia Rhyne & Eric Redlinger

WGBH Radio interviews Magnatune artist Asteria

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Early music groups Musical groups established in 2003