Frederick Renz is a conductor, director, and keyboardist specializing in

Early Music Early music generally comprises Medieval music (500–1400) and Renaissance music (1400–1600), but can also include Baroque music (1600–1750). Originating in Europe, early music is a broad musical era for the beginning of Western classical m ...

spanning the medieval through the classical eras. He is the founder of the Early Music Foundation and directs its performing group Early Music New York, an internationally performing ensemble and artist in residence at the

Cathedral of St. John the Divine The Cathedral of St. John the Divine (sometimes referred to as St. John's and also nicknamed St. John the Unfinished) is the cathedral of the Episcopal Diocese of New York. It is at 1047 Amsterdam Avenue in the Morningside Heights neighborhood ...

in New York City. Renz is also noted for his work in medieval drama, and has directed and produced works such as Daniel and the Lions and Le Roman de Fauvel based largely on his own musicological research.

Education

Renz received his undergraduate degree in piano performance at State University of New York at Fredonia. He completed a masters in harpsichord performance at Indiana University, where he also completed course work for a doctorate in conducting with

Willi Apel Willi Apel (10 October 1893 – 14 March 1988) was a German-American musicologist and noted author of a number of books devoted to music. Among his most important publications are the 1944 edition of '' The Harvard Dictionary of Music'' and ''Fre ...

and Julius Herford. In 1962 he received a

Fulbright grant The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States Cultural Exchange Programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people of ...

to study in the Netherlands with eminent harpsichordist and scholar

Gustav Leonhardt Gustav Maria Leonhardt (30 May 1928 – 16 January 2012) was a Dutch keyboardist, conductor, musicologist, teacher and editor. He was a leading figure in the historically informed performance movement to perform music on period instruments. Leo ...

at the

Amsterdam Conservatory The Conservatorium van Amsterdam (CvA) is a Dutch conservatoire of music located in Amsterdam. This school is the music division of the Amsterdam University of the Arts, the city's vocational university of arts. The Conservatorium van Amsterdam ...

Career

Renz performed as a keyboard soloist with New York Pro Musica for six seasons and founded the Early Music Foundation when it disbanded in 1974. He continues to direct Early Music New York and frequently plays keyboard instruments in its performances. Many of these performances, including his recreations of medieval dramas, have been commissioned by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He has also directed a large catalogue of recordings with Early Music New York released by the Early Music Foundation's Ex Cathedra Records. In addition to his work directing Early Music New York, Renz has given many solo performances on harpsichord, appeared in numerous chamber groups and orchestras, and recorded for

Nonesuch __NOTOC__ Nonesuch may refer to: Plants * ''Lychnis chalcedonica'', a wildflower * ''Medicago lupulina'', a wildflower Places and structures *Nonesuch, Kentucky *Nonesuch Island, Bermuda *Nonesuch Mine, Michigan *Nonesuch Palace, mis-spelling of ...

Lyrichord Lyrichord Discs is a record label specializing in world music and classical music. In 2015, Multicultural Media acquired the catalog of Lyrichord. History The label was founded in 1950 by Peter Fritsch, an Austrian immigrant who moved to America ...

, Foné, Decca, Vanguard, and the

Musical Heritage Society Musical Heritage Society was an American mail-order record label founded in New York City in 1962 by Michael "Mischa" Naida (1900–1991), co-founder of Westminster Records, and T. C. Fry Jr. (1926–1996). Background After a small initial group ...

. He is also interested in music peripheral to the canon of French, German, English, and Italian music, and has been instrumental in reviving overlooked works from Eastern Europe, Latin America, and Colonial North America.

References

External links

* https://www.earlymusicny.org/emny.php {{DEFAULTSORT:Renz, Frederick American performers of early music Living people American male conductors (music) 21st-century American conductors (music) 21st-century American male musicians Year of birth missing (living people)