Shira Kammen is a multi-instrumentalist and vocalist.
She received her degree in music from the
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...
and studied
vielle
The vielle is a European bowed stringed instrument used in the medieval period, similar to a modern violin but with a somewhat longer and deeper body, three to five gut strings, and a leaf-shaped pegbox with frontal tuning pegs, sometimes with a ...
with
Margriet Tindemans
Margriet E. Tindemans (March 26, 1951 – December 31, 2014) was a musician, specializing in medieval music.
The fourth child of Wilhelmina Coenen and Henricus Tindemans, Margriet demonstrated her musical talents early, and was named first violi ...
. She has performed and taught throughout the world and has played on several television and movie soundtracks, including "O", a modern high school-setting of Othello. Her music was also licensed for the soundtrack of the video game
Braid
A braid (also referred to as a plait) is a complex structure or pattern formed by interlacing two or more strands of flexible material such as textile yarns, wire, or hair.
The simplest and most common version is a flat, solid, three-strande ...
.
She currently lives in
El Cerrito, California
El Cerrito (Spanish for "The Little Hill") is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States, and forms part of the San Francisco Bay Area. It has a population of 25,962 according to the 2020 census. El Cerrito was founded by refugees ...
.
Ensembles
Shira collaborated with singer/storyteller
John Fleagle for fifteen years, and has been or is a member of or worked with a number of different groups:
* Founder of
Class V Music, an ensemble dedicated to performance on river rafting trips.
*
The Boston Camerata
The Boston Camerata is an early music ensemble based in Boston, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1954 by Narcissa Williamson, at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, as an adjunct to that museum's musical instrument collection.
The Camerata incorpora ...
*
Camerata Mediterranea
*
Cançonièr, a medieval ensemble
*
Ensemble Alcatraz
*
Ephemeros new music group
*
Fortune's Wheel, a medieval ensemble
*
Hespèrion XX
* The
King's Noyse
*
Medieval Strings
*
Panacea
In Greek mythology, Panacea (Greek ''Πανάκεια'', Panakeia), a goddess of universal remedy, was the daughter of Asclepius and Epione. Panacea and her four sisters each performed a facet of Apollo's art:
* Panacea (the goddess of universal ...
, an eclectic ethnic band
*
Project Ars Nova
*
Sequentia
A sequence (Latin: ''sequentia'', plural: ''sequentiae'') is a chant or hymn sung or recited during the liturgy, liturgical celebration of the Eucharist for many Christian denominations, before the proclamation of the Gospel. By the time of the Co ...
*
Trouz Bras, a band devoted to the dance music of Celtic Brittany
*
Joanna Newsom
Joanna Newsom (born January 18, 1982) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Born and raised in Northern California, Newsom was classically trained on the harp in her youth and began her musical career as a keyboardist in the San Francisc ...
, an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist; Kammen plays the vielle and the rebec in the song "Kingfisher" on the 2010 album
Have One On Me
''Have One on Me'' is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Joanna Newsom, released on February 23, 2010 via Drag City as the official follow-up to the harpist's highly acclaimed second studio release, 2006's '' Ys''. It is a trip ...
.
[Have One On Me album booklet]
Discography
* (1988) ''Visions and Miracles'' with
Ensemble Alcatraz. Elektra Nonesuch.
* (1989) ''Ars Magis Subtiliter'' with
Ensemble P.A.N. (Project Ars Nova). New Albion Records, Inc.
* (1990) ''Danse Royale'' with
Ensemble Alcatraz. Elektra Nonesuch.
* (1991) ''The Island of St. Hylarion'' with
Ensemble P.A.N. (Project Ars Nova) New Albion Records, Inc.
* (1991) ''Lo Gai Saber'' with
Camerata Mediterranea. Erato.
* (1992) ''Homage to Johannes Ciconia'' with
Ensemble P.A.N. (Project Ars Nova). New Albion Records, Inc.
* (1994) ''Remede de Fortune by Guillaume de Machaut'' with
Ensemble P.A.N. (Project Ars Nova). New Albion Records, Inc.
* (1994) ''The Unicorn'' with
Anne Azéma
Anne Azéma (born October 19, 1957) is a French-born soprano, scholar, and stage director. She is currently artistic director of the Boston Camerata. She has been an important or leading singer of early music since 1993. She has created and dir ...
. Erato.
* (1994) ''Wings of Time'' with
Lauren Pomerantz. Songbird Music.
* (1995) ''Le Roman de Fauvel'' with
Boston Camerata and
Ensemble P.A.N. (Project Ars Nova). Erato.
* (1995) ''Unseen Rain'' with
Ensemble P.A.N. (Project Ars Nova). New Albion Records, Inc.
* (1996) ''Angeli'' with
Ensemble P.A.N. (Project Ars Nova). Telarc.
* (1996) ''Le Jeu d'Amour'' with
Anne Azéma
Anne Azéma (born October 19, 1957) is a French-born soprano, scholar, and stage director. She is currently artistic director of the Boston Camerata. She has been an important or leading singer of early music since 1993. She has created and dir ...
. Erato.
* (1996) ''World's Bliss'' with
John Fleagle. Archetype Records.
* (1997) ''The Cloister and the Sparrow Hawk: Songs of the Monk of Montaudon (Twelfth Century)'' with
Tim Rayborn and
Alison Sabedoria. ASV.
* (1997) ''Tapestry: Song of Songs: Come into my garden''. Telarc.
* (1998) ''Cantigas'' with
Camerata Mediterranea. Erato.
* (1998) ''Celtic Roads''. Revels Records.
* (1998) ''Provence Mystique'' with
Anne Azéma
Anne Azéma (born October 19, 1957) is a French-born soprano, scholar, and stage director. She is currently artistic director of the Boston Camerata. She has been an important or leading singer of early music since 1993. She has created and dir ...
. Erato.
* (2000) ''Cantigas de Amigo'' with
Ensemble Alcatraz. Dorian.
* (2002) ''Music of Waters''. Bright Angel Records.
* (2002) ''Pastourlle'' with
Fortune's Wheel. Dorian Recordings.
* (2003) ''The Almanac: Time & the Turning Wheel''. Bright Angel Records.
* (2003) ''The Castle of the Holly King: Secular music for the Yuletide''. Bright Angel Records.
* (2004) ''Across The River: Settings of poems from Lord of the Rings by
J. R. R. Tolkien
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (, ; 3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English writer and philology, philologist. He was the author of the high fantasy works ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings''.
From 1925 to 1945, Tolkien was ...
''. Bright Angel Records.
* (2006) ''Mistral''. Bright Angel Records.
* (2008) ''Ragged, Rent and Torn''. Bright Angel Records.
* (2010) ''Panacea: Songs and Dance Music of Northern and Eastern Europe'' with Panacea. Flaming-Buddha Music.
*(2012) ''The Dawn of Joy''. Magnatune.
References
External links
Shira Kammen home page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kammen, Shira
American performers of early music
Women performers of early music
Viol players
Living people
1961 births
University of California, Berkeley alumni
American folk musicians