TENET (ensemble)
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Tenet (stylized as TENET), currently known as TENET Vocal Artists, is an
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 ...
vocal and instrumental ensemble based in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
. They perform on
period instruments In the historically informed performance movement, musicians perform classical music using restored or replicated versions of the instruments for which it was originally written. Often performances by such musicians are said to be "on authentic ...
, and specialize in one-voice-per-part singing. Called “a major force in the New York early music world" (''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
''), TENET maintains a flexible roster of professional musicians from across the US and the world. Their singers have garnered praise for performing with "an uncanny degree of precision” (''
The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...
''). Tenet frequently collaborates with other early music ensembles across the country, including Blue Heron, Dark Horse Consort, The Sebastians,
New York Polyphony New York Polyphony is a male classical vocal quartet based in New York City. Music of the Renaissance and Medieval music periods constitutes the core of the ensemble’s repertoire, but increasingly, new music occupies an important place both i ...
, Five Boroughs Music Festival, and others.


History

Soprano and artistic director Jolle Greenleaf took over the Tiffany Consort in 2009, and changed the name to Tenet. Since then, Tenet has presented a series of concerts in New York City and the surrounding area, as well as touring around the country and internationally. Past projects include
J.S. Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late baroque music, Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the ''Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suite ...
’s '' St. Matthew Passion'', '' St. John Passion'', Bach's
motets In Western classical music, a motet is mainly a vocal musical composition, of highly diverse form and style, from high medieval music to the present. The motet was one of the pre-eminent polyphonic forms of Renaissance music. According to Margare ...
,
Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concertos. Handel received his training i ...
’s ''
Messiah In Abrahamic religions, a messiah or messias (; , ; , ; ) is a saviour or liberator of a group of people. The concepts of ''mashiach'', messianism, and of a Messianic Age originated in Judaism, and in the Hebrew Bible, in which a ''mashiach'' ...
'', a three-year cycle of
Carlo Gesualdo Carlo Gesualdo da Venosa ( – 8 September 1613) was Prince of Venosa and Count of Conza. As a composer he is known for writing madrigals and pieces of sacred music that use a chromatic language not heard again until the late 19th century ...
’s
Tenebrae Responsories Tenebrae responsories are the responsories sung following the lessons of Tenebrae, the Matins services of the last three days of Holy Week: Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday. Polyphonic settings to replace plainchant have been publis ...
, regular performances of works by
Purcell Henry Purcell (, rare: September 1659 – 21 November 1695) was an English composer. Purcell's style of Baroque music was uniquely English, although it incorporated Italian and French elements. Generally considered among the greatest En ...
and his contemporaries celebrating St. Cecilia (music’s patron saint), two medieval survey series curated by Robert Mealey, and original theatrical performances highlighting works composed by, for, and about women in 17th century Italy. Tenet has been credited for helping to raise the profile of New York's early music scene. They were described by the ''
New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' as "stellar" and "an excellent vocal ensemble." Tenet has performed at Carnegie's Zankel Hall, the
Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...
,
Rockefeller University The Rockefeller University is a private biomedical research and graduate-only university in New York City, New York. It focuses primarily on the biological and medical sciences and provides doctoral and postdoctoral education. It is classif ...
,
Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
,
Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...
, and many other venues across New York City. Tenet has been invited to perform at numerous festivals across the country, in Latin America, and in Europe, including
Caramoor Summer Music Festival The Caramoor Summer Music Festival is a music festival founded in 1945 that is held on the estate of the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, which includes a Mediterranean-style stucco villa and is located about north of New York City in Ka ...
, Skaneateles Festival, Berkshire Bach Festival, Festival Casals de Puerto Rico, Costa Rica International Music Festival, and Montreal Baroque Festival. In 2018, on the occasion of its tenth anniversary season, the group changed its name to "TENET Vocal Artists."


Green Mountain Project

In 2010, Jolle Greenleaf joined forces with Boston violinist Scott Metcalfe to present
Monteverdi Claudio Giovanni Antonio Monteverdi (baptized 15 May 1567 – 29 November 1643) was an Italian composer, choirmaster and string player. A composer of both secular and sacred music, and a pioneer in the development of opera, he is considered ...
's 1610 ''
Vespro della Beata Vergine ''Vespro della Beata Vergine'' (''Vespers for the Blessed Virgin''), SV 206, is a musical setting by Claudio Monteverdi of the evening vespers on Marian feasts, scored for soloists, choirs, and orchestra. It is an ambitious work in scope and ...
'' for its 400th anniversary, performing as the Green Mountain Project (a translation of Monteverdi's name). The success of this concert inspired Greenleaf and Metcalfe to make it an annual event. In 2012 Metcalfe assembled a Vespers service from music by Monteverdi and some of his contemporaries. The Green Mountain Project (as a sub-project of Tenet) presented this in concert as the "Vespers of 1640." Unlike Monteverdi's 1610 Vespers, this was not a pre-existing collection of music, but followed the format of a Vespers service from the time. The same concept was the basis for a different Monteverdi service "Vespers for the Feast of St. John the Baptist", presented by Tenet in 2014, and a Vespers service by
Marc-Antoine Charpentier Marc-Antoine Charpentier (; 1643 – 24 February 1704) was a French Baroque composer during the reign of Louis XIV. One of his most famous works is the main theme from the prelude of his ''Te Deum'', ''Marche en rondeau''. This theme is still us ...
presented in 2015. In 2020, TENET will perform the tenth and final iteration of the Green Mountain Project in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
at the Church of St. Jean Baptiste and at Santi Giovanni e Paolo in
Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400  ...
.


Discography

* 2010 - ''Monteverdi Vespers of 1610, Live'' * 2011 - ''A Feast for the Senses'' * 2012 - ''A Grand Festive Vespers, Live'' * 2013 - ''UNO + ONE'' * 2016 - ''The Secret Lover'' *2019 - ''Le memorie dolorose''


References

{{reflist, 30em


External links


Official website
Early music groups