New Show:
First Person: Seeing America More...

"Aside from the ensemble’s good musicianship and wonderful way with the myth-evoking, gentle melancholy of Celtic music, the most striking feature was the obvious pleasure the players took in what they were doing."
Ottawa Citizen

"Drawing on its rich repertoire of traditional Celtic music as well as Italian and Spanish diversions, the sextet moved back and forth between the sublime and the stirring, juxtaposing poignant airs and courtly melodies with vibrant jigs, reels and cantigas.... the ensemble had no difficulty fashioning an alternately lyrical and lively soundtrack, one that made colorful use of hand percussion, fiddle, oboe, recorder, Scottish small pipes, Celtic harp and viola da gamba."
The Washington Post

"... a lovely blend of instrumental music on A Winter's Night....The most charming aspect of the collection, however, is the way the Ensemble Galilei weaves all of these melodies into a 55-minute tapestry broken only by an
enthusiastic audience response between each piece."
DIRTY LINEN folk/world magazine

"Equally effective were the beautifully wrought melodies and rhythms of Ensemble Galilei."
LJWorld.com

"With poetry read and Celtic music played, the audience was shown images of the universe taken with the Hubble telescope. It was a truly wonderful experience."
Joplin Globe

"Ancient Noels is one of the years' best...a mystical majesty fuels both stately medieval processionals, sprightly Dutch and Basque carols."
The Washington Post

"Medieval and Renaissance tunes, beautifully rendered..."
San Francisco Bay Guardian

"Members of the Ensemble Galilei consider the pursuit of this ancient music as a labor of love."
The Baltimore Sun

"The women of Ensemble Galilei play with sensibility informed by both brain and heart, which then flows out through the very able hands."
Dirty Linen

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Ensemble Galilei is collaborates with NPR's Neal Conan (host of Talk of the Nation) on a series of innovative programs that include First Person: Seeing America, First Person: Stories From the Edge of the World, A Universe of Dreams, and A Winter's Night.

First Person: Seeing America combines iconic photographs from The Metropolitan Museum of Art – searing pictures of the Civil War and haunting portraits from the Great Depression – with the music of Ensemble Galilei and narration by NPR’s Neal Conan and actress Lily Knight to create a remarkable and powerful performance. More...

"As read by Conan and voicing partner Lily Knight, the texts came to vivid life." LJWorld.com

First Person: Stories from the Edge of the World is a remarkable collaboration between National Geographic, NPR’s Neal Conan and Ensemble Galilei. Spectacular photographs projected on a large on-stage screen, Neal Conan's compelling narration, and evocative music created specifically for this project, work seamlessly to convey the intellectual, physical and spiritual challenges faced by these extraordinary men and women. Preview article.  Review of the show.  Presenter recommendation.

A Universe of Dreams is music, poetry and stories with host and narrator Neal Conan and features projected images from the Hubble Space Telescope. With evocative music inspired by the Hubble images, the performers present the perfect backdrop for works by some of the finest poets in America. Audiences have been swept away by this extraordinary combination of the spoken word and what has been described by critics as "....music that speaks to the heart in ways that transcend mere language." Text from Stanley Kunitz, Jim Harrison, William Shakespeare, and a re-telling of a Navajo Creation Myth are all performed with images from the Hubble that have transformed our understanding of the universe.

A Winter Solstice is available in December as a winter solstice event (without projections), with text from Ogden Nash, Li Young Lee, Mary Oliver and Jim Harrison. Ensemble Galilei performs Irish, Scottish, Early and Original music on a variety of ancient and modern instruments, including the Celtic harp, Scottish small pipes, gamba, fiddle, recorders, whistles and percussion.

"The players, each a soloist in her own right, blended perfectly with the historic ambiance of the church and captivated the audience from opening to encore." The Ventura Star.

Arts in Education Programming

Ensemble Galilei has created several acclaimed educational programs for students of various ages. Multi-disciplinary auditorium programs, workshops and classes include: