Lake Michigan College Mendel Center

“Few early music players have more fun making music than the Baltimore six, who through their performances, take the position that echos of renaissance secular music are still to be found in modern folk practice.” ~The New Yorker

Step back in time to the origins of Yuletide traditions. With its always festive cornucopia of instruments – lute, cittern, viols, crumhorns, recorders, rebec, and percussion – the Baltimore Consort offers old carols and dance tunes from the British Isles, Germany, France, Spain, and the New World during Wassail, Wassail! Music for the Yuletide Season.

Founded in 1980 to perform the instrumental music of Shakespeare’s time, the Baltimore Consort has explored early English, Scottish, and French popular music, focusing on the relationship between folk and art, song and dance. Their interest in early music of English/Scottish heritage has also led them to delve into the rich trove of traditional music preserved in North America.

Recordings on the Dorian label have earned them recognition as Top Classical-Crossover Artist of the Year (Billboard), as well as rave reviews elsewhere. Besides touring in the U.S. and abroad, they often perform on such syndicated radio broadcasts as ”St. Paul Sunday,” “Performance Today,” “Harmonia,” and the CBC’s “OnStage.”

As part of the Mendel Center’s holiday season celebration, a special mix of Mendel Center Wassail, made with Lake Michigan Vintners cider, will be served as part of the pre-show cash bar at this performance. This event will be held in Grand Upton Hall.