Jen Lester (the director of the Seraphim Singers (http://seraphimsingers NULL.org/)) and I had long tossed around the idea of a partnership, and now we’re making it happen! We decided to put together a concert program on the subject of social justice, which we are calling (In)justice, which will premiere this November.

I had programed a concert of medieval political songs for Meravelha back in 2016, so I looked into medieval sources for ideas, knowing there were treasures to be found. I chose for our program two glorious satires, two laments about the state of the world, and a spirited push-back against misogyny from one lady who’d had quite enough.

I was able to locate musical sources for three of the pieces, but for the last two, whatever melodies that once existed for them were lost to time. Not willing to let a little thing like that stop us, I wrote a setting for four-part a cappella choir for one of the songs, and a troubadour-style melody for the other.

Jen for her part picked out some modern pieces for the performance, including James MacMillan’s Cantos Sagrados which deal with political repression in Latin America, and Trevor Weston’s Visions of Glory, a setting of part of one of MLK Jr.’s speeches–the one delivered the night before he died.

Defiant, spicy, chilling, poignant, and with a generous helping of satire-style snark, this concert will be a must-see (if I do say so myself).

Update on ticket availability coming soon, in the meantime, put these on your calendar!

Revel in the comfort of the darkness and stillness of the church at night. Set aside the demands of daily life. You’ll leave breathing more deeply and recharged to engage with your world.

Teri’s expertise with early music, new music, and improvisation led to her recent recruitment as an ensemble director for Night Song, a special music offering held at First Church in Cambridge. 

“Night Song” has its roots in the ancient monastic service of Compline, or Evening Prayer.  The music is a fusion of ancient and modern chant, choral pieces, and contemplative modal improvisations, punctuated with periods of silence.  The primary atmosphere of the service is one of respite, stillness, and introspection—thus Night Song holds appeal for people of a variety of faiths and spiritual traditions.

Teri leads Lux Arcana, the new Night Song treble ensemble which performs on the first Sunday of the month, (with some additions and exceptions; check my calendar). 

Night Song is offered at 7:30 pm on Sundays from September through early June at First Church in Cambridge, MA (https://www NULL.firstchurchcambridge NULL.org/), near Harvard Square. Attending in-person will offer the fullest, most immersive experience.  If attending in person isn’t an option for you, Night Song’s offerings are available by live-stream (https://c NULL.streamhoster NULL.com/embed/media/WFsdGD/c03bfncsOGW/Sqhgm7sAWG7_5).  Light a candle at home and join us in spirit. These live-streams will also be available on Night Song’s YouTube Channel (https://www NULL.youtube NULL.com/channel/UColIop4CLWUPRGsqDAh7lvg) for later enjoyment.

Additional updates including repertoire can be found at Night Song’s website (http://nightsong NULL.org/) and the Night Song Facebook Page (https://www NULL.facebook NULL.com/nightsong NULL.cambridge/).

This chamber ensemble uses music, images, and movement to bring the Middle Ages to life, inviting audiences to look at timeless human issues from a different angle.

These early music specialists arrange songs for combinations of voices, harp, hurdy-gurdy, winds, vielle, bagpipes, and percussion. They have created over a dozen concert programs, many of which feature narrative structure and are semi-staged.

Meravelha’s performances include newly-composed and improvisational elements, spoken program notes, and projections of translations and medieval art, providing their audience with a multimedia experience.

Their songs feature topics ranging from corruption in politics to talking sheep to demon-possessed zombies and, of course, the trials and tribulations of courtly love.

Teri is the founder of this group and has served as artistic director since 2012. For more information, visit www.meravelha.com (http://www NULL.meravelha NULL.com)

This unlikely combination of soprano saxophone, voice, lute, and viola da gamba was born out of a love of both modern and ancient popular music.  Heavily influenced by jazz, country rock, impressionistic poetry, and lute composer greats like John Dowland, Night’s Blackbird (https://www NULL.facebook NULL.com/nightsblackbird/) created a body of new works and imaginative covers.  Teri was the lead singer for this group, also lending lyrics and melodies to their original songs.