The award-winning ensemble, discontinuo is the
result of a collaboration between three early music performers who decided to
get together and experiment with the possibilities of playing 17th-18th century
music on 20th-21st century electric (or electrified) instruments. What was
discovered was the apparently endless possibilities of sonic variations applied
to music that seemed to lend itself perfectly to the kaleidoscope of colors the
group would use to bring out the inherent drama and expressiveness of the music.
The group started out rehearsing much like
today's traditional rock-n-roll "garage-bands," and many of the
group's impromptu jam sessions led to highly unique interpretations of pieces
that today, are standard repertoire for many early music groups. However,
discontinuo has taken the term interpretation to the n-th degree by taking some
of the raw and gritty affects of current popular styles, and fusing them with
music that originally may have been intended to don a more courtly and elegant
garb.
The band's demo CD was recently featured on
Angela Mariani's nationally syndicated early music public radio broadcast,
"HARMONIA," on a
program entitled, "New Music, Early Music" [program #00-42]. You may
also sample portions of the recording on your computer by clicking here.
discontinuo invites you to sit back, listen, and have fun.
discontinuo is:
Martin Davids (Electric Violin):
Martin Davids received his B.M. from Florida Atlantic University and a Masters degree from the University of Michigan in violin Performance. He also earned a Performer Diploma from the Early Music Institute at Indiana University where he studied with Stanley Ritchie as well as Ingrid Matthews and John Holloway.
Mr. Davids has performed with The Toronto Consort, Aradia, Chicago Opera Theater, Rochester Early Music Festival, Publick Musick, La Belle Danse, Brandywine Baroque, Winnetka Baroque Ensemble, Indianapolis Baroque Orchestra and The Bach Institute among others. He is a frequent guest clinician teaching master classes in improvisation and performance practice at the University of Michigan and other schools. In addition to directing the Callipygian Players, Mr. Davids performs with and leads numerous period instrument ensembles in the United States and Canada.
Also known for his skills as an electric violinist, Mr. Davids was the soloist for the recently premiered composer David Borden's K216.01 at Cornell University, which features Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 3 with an eclectic accompaniment of three synthesizers.
He is also a founding
member of the award-winning electric Baroque group Discontinuo. This unique
group performs period music on electronic instruments, availing themselves
of the spectacular variety of timbres available to these unique instruments.
G. Victor Penniman (Ruby Gamba, Electric Guitar, Electric Bass, Synth Programming):
Violist da gamba, guitarist, award-winning
music director and co-founder of discontinuo, G. Victor Penniman holds a
Bachelor of Arts in Music degree from Marylhurst University near Portland,
Oregon, a Masters of Music in historical musicology from Florida State
University, where he taught viol for three years and co-directed the Early Music
Ensembles under Dr. Jeffrey Kite-Powel. He
holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Operation of Early Music Programs, with minors
in music history and conducting, at the Indiana University School of Music’s
Early Music Institute. He has studied viola da gamba with Wendy Gillespie, Tim
Scott, Martha Bishop, Alison Crum, Margriet Tindemans, Yukimi Kambe, Toshinari
Ohashi, and Paolo Pandolfo, and Erin Headley.
He was music director for the Tygre's Heart Shakespeare Company in
Portland, OR in 1992, and has performed with The Oregon Renaissance Band (Phil
and Gayle Neumann, dir.), the Oregon Bach Festival Orchestra (Helmuth Rilling,
cond.), the Waverly Baroque Ensemble, the Tallahassee Bach Parley, and countless
other individual projects and performances. While doing his undergraduate work,
he was primarily a double bassist, studying with Glenn Moore (of the jazz group
“Oregon”), Rob Thomas, and Herman Jobelmann. He has also been a student of
Indian classical music in the Hindustani tradition.
Victor is an Assistant Professor of Music at
Wells College, where he teaches Western music history, the History of Rock n’
Roll, directs the Wells College Early Music Ensemble, and gives private
instruction in viola da gamba, guitar, violin, viola, cello, bass (upright and
electric), mandolin, banjo, and recorder.
David
G. Yearsley (keyboards):
David Yearsley was educated a Harvard and Stanford, where he received his Ph.D. in music history. Since winning first prize at the 1994 Bruges Early Music Festival, Mr. Yearsley has enjoyed an active recital career throughout the United States and Europe as an organist, harpsichordist, and clavichordist. His scholarly work has appeared in the Journal of the American Musicological Society, Music & Letters, Early Music, and the Journal of Seventeenth-Century Music. His book, Bach and the Meanings of Counterpoint is forthcoming from Cambridge University Press. His latest recording, The Great Contest: Bach, Scarlatti, Handel, is available on the Loft label. A member of discontinuo and the synthesizer trio, Mother Mallard’s Portable Masterpiece company, Mr. Yearsley teaches at Cornell University.
September, 2002: Theater
Association of New York State – Merit Award for Outstanding Musical
Accompaniment in a Dramatic Production - discontinuo for the Wells College
production of Moliere’s The Schemings of
Scapin.
September, 2002: Theater
Association of New York State - Merit Award for Outstanding Musical Director –
G. Victor Penniman f or the Wells College production of Moliere’s The
Schemings of Scapin.
discontinuo is available for bookings with one month's advance notice. For more booking information, please click here.
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