Ciaramella Index

Ciaramella brings
to life Medieval and early Renaissance music from historical events and manuscripts. Praised for performing intricate fifteenth-century counterpoint "with the ease of jazz musicians improvising on a theme," its members are united by the conviction that every
composition conceals a rich story waiting to be unlocked through
historical research and speculative performance.

Founded on a core of winds: shawm, sackbut, recorder, organ, and voice, Ciaramella takes its name from the Italian shawm and from a fifteenth-century song about abeautiful girl whose clothes are full of holes. When she opens her mouth, she knocks men flat. Ciaramella's members met as graduate students at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. They first performed together on Christmas Day 2003, in Spoleto, Italy. There they collaborated with musicologist Gioia Filocamo to perform music from the manuscript Panciatichi 27, much of which had not been heard for centuries. In 2004, the group performed in a staged production of the first Hebrew
play, A Comedy of Betrothal by Leone de'Sommi (c.1550) at the
Cleveland Museum of Art.

Ciaramella has since performed for the Bloomington Early Music Festival, Oberlin's Baroque Performance Institute, the Lute Society of America, the American Musicological Society in Seattle, and on early music series in Cleveland, San Francisco and San Diego. This season the group made their debut
concert in Los Angeles for the Da Camera Society music series, and performed for Early Music in Columbus and Seattle's Early Music Guild. The group will make its debut appearance this spring at the Tage Alter Musik Festival in Regensburg, Germany. As first runner-up in the 2003 Early Music America competition, Ciaramella recorded its debut CD for Naxos entitled "Sacred and Secular Music from Renaissance Germany," which was released January 2006. Ciaramella was a finalist in the 2003 Flanders Festival International Young Artist's Presentation and in the
2004 Medieval/Renaissance Early Music America competition in New York.

Ciaramella brings to life Medieval and early Renaissance music from historical events and manuscripts. Praised for performing intricate fifteenth-century counterpoint "with the ease of jazz musicians improvising on a theme," its members are united by the conviction that every composition conceals a rich story waiting to be unlocked through historical research and speculative performance. Founded on a core of winds: shawm, sackbut, recorder, organ, and voice, Ciaramella takes its name from the Italian shawm and from a fifteenth-century song about abeautiful girl whose clothes are full of holes. When she opens her mouth, she knocks men flat. Ciaramella's members met as graduate students at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. They first performed together on Christmas Day 2003, in Spoleto, Italy. There they collaborated with musicologist Gioia Filocamo to perform music from the manuscript Panciatichi 27, much of which had not been heard for centuries. In 2004, the group performed in a staged production of the first Hebrew play, A Comedy of Betrothal by Leone de'Sommi (c.1550) at the Cleveland Museum of Art. Ciaramella has since performed for the Bloomington Early Music Festival, Oberlin's Baroque Performance Institute, the Lute Society of America, the American Musicological Society in Seattle, and on early music series in Cleveland, San Francisco and San Diego. This season the group made their debut concert in Los Angeles for the Da Camera Society music series, and performed for Early Music in Columbus and Seattle's Early Music Guild. The group will make its debut appearance this spring at the Tage Alter Musik Festival in Regensburg, Germany. As first runner-up in the 2003 Early Music America competition, Ciaramella recorded its debut CD for Naxos entitled "Sacred and Secular Music from Renaissance Germany," which was released January 2006. Ciaramella was a finalist in the 2003 Flanders Festival International Young Artist's Presentation and in the 2004 Medieval/Renaissance Early Music America competition in New York.
		L to R: Doug Milliken, Rotem Gilbert, Greg Ingles, Erik Schmalz, Adam Gilbert, Debra Nagy, Mahan Esfahani
		Critics Rave... “A keen blend of historical authority and sheer panache” "Everyone in this exceptional octet of early musicians exudes joy and purpose while weaving polyphonic lines with uncommon esprit de corps." (Donald Rosenberg, The Cleveland Plain Dealer , Nov 2, 2004) “Although late 15th-century counterpoint is exceptionally intricate, the Ciaramella players performed it with the ease of jazz musicians improvising on a theme.” (Wilma Salisbury, The Cleveland Plain Dealer , June 26, 2004) “A model of consort playing for all to notice.” (American Recorder Magazine, September, 2006) “One of the finest ensembles in the world today for this special repertoire.” (Rebekah Ahrendt, The San Francisco Classical Voice, January 16, 2006)