Il Suono

Il Suono distinguishes itself as one of today's most engaging vocal ensembles through its combination of flexible solo voices, group dynamism and a commitment to performing music which both entertains and challenges its audiences. The group's repertory extends from the sixteenth century composer Orlande de Lassus's bizarre and captivating Prophetiae Sibyllarum – settings of poems which tell of religious prophecies made by the legendary 'sibylls' of antiquity which supposedly foretold the coming and life of Christ – to steamy Italian madrigals and tongue-in-cheek Victorian part-songs. Il Suono performs most programmes one-to-a-part, meaning that the singers, who are drawn from London's thriving consort-singing world, can sing with an expressivity which is hard to achieve in a larger choir.

Recent performances have included the premiere (St John's, Fulham) of Il Suono's latest programme, 'Secrets of Salvation', which combines Lassus's 'Prophetiae Sibyllarum' with motets by Crecquillon, Compère, Poulenc and Stravinsky, in addition to Peter Foggitt's 'Open the temple gates'. Other performances have included an attractive programme mixing Franco-Flemish polyphony, Italian madrigals and jazz music ('Beloved Harmonies', Lancaster Cathedral/London and Canterbury). Il Suono developed its vibrant interpretations of Italian madrigals during concerts at The Georgian Group in London, and at repeat performances in English country churches.

Future engagements include a concert of accompanied Italian madrigals and opera arias as part of the Biennial Conference of the Society for Italian Studies, to be held at Royal Holloway, and a programme of renaissance polyphony during Lent 2009 at Lancaster Cathedral.