Still WE Rise: Changing HERStory
“Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise.”
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Ensemble Lyrae’s “Still WE Rise: Changing HERstory,” is rising from the ashes of March 2020 and finally coming to life! This concert explores the theme of women throughout history who have persisted in the face of obstacles. It celebrates those who have spoken up, risen up, fought for what is right, and paved the way for others by changing the course of history. Works include the stories and/or words of women such as Susan B. Anthony, Harriet Tubman, Malala Yousafzai, Abigail Adams, Louisa May Alcott, and Anne Frank, among many others. The program also includes a set of suffragette songs, never taking for granted our fundamental right to vote.
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We stand on the shoulders of the courageous women who came before us. While we have made much progress, there is still work to be done. Women and men are waking and rising to the call for conscious engagement around widespread imbalances.
WE rise
WE rise
WE rise.
With Guest Artists, Amy Lee, piano and Emma Terrell, percussion
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Saturday, May 11th, 2024 at 7:30 PM
St. John the Evangelist Church
2254 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA
Saturday, May 18th, 2024 at 7:00 PM
41 Brown Road, Shirley, MA
Sunday, May 19th, 2024 at 5:00 PM
Our Lady, Star of the Sea
85 Atlantic Avenue, Marblehead, MA
Tell Me a Story, Sing Me a Song
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“Tell Me a Story, Sing Me a Song”, highlights music inspired by literature. Joined by guest artist Naoko Sugiyama, Ensemble Lyrae recalls favorite stories from childhood that were not only memorable, but exhilarating to composers. From classics like Little Women and Hansel and Gretel to more modern favorites like Lord of the Rings and Goodnight Moon, this program presents a broad collection of literature for our audience to explore.
Sunday, October 20, 2019 at 4:00 PM
41 Brown Road, Shirley, MA ​
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Saturday, October 26, 2019 at 3:00 PM
25 Lowell Street, Cambridge, MA ​
Sunday, October 27, 2019
The Commons in Lincoln (private event)
Sunday, April 5, 2020 at 3:00 PM
Musical Sunday's Series
33 Walpole Street, Norwood, MA ​
Performance postponed due to COVID
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Finding Home: Music of Adopted Lands​
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"Finding Home” ponders the complexity of finding a place to call home, especially for those fleeing from war, famine, and oppression, and those seeking asylum in new lands of sanctuary and opportunity. Ensemble Lyrae brings to the forefront works by immigrant composers, including Béla Bartók and Irving Berlin, as well as works that share stories of immigration – the hardships, the hopes, and the fears.
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Sunday, March 3, 2019 - 4:00 PM
Music on Norway Pond Concert Series
Hancock, NH
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Saturday, March 9, 2019 - 7:30 PM
1555 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA ​
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Wednesday, March 13, 2019 -12:00 PM
Music at Whitehead Series
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research
455 Main Street, Cambridge, MA
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Expressions of Light and Dark ​
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“Expressions of Light and Dark” probes the subtleties found in all visions of light and shadow. Through works by Felix Mendelssohn, Zoltán Kodály, Gustav Holst, Adam Guettel, Ola Gjeilo, and many more, these degrees of luminosity will evoke a sensational experience for audiences. Ensemble Lyrae continues to introduce new music for women’s voices through the commission of Brian John and his setting of “You, Darkness” with text by Rainer Maria Rilke, and a fresh interpretation of Disney’s “All in the Golden Afternoon” by Eva Kendrick.
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Sunday, October 21, 2018 4:00 PM
Shirley Meeting House
41 Brown Rd, Shirley, MA ​
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Saturday, October 27, 2018 7:30 PM
St. Peter’s Episcopal Church
838 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA
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Saturday, November 10, 2018 2:00 PM
Morse Institute Library
14 E Central St. Natick, MA
Nevertheless, She Persisted
Music by Women Composers from the 12th Century to Today
With Guest Artist:
Alix Raspé, harp
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Friday, March 9, 2018 - 7:30 PM
535 Canton Ave. Milton, MA
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Saturday, March 10, 2018 - 7:30 PM
Harvard Epworth Church
1555 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA ​
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For Thee We Sing
A Musical Tribute to Our Veterans
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Featuring world premieres by composers, Brian John and Charles Tarver.
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Friday, November 10, 2017 - 7:30 PM
St. Peter's Episcopal Church
838 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA
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Saturday, November 11, 2017 - 7:00 PM
41 Brown Rd. Shirley, MA
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Sunday, November 19, 2017 - 1:00 PM
1350 Pleasant Street, Brockton, MA
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My Kingdom
Song & Verse from New England
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Friday, March 24, 2017 - 7:30 PM
St. Peter's Episcopal Church
838 Massachusetts Ave. Cambridge,
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Saturday, March 25, 2017 - 7:30 PM
41 Brown Rd. Shirley, MA
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Anchoring the program around Louisa May Alcott’s poem, “My Kingdom,” Ensemble Lyrae has commissioned Vartan Aghababian,
Eva Conley Kendrick, Brian John, and Charles Tarver, four consummate composers with ties to New England, to set the poem. Other selections include Juliana Hall’s “Syllables of Velvet, Sentences of Plush,” which brings to life Emily Dickinson’s charming and profound letters. Also featured is Theodore Chanler’s masterpiece, the song cycle “Eight Epitaphs.” These pieces will complement the commissioned works, and, combined, will each express the great beauty and diversity of style, wit, and wisdom of this artistically rich region.​
'New England Scenery' by Fredric Edwin Church