Album Notes

Instrumental music from the ancient Celtic lands performed by Marcia Diehl on recorders and pennywhistle, Sue Richards on Celtic harp, Jim Brooks on recorders and concertina, Maggie Sansone on hammered dulcimer and guitar, Carolyn Surrick on viola da gamba, with guest musician Bonnie Rideout on Scottish fiddle. Recorded in the Great Hall of St. John's College in Annapolis, Maryland, an acoustic wonder that captures the warmth and richness of the musical instruments. Includes: Irish airs from the Bunting and O'Carolan Collections, jigs and reels from the Isle of Man and 15th-century Welsh tunes.


-Ensemble Galilei specializes in the performance of Celtic music, Early music and new compositions. Featuring Celtic harp, fiddle, Scottish small pipes, oboe, recorders, penny-whistle, viola da gamba and percussion, the repertoire ranges from instrumental arrangements of chant by Hildegard von Bingen, to Renaissance dance music, to chaconnes from the Baroque, to Irish jigs and reels, to music composed by the performers in the traditional style.
In 1994 Ensemble Galilei won a Wammie for "Best Chamber Ensemble" awarded by the Washington Area Music Association. Excerpts of their concerts have been heard on NPR's Performance Today over twenty times since 1990, including Christmas Day 1997, and the group has done two in-studio 30 minute concerts there. Ben Roe of Performance Today said "There's an ease about the way they play that seems to break down the barriers that normally exist between the audience and the performer. The repertoire is very engaging and the audience is clearly enthusiastic." They have been interviewed by Robert Siegel on All Things Considered and have performed and been interviewed on the Diane Rehm Show.
Also see maggie sansone, bonnie rideout recordings for complete bios.