Poésie et troubadours: french culture and history
Join us for an evening of poetry and music about French troubadours! The troubadours were poets, lyrical singers and medieval musicians, who emerged in the region of Provence at the end of the eleventh century. They were fundamentally bohemian poets, many of them nobles or children of wealthy merchants, who preferred literature and the arts to money or politics.
We will have the chance to discover this important historical and cultural French aspect along with early Renaissance music drawn from numerous French sources for the solo lute with four amazing speakers and artists: Judy Healey, Jim Reilly, Yvonne Peralta and Phillip Rukavina.
Join us for an apéritif de l’amitié after the presentations to raise our glass to the artists!
In partnership with Les Amis de la Bibliothèque.
This event will be free of charge with a $10 minimum suggested donation. Donations are encouraged to support our cultural programs! All proceeds will go towards renovation of the piano at the Alliance Française!
Judith Koll Healey is a philanthropic professional. She writes and lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She has published several novels set in medieval France and a biography of a notable founder of Minnesota’s lumber industry. Healey is also a contributor to the Op Ed pages of the Minneapolis StarTribune, where she writes on politics and culture. Judy Healey will talk about her literary inspiration for the historical fictions she wrote and with a knowledge of this period, she will also talk about the origin of the Troubadours.
Jim Reilly is a tenor, pianist, and composer; he is Music Director Emeritus of Mindekirken (the Norwegian Church of Minneapolis), and he has performed and sung at the Alliance on many occasions. For the occasion, he will perform "Les muletiers devant le Christ de Livia" de "Cerdaña: Cinq Études pittoresques" de Déodat de Séverac. Séverac was a French composer from Southern France known for his vocal and choral music.
Yvonne Peralta, French native, is a graduate of universities in France and the USA. She studied French Literature, and since the late 90s, learned all about the American Education System. She taught French and English on three continents. Besides teaching, she loves to sing and dance. Tonight, she will act, teach conjugation, read some of her poems, and sing a few songs!
Lutenist Phillip Rukavina performs as a lute and vihuela soloist and as a continuo lutenist. He has appeared at many major festivals specializing in early music, including the Utrecht Early Music Festival (2013) and the Boston Early Music Festival (2015). Phillip is a founding member of the Venere Lute Quartet and has performed with many prominent ensembles.