About US
ALBA Consort features four core accomplished artists of early music: Margo Andrea, Artistic Director - Mezzo Soprano, Vielle; Carlo Valte - Oud; Jason Priset - Lutes, Baroque Guitar; and Rex Benincasa - Percussion, Voice, Psaltry. The word “ALBA” means white, the white light of dawn, and an ALBA is the troubadour genre of a morning song - often a song of a lover as dawn approaches. See our MEET THE ARTISTS page.
Dedicated to the ancient music of the Mediterranean on period instruments, ALBA Consort has performed on some of the most prestigious early music series to standing ovations and rave reviews including the Howard Mayer Brown International Early Music Series at University of Chicago Presents, Chicago; at the acclaimed "Early Music Now" concert series in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; at the "Academy of Early Music" series in Ann Arbor and Bloomfield, MI; and for Toledo Ohio's "Our Lady Cathedral" series. ALBA has performed in New York for Barge Music, at the Greene Space (also podcast on WQXR radio) for the GEMSLive! series, the Dweck Center in the Brooklyn Library, at the Church of the Heavenly Rest Music and Art series, Midtown Concerts, Music at St. Albans and with the Long Island Baroque Ensemble, and was jury selected to perform for the National Conference of Chamber Music America. ALBA was invited to participate in the New York Philharmonic's New World Initiative in celebration of Antonin Dvorak, where ALBA wove iconic themes of his Symphony no. 9 “From the New World” into ancient melodies. http://www.newworldinitiative.com/alba-consort/
ALBA has lead workshops and lectures at the University of Chicago's Oriental Institute and Hofstra University, and has enjoyed residency at the Avaloch Farm Music Institute annually since 2017.
ALBA Consort continues to pursue original programming tracing cross cultural influences through ancient music.
"The performance was certainly an accomplishment—..bringing the contrasting harmonic idioms of the various regions vividly to life." Chicago Classical Review
"They performed a program that was built of floridly ornamented, intensely melismatic vocal melodies, and deftly interwoven instrumental lines, and full of distinct cultural influences. . . a fascinating performance." Milwaukee Journal Sentinel