(l-r): Lawrence Lipnik, Rosamund Morley, Beverly Au and Lisa Terry

On Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022, the Stern College Department of Music presented a concert by its ensemble-in-residence, the viol consort Parthenia (Lawrence Lipnik, Rosamund Morley, Beverly Au and Lisa Terry). Parthenia brings early music into the present with a ravishing sound and a remarkable sense of ensemble, animating both ancient and fresh-commissioned repertoire to critical acclaim. The New Yorker has called “one of the brightest lights in New York’s early-music scene.” The evening’s program of Renaissance and Baroque music from the Hapsburg Courts was chosen specifically for students enrolled in the department’s introductory listening course, The Sense of Music, taught by Marcia Young, instructor in music and director of performance studies. “This course is designed,” said Young, “to teach listening skills that will serve to deepen students’ understanding of a wide variety of musical genres.” She added that “students emerge from this course with a new level of aural literacy that can be applied to any style of music that may appeal to them.” As Young explained, Stern College currently has two ensembles-in-residence: Parthenia, for early music, and CXX Proof for contemporary classical music. “These are underserved genres that comprise an essential proportion of the canon of Western art music and have much to offer listeners.” “The SCW Music faculty believes students need to experience live music to remind them that music comes not from headphones, but from people,” noted David Glaser, chair of the Department of Fine Arts and Music. “Salon Concerts at Stern, which include a question-and-answer session with the artists, demonstrate the craft and concentration needed to perform, as well as providing insight into the life and work of the professional artist/teacher.” Salon Concerts at Stern are made possible by the generous support of trustee Marjorie Blenden, whose endowment underwrites the Music Department’s activities.