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Coming up in Philly Music: Piffaro's midweek Renaissance break
Tom Purdom
Our local Renaissance band, Piffaro, has been livening up Wednesday by posting recordings taken from concert archives that contain 35 years of Renaissance music played on authentic Renaissance instruments. The June 24 installment was supposed to be the last, but they’ve received so many positive comments they’re extending the series through July.
Instrumental history
The Wednesday uploads are audio recordings, not videos, but they’re accompanied by a chatty discussion written by one of the musicians. In the June 24 installment, Piffaro’s codirector Joan Kimball told how she took up the bagpipes and discussed the different types of Renaissance pipes Piffaro has collected. The 10-minute recording was a suite of four pieces that combine the bagpipes with other Renaissance instruments.
In the past 35 years, Piffaro has become a leader among the American music organizations that play historical instruments. In 2015 Piffaro became one of the organizations Google selected for its Google Cultural Institute, an online virtual exhibit featuring over sixty of the world’s leading performing arts organizations. Piffaro’s section of the exhibit is packed with information about Renaissance instruments and the music they played, with samples of their unique sounds and commentary by the musicians who play them today.
What, When, Where
Sign up for Piffaro’s mailing list to access Piffaro’s weekly Renaissance music series.
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