In Case You Missed It: "It's Instrumental!"

L to R: Jane Johnson (harpsichord), Dwight Newton (viola da gamba), John Hedger (lute), Barbara Miller (recorder), Zoe Miller (violin)

Sometimes, there's a song in your heart that you just can't keep to yourself, music that you feel compelled to share with the world. Such was the case on September 14th, 2025, when The Center for Old Music in the New World presented "It's Instrumental! The Musicians of Musick's Company" at Crestwood Christian Church in Lexington, KY. If you're a fan of ours, you know that we generally perform twice a year: once in the summer and once at Christmas. As you can imagine, there's a lot of music that doesn't make the cut between those two programs, and so the musicians of our merry company decided they needed another chance to share their craft and passion with the community. If you didn't attend, you missed a phenomenal performance that explored the rich polyphonies and harmonies of the Renaissance and Baroque periods -- we'll hit the high points for you here.

The performance opened with "Sonata No. 1" by Dario Castello, featuring three of our talented musicians: Jane Johnson on harpsichord, Dwight Newton on viol de gamba, and Barbara Miller on recorder, followed by a solo performance of J.S. Bach's "Suite No. 1 for Cello" by Dwight Newton. Both of these pieces formed a solid foundation upon which the instrumentalists created the musical landscape to come.

Joanna Manring (soprano)

While most of the concert featured instrumental pieces, soprano Joanna Manring joined the company for a performance of “Folle è ben che si crede” by Tarquinio Merula, a beautiful piece that highlights the luscious ornamentation popular in the Baroque period. Manring's vocal line and the instrumentalist's parts mirror one another, complimenting and highlighting the rich harmonies within.

Barbara Miller (recorder)

Barbara Miller demonstrated her considerable skill on the recorder with her performance of Jacob van Eyck's “Engels Nachtegaeltje”. The tune is meant to emulate two English nightingales singing to one another, and incorporates moments that sound less like a song and more like a bird's communications. The audience particularly enjoyed this piece, chuckling when one of the "birds" became particularly animated in its song.

The final composition performed in the concert was an arrangement of the traditional Welsh tune "The Queen's Marsh" by Rachel Scott Marshall, a Kentuckian musician and minister who sadly passed away in July of this year. This sprawling 9-minute piece explores harmony and instrumentation to stunning effect, creating a musical landscape that inspired visions of the Welsh moors from which the tune originated. This performance capped off a truly phenomenal afternoon of music.

If you were unable to attend "It's Instrumental", don't fret -- you'll have another chance to see us on December 15th, 2025 at our upcoming Christmas Concert, "A Handeful of Christmas Delights" from Appalachia and the American South. We'll share more about that program as the date approaches. For now, please consider following our TikTok and Facebook page if you want to see clips from our previous performance -- including "It's Instrumental!". If you enjoy our work, consider a donation to our Venmo. All donations to The Center for Old Music in the New World contribute to our mission: bringing early music to the Bluegrass.