The Knoxville Early Music Project (KEMP) has delighted audiences since the group's founding in 1991. The ensemble performs music from the Renaissance and Baroque eras on period instruments. KEMP has performed at concert venues and colleges and universities throughout the Southeast, delighting audiences with lively, informed interpretations of a wide range of Renaissance and Baroque music, including dance tunes, dramatic and art songs, and virtuosic instrumental pieces. KEMP offers:
- A full-length recital
- A program of sacred music
- A program of wedding music
- Programs for special events (such as receptions)
- Lecture/demonstrations for music classes
- Master class instruction
KEMP's performances are for people of all ages and ranges of familiarity with the music. Although the music often includes rarely heard gems from the past, the presentation is always accessible, energetic, and enticing.
KEMP recently presented a concert program titled "A woman of exquisite mind:" Galileo Galilei and Maria Celeste. This program is all Italian and focuses on the story of Galileo and his daughter Maria Celeste, who was a nun. As shown below, this program features dramatic readings from the letters Maria Celeste wrote to her father (as quoted in Dava Sobel's book Galileo's Daughter). Vocal music by Italian women composers of the time (Barbara Strozzi, Lucretia Vizzana, and Isabella Leonarda) is offered, along with instrumental music by various Italian composers of the day.
KEMP presented "The Road to Kilkenny" at the Atlanta Early Music Festival in 2001.
The Downloads page has sample selections.
