You can hear Niccolo Seligmann playing a lot of different music, from Bulgarian dances set to beatbox, to virtuoso Baroque viola da gamba music, to French love songs from the Middle Ages. “Hey, what tunes can you teach me?” might be the first thing you hear him say.
Niccolo is a core member of The Broken Consort, a group dedicated to “Early music turned early magic” (Boston Musical Intelligencer). He also performs medieval music with the ensembles Hesperus, Divisio and Alkemie, as well as The Peabody Consort, Peabody Renaissance Ensemble, Baltimore Baroque Band, and Peabody Consort of Viols.
An avid improviser, arranger, and composer, Niccolo’s compositions have been aired on WGBH’s Drive Time Live and will be released on the upcoming Peabody Consort CD. Niccolo is currently recording an album of his own works for one and two viols, viol with percussion, and electronics.
In 2012, Niccolo won a Johns Hopkins University Provost Research Award to study and research medieval vielle technique and literature. Also in 2012, Niccolo won a Viola da Gamba Society of America grant to study viol in Orte, Italy. He won an Early Music America scholarship while still in high school. He has participated in numerous by-invitation professional workshops, institutes, and master classes with some of the world’s finest players such as Vittorio Ghielmi, Paolo Pandolfo, and Sarah Cunningham. Currently pursuing a viola da gamba performance degree at the Peabody Institute in Baltimore, Maryland, he studies viol with John Moran, and has studied vielle with Tina Chancey.
http://www.niccoloseligmann.com
Having grown up in Austin, Texas, a culture built around music and art, Daniel Raney has built his life around performing as a percussionist. He has performed with many orchestras, including the Austin Symphony, the Peabody Concert Orchestra, and the Occasional Symphony. He has driven jazz groups and funk/rock ensembles, given countless solo performances, and has become a reliable and sought after musician due to the versatility of his playing.
Daniel studied as an orchestral percussionist in his first three years of playing, beginning in 2005 at the age of 11. Since then, he has studied with percussion teachers from the Juilliard School, the Curtis Institute, Cleveland State University, Michigan State University, University of Texas, Baylor University, and other schools all around the United States. Currently, he is earning a degree in percussion performance, as well as a degree in audio engineering, at the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University. Now, Daniel Raney is frequently hired as a percussionist to drive a vast array of music genres, including early music, jazz, classical, and contemporary styles.
who we are
Brian Kay is a modern-day troubadour. As an acclaimed singer and multi-instrumentalist, Brian has performed throughout the United States and beyond. He is a songwriter and an arranger of ancient songs, he specializes in plucked instruments and percussion, and he is a poet and visual artist. During the 2014 season, Brian appeared in major US cities such as Boston, Cleveland, Houston, Tulsa, Washington DC, and New York.
Brian's concerts have been described as "Far-ranging", "Brilliant", and "Exciting" Cleveland Classical. His singing was praised "Emotional and Heart-felt" Boston Musical Intelligencer and "Sinister and tragic-the most affecting vocal performance" The Cleveland Plain Dealer. His lute and oud playing have been called "Masterful" Nuvo and "Phenomenal" Early Music America. He is the only two time winner of The LSA national lute competition and the 2013 recipient of Peabody Conservatory's "Excellence in Early Music Award."
Brian has been featured at distinguished venues such as Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, Shriver Hall, and The Boston Early Music Festival. His live radio appearances include NPR, Baltimore's WYPR, Baltimore's 98ROCK, Boston's WGBH, and Cleveland's WCLV. His debut album Ocean was released in 2013, and his newest album Three Ravens in 2015. He performs with Apollo's Fire, Ayreheart, Hesperus, The Broken Consort, The Peabody Consort, and is a founding member of the early music improvisation group Divisio.
Mr. Kay has lectured at Yale University, The Peabody Conservatory, Johns Hopkins University, and The Walters Art Museum to name a few. He was Artist in Residence at the Cushman School in Miami in 2012 and has done outreach for elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools across the country. In May 2013, Brian brought music to Plymouth Prison in Massachusetts.
