Les Canards Chantants in concert at Glencairn Museum November 6

Before 5.1 surround sound, there was stereo. But centuries before either of these was the original “surround sound”—the polychoral, or antiphonal, performance style of the late 1500s in which choirs scattered around the sanctuary sang in alternation.

Renowned early-music vocal ensemble Les Canards Chantants presents 1.500 Surround Sound, a concert in Glencairn Museum’s Great Hall, on Friday, November 6, at 8:00pm.

Les Canards Chantants is a solo-voice ensemble committed to dynamic interpretation of renaissance polyphony. In a lavish program of music by the finest composers of the polychoral style—including Victoria, Gabrieli, Byrd and Monteverdi—the group explores the acoustical architecture of the Museum’s Great Hall for an immersive concert experience.

This performance of 1.500 Surround Sound includes a unique treat: a live performance from the original manuscript of a 16th-century Spanish choirbook in Glencairn’s collection.

Admission: $15 Adults, $10 Basic Members/Students with I.D. Free for Gold Members. Tickets are sold at the door beginning 30 minutes prior to the performance. 267.502.2990 or www.GlencairnMuseum.org for details. Glencairn Museum: 1001 Cathedral Road, Bryn Athyn 19009.

As musical Ensemble in Residence at Glencairn Museum, through the course of the 2015-2016 season Les Canards Chantants will appear at the Museum in concert, hold open rehearsals, conduct educational outreach, engage in original research, and design musical performances and projects connected to their collection.

Praised for “polished singing” and for “instilling their superb performances with liveliness and theatricality” (The Boston Musical Intelligencer) and for “brilliant and moving” programming (Early Music America magazine), Les Canards Chantants is a solo-voice ensemble committed to dynamic interpretation of renaissance polyphony. The “singing ducks” have performed to high acclaim throughout the United Kingdom and Germany, appearing on BBC One and in venues as diverse as York Minster, The National Centre for Early Music and Poole’s Cavern. Newly based in Philadelphia, the ensemble’s 2015-2016 season includes concerts at the Cathedral Basilica and the Bowerbird series in Philadelphia, the Five Boroughs Music Festival in New York City, collaborations with period-instrument ensembles Piffaro and ACRONYM, and residencies at Brown University and the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Les Canards Chantants is proud to be a 2015 recipient of an Early Music America Outreach Grant.

Image of Glencairn’s Great Hall: credit Rusty Kennedy