The Albany Consort started performing in 1974 in London, at Christ Church, Albany Street. The groups's repertoire spans the period 1550 - 1750, with occasional forays into earlier and later centuries. Most performances now use period instruments. Husband and wife team Jonathan Salzedo and Marion Rubinstein organize and direct the ensemble. The Albany Consort was based in London until 1981, when Jonathan left England, and is now based in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Marion and Jonathan are busy with other groups, so the Albany Consort is not as active as in previous years. See the newsletter for more details of our activities.
The group's personnel is pretty fluid, expanding and contracting to meet the demands of the music. The directors only invite musicians who love the music, and are excited by it.
Jonathan Salzedo (harpsichord) and Marion Rubinstein (recorder and harpsichord) run the group. Other musicians are invited to join them, depending on the needs of the music. The smallest productions have been duo concerts (just Marion and Jonathan, or either Marion or Jonathan with an invited guest). At the other extreme of scale, Jonathan has launched choral productions, including Bach's St John Passion and Mass In B Minor. Having two children prevented either Jonathan or Marion from working at this scale for a few years. However, this is the music they love, and there are always plans for more big concerts in the works.
Click here to see a list of all musicians who have ever performed with the Albany Consort. Please if you can think of anyone who was overlooked. Some of the early programs are lost.
Press the buttons to listen to Karen Bentley (violin) and Jonathan Salzedo (harpsichord) play The Flight Of The Bumblebee by Rimsky-Korsakov. Not exactly a baroque piece, but it works. . If you don't see the real audio buttons (play, pause, stop), this means that you don't have a compatible real audio player. Here's where you can get one. Don't be misled by the pricing structure - the "RealPlayer 7 Basic" is free and it works perfectly well. More music clips coming soon ...
Keep checking this site for details.
Early Music Concerts In The Bay Area and Early Music Links