Contact Allison
Mail Code MDB
Allison Monroe
Music and Dance Building 105
413.549.4600
Allison Monroe
Director of the Five College Early Music Program and Lecturer in Music
Allison Monroe specializes in Renaissance, Baroque, and Classical violin and viola, viols, vile, rebec, medieval harp, and voice. She holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in historical performance practice from Case Western Reserve University where she directed the Collegium Museum from 2018 to 2023. She is a cofounder and director of programming for Trobár, a trio of voices and instruments dedicated to bringing medieval music to modern audiences. Dr. Monroe also performs regularly with Newberry Consort, Boston Camerata, Apollo’s Fire, Les Délices, and numerous other early music orchestras and ensembles.
As a historical performer, Allison combines performance with scholarly research. Her research interests currently center on medieval song accompaniment, self-accompaniment, and the lira da braccio, and early 17th-century English violin bands. She was the artistic director for, and a performer on, Trobár's release Fair and Princely Branches (2020), an album of music for the Jacobean princes. Trobár's next album, Il Dit / Elle Dit, will explore the theme of dialogue through an album of early 15th-century French music, including works by Machaut, Binchois, Dufay, and Fontaine.
Education:
● D.M.A., Case Western Reserve University
● M.M., Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama
● B.A., University of Maryland, College Park
Recent and Upcoming Courses
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Half Course This semester, the Collegium explores the music of the medieval north, from Viking song to Finnish Christmas tunes. Participants can sing and/or borrow instruments from our collection, including recorder, vielle, rebec, percussion, harp, psaltery, and more! At weekly rehearsals, we will gain familiarity with medieval styles and forms, work on pronunciation of old languages, build instrumental and vocal technique, and cultivate creative musical expression. Collegium is the flagship ensemble of the Five College Early Music Program and is meeting at Hampshire College in the Fall of 2024. Other ensembles in the program include Recorders, Viols, Lutes, String Band, and Early Voices. All of the ensembles will contribute to a culminating "Nordic Yule" concert on December 7th. Interested students should contact Director Allison Monroe amonroe@mtholyoke.edu for more information and to schedule an audition. Keywords:history, medieval, music
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Welcome to Shakespeare's England, where music could truly enchant its listeners! Music could be fodder for love, or melancholy (or better yet, both at once . not so unlike Taylor Swift or Billie Eilish.). It could summon up war-faring blood, or calm uncivil seas. It could lift minds to celestial climes, or incite limbs to keep time with its measure. Shakespeare himself clearly succumbed to the charms of the music surrounding him. From courtly masques to country romps, bawdy ballads to godly anthems, old-fashioned folk tunes to newfangled lute songs, Shakespeare's plays reflect the varied musical landscape of his time. Assignments may include but are not limited to: reading (selections from Shakespeare and his contemporaries, as well as modern scholarship); listening (modern recordings of music from the era); writing (journal entries, essays); in-class participation (discussion, group singing/playing, read-alouds); and final individual projects. Some musical experience preferred, but not required Keywords:music, British lit
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Game of Thrones, Renn fairs, bardcore, The Witcher, Outlander, and the list goes on and on: pop culture can't get enough of the past, or fantastical reimaginings of it. And a huge part of their evocative quality is the soundtrack. But have you ever wondered what music actually sounded like in 1300s England? Or in 1500s France? How about 1700s Americas? Join the Five Colleges Early Music Program's Collegium (large ensemble) and/or Early Music Ensembles(small chamber ensembles) to learn about, reconstruct, and re-sound musics of the past! This semester, the Collegium will be performing early 17th c. vocal and instrumental music by German composer Michael Praetorius which he dedicated to the muses, nine mythical females credited with inspiring artists since ancient Greece. In the fall semester, the Collegium will rehearse at Hampshire for the second half of the semester, 8 weeks starting on October 23 and ending with a concert in early December. This is a cocurricular course open to Five College students, faculty, and staff members. Hampshire students can use the hours devoted to the Collegium rehearsal and the concert performance (about 20 hours) toward their CEL requirement. There will be an informal audition/ interview at Hampshire, at the beginning of the semester. Contact Dr. Monroe to set up an audition/ interview and get more information, or attend the Music Program Open House on Thursday 9/7 2:30-4:30 at the MDB recital Hall. Keywords:Music, performance, ensemble, Renaissance, Medieval