Chevrefoil

the mediaeval tale of tristan and isolde in poetry and music

Istanpitta
Al Cofrin - oud, lute, saz, bagpipes, riqq, vielle and side tabor
Thea Goldsby - voice, vielle
Jonathan Brumley - recorders
Michael Tucker - tabla
with
Danny Johnson - voice, psaltery
Therese Honey - medieval harp
Tom Zajac - bagpipes, large tabor
Alys Dyke - voice

Introduction, Biographies, Track details, Audio files, Reviews

Istanpitta
Istanpitta was formed by Al Cofrin during the summer of 1994 as a means to perform interpretations of medieval dances developed as part of a college thesis project at the University of Texas. Eventually the ensemble was performing regularly in Houston and Oklahoma at venues geared towards early and world music. The main core of the group comprises the use of the medieval lute, vielle, recorder and percussion.
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Danny Johnson
Danny Johnson has been the director of the Texas Early Music Project at the University of Texas since 1986. He has toured with New York Ensemble for Early Music, Sotto Voce (San Francisco), Musica Iberica (London), and other ensembles performing in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and the United States. Danny has been a faculty member of the Texas Early Music Festival since its inception in 1994.

Therese Honey
Therese Honey is a well respected harpist in the Early and Folk Music communities. She has performed at many harp competitions in the United States and in Ireland. Therese is also a recording artist for Waterbug Records and has recorded for Dorian Records.

Tom Zajak
Tom Zajak is well known in the Early Music recording industry as a versatile performer with a variety of Medieval and Renaissance ensembles such as Piffaro, New York Early Music Ensemble, Ex Umbris, King's Noyse, Newberry Consort, Anonymous 4, and the Waverly Consort. He has recorded on many labels such as Deutsche Grammophon, Angel EMI, Virgin Veritas, Lyrichord, Windham Hill, and Dorian Records. Tom is on the faculty of Mannes College of Music in New York City and teaches at many Early Music workshops throughout the United States.

Alys Dyke
Alys Dyke has been singing Early Music since 1978 at the University of St. Thomas where she studied voice with Dr. Isabelle Ganz while earning a B.A. in music. She currently sings with Collegium Mysterium, and is Artist in Residence of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Houston, Texas. Her work with other Early Music ensembles includes Houston Baroque Ensemble and Canzonetta. Alys has attended the Baroque Performance Institute in Oberlin, Ohio and the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria.