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