MENT Consort

The Ment Consort present "A Baroque Menagerie"   7 pm   FREE ADMISSION at Bernunzios

In our first Pegasus Rising program of 2018, the Ment Consort explores the phenomenon of animal sounds in music from the Baroque.  In this fun program, you will hear Schmelzer’s “Cu Cu” Sonata and Biber’s “Cat, Quail, and the Frog”, along with other Baroque animals!

The imitation of animal sounds in music has existed for as long as music itself. These imitations were possibly a search for spiritual connection with other beings, an expression of a desire to communicate with animals, a wish to shed human responsibilities and limitations, or simply a playful way for composers to reflect their observations of nature.

The Ment Consort is an early music quartet formed in Chicago in 2015 with the intention of exploring the experimental and revolutionary music of the 17th and 18th centuries. Through historical performances on period instruments, Ment considers how baroque composers stretched the boundaries of the instruments, techniques, and musical genres of their time. 

Pegasus Rising is the mentor program of Pegasus Early Music, fostering young artists at the beginning of their careers. Rather than being simply hired to perform, Pegasus Rising young virtuosos are actively involved with the entire process of creating their concert, working closely with the Artistic Director as a mentor and using our resources and experience to guide their plans. The musicians are responsible for and learn about audience development, publicity, marketing, and artistic decisions that go into putting on their concert. All Pegasus Rising concerts are free and open to the public and include a reception to meet the artists afterwards.