The Vihuela Society of Spain says of the recording: "...excellent work of arrangement and interpretation ... resulting in something completely new."

Edward Martin (soprano vihuela) has studied with lutenists Paul O'Dette, Toyohiko Satoh, and Hopkinson Smith. He holds the position of Adjunct Professor of Lute at the College of Saint Scholastica. In 1984, he performed in the First International Lute Competition in Toronto. Having extensively performed throughout the United States, Martin has made recordings for Minnesota Public Radio, and these performances have also been broadcast on the American Public Radio network.

He is a member of various ensembles, a duo with tenor William Bastian, a baroque lute duo with lutenist Paul Berget, and Duo Chambure with lutenist Phil Rukavina. In the summer of 1997 and 2001 he was invited to be the Renaissance lute instructor at the SFEMS Renaissance week at the Dominican College, San Rafael, California. He has frequently been guest lecturer, teacher, and performer at annual summer seminar of the Lute Society of America, and serves on its Board of Directors. Ed Martin is widely known for his recordings here on Magnatune.

Phillip Rukavina (alto vihuela) has performed both nationally and internationally as a lute and vihuela soloist, ensemble performer, and as a continuo lutenist. He studied lute with Hopkinson Smith at the Academie Musical in Villecroze, France and in Basel, Switzerland.

Phil is a founding member of the Venere Lute Quartet and Duo Chambure, with fellow vihuelista Edward Martin. Duo Chambure has recorded the entire Vihuela duets of Enriquez Valderrabano here on Magnatune. Phillip is also a regular guest instrumentalist with the early vocal group the Rose Ensemble. He has performed with numerous instrumental ensembles, including the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, the New World Symphony, Ars Antiqua, and the Lyra Concert Baroque Orchestra, to name a few. He directed the Lute Society of America's Summer Program at the Amherst Early Music Festival in 2005, 2007, and 2009 and he regularly teaches on the faculty of the Lute Society of America's Summer Seminar at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. He directed the LSA Summer Seminar in 2008 and 2010 and will do so again in 2012.

Rockford Mjos (tenor vihuela) performs as a soloist on lute, Baroque guitar and theorbo and contributes to ensemble productions with his performing skills, sensitive accompaniment, and broad repertoire knowledge. In the Netherlands he co-founded The Beggar's Banquet, an innovative ensemble which often created their own arrangements of Baroque popular music and which was showcased at the Dutch Embassy in London.

His exploration of early music sources has resulted in countless performances of little-known compositions and modern editions. Mjos has concertized thoughout northern Europe and the midwest United States, at early music festivals in Utrecht, Wroclaw, and San Antonio, and has broadcast on Minnesota Public Radio and Dutch National Radio. He studied at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague where he worked principally with Toyohiko Satoh. In addition, Mjos has been honored with numerous national awards for his graphic design work.

Tyler Kaiser (bass vihuela) was born in Duluth, Minnesota and has composed, performed, taught and lived in this area longer than some would consider prudent. So, most of his credentials are from this area because he likes to serve his community but, he has received numerous grants, commissions and awards from organizations such as the National Endowment for the Arts, the American Composers Forum, the American Society for Composers, Authors and Publishers, the McKnight Foundation and many others.

He has had some works published by Wolfhead Music in the U.S.A. and by Edition Corvus in Germany. His catalog of compositions includes two comic operas (working on a third), two symphonies, numerous works for orchestra, concert band, chamber ensembles and numerous arrangements for assorted early instruments. As a performer he has been involved with many of the organizations of the Duluth area including the Duluth-Superior Symphony Orchestra, the Lake Superior Chamber Orchestra, the Northland Opera Theater Experience, Lyric Opera of the North, the Center for Early Music Orchestra, the Arrowhead Chorale, Colder by the Lake Comedy Troupe, the Northshore Big Band, and numerous faculty recitals at the College of St. Scholastica and the University of Wisconsin, Superior - both institutions where he also teaches.

Soprano Carrie henneman Shaw, winner of the 2010-2011 McKnight Artist Fellowships for Performing Musicians administered by MacPhail Center for Music, has made her mark as a singer who brings a sense of adventure and style to the concert stage. Acclaimed as a "major musical force" (St. Paul Pioneer Press), Shaw collaborates with organizations across the country, such as Boston Early Music Festival, The Newberry Consort, LIBER, dal Niente New Music, The Rose Ensemble and the Bach Society of Minnesota, and is co-artistic director of St. Paul-based Glorious Revolution Baroque.

As a soloist, Shaw avidly explores both virtuoso avant-garde chamber music and seventeenth-century vocal works with equal passion. Carrie holds a doctorate of musical arts from the University of Minnesota, undergraduate degrees in music and English from Lawrence University, and has served as an instructor at the national Lute Society of America conference in Cleveland.

Canto y Danza