Capella Alamire, directed by Peter Urquhart, is a Portsmouth-based early music vocal ensemble of nine singers, formed in 1984 in Cambridge, MA, but centered since 1995 in the Seacoast area. The current iteration of the group consists of singers long connected with the Capella combined with new members drawn from the choir of St. John's Episcopal Church where the group rehearses.

The program consists of three Glorias drawn from Renaissance masses, by Heinrich Isaac (c1450-1518), Antoine de Févin (c1470-1512), and the most famous composer of the time — Anonymous (the composer's name will be revealed in January based on ongoing research by the director, Peter Urquhart). These three Glorias span a period of just 25 years around 1500, a time when polyphony reached its full flowering by Franco-Flemish composers. Three different modes are presented by the three Glorias, which show the transition from the cantus firmus style of the 15th c. to pervading imitation of the 16th.

Visit our Concerts Page here for information about our full 2026 season: https://www.stjohnsnh.org/concerts