Piffaro celebrates 30 years, Christmas in Germany, and going global with Google
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Joan Kimball and Bob Wiemken
Say “Renaissance music” and you might think of players stuck in time, rehashing works unchanged in 500 years. But when you talk with members of the Philadelphia-based ensemble Piffaro, that idea quickly dissolves.
In advance of their concerts this weekend with the theme “Christmas in Germany,” artistic directors Joan Kimball and Bob Wiemken visited WHYY to talk about all their doings. From researching long-lost instruments to commissioning new works and engaging in dynamic collaborations with other ensembles, Piffaro has been extending the range and reach of early music for 30 years.
Long a mainstay in the Philadelphia area music scene and Europe’s renowned early music festivals, Piffaro is now venturing even further, as one of 13 U.S. performing arts groups showcased in the Google Cultural Institute.
Click the link above to hear Joan Kimball and Bob Wiemken play and talk with NewsWorks Tonight host Dave Heller.
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NewsWorks Tonight was a daily radio show and podcast that ran from 2011-2018. It is no longer in production, but the show's archive is available online.