End of a (Tudor) Era

We attend a lot of music in Seattle, but I think my favorite is our subscription to the Tudor Choir. It's a group of about 14 singers doing choral works from the 15th and 16th centuries (along with the occasionally contemporary piece

that runs along a similar vein). In Seattle, they perform at the cavernous St. Mark's cathedral - its rough, unfinished interior is really the perfect setting for Renaissance polyphony.

And, appropriately enough, the Tudor Choir's director, Doug Fullington, is a kind of Renaissance man. Trained as an attorney, he is a noted dance historian whose day job is overseeing education programs at Pacific Northwest Ballet. He is also involved in dance restoration work. He has decided, however, that producing the Tudor Choir concert series is just stretching himself too thin and so while the group is not disbanding, it will no longer offer subscription concerts.

At the end of last night's concert, the last of the season, there was a huge, sustained standing ovation. We've been attending since 1998. Their subscription series I know will be hugely missed.