PEPPERELL — The Lawrence Library will welcome Annelise Ellars, home from Switzerland, and her brother Chris Ellars for this year’s holiday concert today at 3 p.m. in the library’s Art Gallery, 15 Main St.
Annelise Ellars is an early music specialist with a focus on voice and early harps. She spent five years studying at the prestigious Schola Cantorum Basiliensis in Basel, Switzerland, where she earned two Master’s degrees in vocal performance.
Her career has taken her to major music festivals across Europe, including the Monteverdi Festival in Italy, the celebrated Utrecht Festival Oude Muziek in the Netherlands, and the highly respected Festival Voix et Route Romane in France.
She has also performed with the distinguished ReRenaissance concert series, as well as with the ensembles Basler Madrigalisten, Contre le Temps, and her duo Syrens, where she explores the unique art of self-accompaniment.
As a harpist, Annelise Ellars enjoys a diverse repertoire ranging from orchestral works to musical theater, with a special love for the raw, percussive qualities of the gothic bray harp.
As a vocalist, she is known for her versatility — equally at ease with the works of Machaut and Mozart — and particularly enjoys the richly woven textures of Renaissance polyphony.
“Performing in general, and in particular this concert, brings both Chris and I great joy, because it allows us to share music that holds a personal meaning with an audience that may not have had the chance to hear such music before,” said Annelise Ellars. “The concert, titled ‘Lullay,’ is a wonderful opportunity for us, having both left to study abroad, to return to Pepperell and give a little back to the community in which we grew up. It is also an excellent opportunity to share all of our favorite Christmas carols from across nearly 900 years of music!”
Christopher Ellars is a researcher and practitioner of both Western and Japanese performing arts traditions, specializing in opera and Noh drama. He completed his undergraduate education at Boston University, where he pursued a dual degree in Japanese language and literature and voice performance.
He performed in multiple productions of the Boston University Opera Institute, the Traditional Theatre Training and International Noh Institute summer programs in Kyoto, Japan, and has produced and directed several experimental student operatic productions.
Christopher Ellars currently attends the Inter-University Center for Japanese Language Studies in Yokohama, Japan. He is excited to be back home singing some of his favorite music with his sister.
The library’s music events are held in the intimate environment of the Art Gallery, known throughout New England for its excellent acoustics, which attract both musicians and listeners alike.
This concert is free and open to the public. Doors open at 2:30 p.m. Light refreshments will be available, courtesy of the Friends of the Library. Donations for PACH, the town’s local food pantry, are welcomed. This program is generously funded by the Friends of the Lawrence Library.
Ellars will also perform, alongside musician Joe Clark, at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 30, at the Lawrence Library. Enjoy the music of Clark on clarinet and piano.
For more information on these events or other library events, visit lawrencelibrary.org or call 978-433-0330.
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