This group was a four-member a-cappella female ensemble established in New York in 1986 after the members got together for a session. It was so successful that they created the program “Legends of Nicholas” and it went from there. They named themselves after a treatise of music called Anonymous 4 which details the music and styles used in 13thcentury Paris at the Cathedral of Notre Dame.
Their repertoire was largely medieval music but through time they added Renaissance, British and American traditional and contemporary styles. These contemporary styles saw them giving premieres of works by Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, Richard Einhorn, Steve Reich and John Tavener.
Gaining a lot of recognition through the course of their career, the ensemble appeared at festivals and many national and international venues as well as on various television and radio programmes.
Also acclaimed for their recordings they released many albums including Billboard album chart entries and winning several awards. These albums include American Angels, An English Ladymass, Gloryland, On Yoolis Night, A Portrait of Anonymous 4, The Second Circle and Voices of Light.
The ensemble finished in 2016 after nearly 30 years of touring and recording.
Members over the years:
- Ruth Cunningham
- Marsha Genensky
- Susan Hellauer
- Jacqueline Horner
- Johanna Marie Rose
Anonymous 4 recordings:
Awake and Join the Cheerful Choir (English Traditional)
Harmonia Mundi HMU 907325 (CD: Wolcum Yule)
Harp – Andrew Lawrence King
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