Ensemble Passacaglia

Photo by Dorene Sykes

Passacaglia is an instrumental quartet specializing in ancient and world music.   The group plays a variety of music from the medieval and renaissance eras to the present, mainly from Europe but also from the Middle East and the Americas.  Their repertoire includes lute songs, madrigals, canzonas, processionals, and a variety of dance pieces from pavanes and galliards to Turkish melodies and Latin-inspired tangos and waltzes.  Passacaglia aims to transport listeners to another time and place, but also to bring ancient music forward, with fresh interpretations and an emphasis on cross-cultural connections.

Members of Ensemble Passacaglia are Jan Elliott (recorder, krummhorn, cornamuse, concertina, Irish whistle); Lisa Esperson (riqq, darbuka, tambourine, tar, bells and other percussion); Tom Hanna (lute, guitar, mandolin, bouzouki); and Molly Johnston (viola da gamba, vielle).

For more information about Passacaglia, contact the group at 508-540-0865 or email: ellifordjan@aol.com.


Our latest CD:

*** A Tune for All Seasons ***

CD cover – artwork by Lourry Legarde
Design by Tom Noonan & Molly Johnston

© 2020

This album celebrates the seasons of the year through ancient music. It features some of the best known medieval and renaissance pieces marking spring, summer, autumn and winter, spiced with lesser-known gems and traditional and contemporary tunes from England, Ireland, Turkey and Brazil.

Both CDs and digital downloads are now available. At ensemblepassacaglia.hearnow.com, you can hear clips from each track and order a digital album from several distributors. Physical CDs are available from Amazon, or directly from the group by emailing ellifordjan@aol.com.

This project is supported in part by a grant from the Falmouth Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.


Our Debut CD

Medieval, Renaissance and Turkish music

For plucked and bowed strings, winds and percussion

Click the image for purchase information. Thank you!

CD cover – artwork and design by Lynn Elliott

©2010