Cruisin’ the Muses: Last chance to catch Consort Canzona

So the home phone rings one day this week, interrupting some serious reading, but irritation fades when the caller turns out to be Jon Rogers.Living in Mr. Rogers’ Carson City neighborhood, your musemeister’s decision to abandon a book for a compatriot and fellow culture vulture stems from good vibes.Good thing, too; this column idea soon jelled.Said Mr. Rogers had called to tout an upcoming event and the woman who is the driving force behind it.Jon recommended contacting Sharon Kientz, director of Consort Canzona. This early music ensemble performed last Monday night at the Brewery Arts Center and will again Sunday evening at Shepherd of the Sierra Lutheran Church.Jon sings tenor and Sally, his dynamic and diminutive wife, sings alto in the voice group that joins with folks playing instruments for the concert. The event features music from A.D. 1400-1620.Called “A Renaissance Mosaic,” the concert includes instrumentalists playing recorders, cello, harpsichord and drum.Kientz, who not only directs the group but also plays tenor recorder, says this early era’s music and the group’s selections range from sublime spirituality to broad humor and deep pathos.A retired educator, she taught kindergarten and music for kids in grades 4-6 in Santa Rosa, Calif., and was named National Teacher of the Year in 1995 by the National Right to Read Foundation.Literacy joins music as a long-time passion.Kientz retired 15 years ago and moved to Carson City a decade later. She has directed Consort Canzona’s growing presence since 2009.“We have a wide variety of music,” said Kientz, whose expertise is keyboard. Her abilities, however, include various instruments.She began with early music more than a half century ago, joining a madrigal group. But her group now is more versatile. “We sing only one madrigal,” she noted.Selections include one written by King Henry VIII, who owned 76 recorders when he died in 1547, and another written by Martin Luther, German monk and spiritual leader who was a contemporary of the king.Two other selections are “Come Again” and “Volta,” which were written by John Dowland (1563-1626). He is the Elizabethan songwriter who inspired Sting, a modern rock musician, to perform this type of music.In fact, “Come Again” is on Sting’s album “Songs from the Labyrinth”.Admission for Sunday’s 7 p.m. concert at the church is just a donation; tickets for the BAC event last Monday were $10. • John Barrette covers the arts, senior issues and health care. If you have a story or upcoming event that you want the public to know about, email him at jbarrette@nevadaappeal.com or call 775-881-1213.