Hear the joyful noise of shawms, recorders, bagpipes and sackbuts improvising florid polyphony over songs, dances and sacred chant. Praised for performing intricate 15th-century counterpoint "with the ease of jazz musicians improvising on a theme" (The Cleveland Plain Dealer), Ciaramella brings to life the music of the Burgundian Alta Capella ensembles that piped across Renaissance Europe.

This is a main stage concert for the 2015 Houston Early Music Festival.

A pre-concert talk by Ciaramella artists begins at 2:15 p.m.

In its third year, Houston Early Music Festival 2015 (HEMF) expands to an extended-weekend event that runs February 12-15 and is sponsored by partner organizations Ars Lyrica Houston, Bach Society Houston, Houston Early Music, Mercury – The Orchestra Redefined and Piping Rock Singers. HEMF will feature five main-stage performances and an inaugural Young Artist Showcase program, which highlights current student period-instrument ensembles from Texas university and college music programs.