BYRD SONG IN SHADOW:
CONCERT IN CANDLELIGHT, THEATRE OF DEFIANCE

Hark! Attend, ye lovers of sacred sound and clandestine devotion, for the international tour of Secret Byrd—an evanescent glimpse into a hidden past—cometh to The Americas but ten times—16th-21st of July—in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago. In the flicker of candlelight within the vaults of St John’s Episcopal Cathedral (L.A.), Grace Cathedral (S.F.), and Salvage One (Chicago), the venerable Mass for Five Voices by William Byrd—an outlawed Catholic composer of the English Renaissance—shall be rendered by the incomparable Gesualdo Six (directed by Owain Park), an ensemble fresh from across the sea, alongside the local baroque luminaries of Tesserae Baroque (L.A.), Wildcat Viols (S.F.) and Second City Musick & ViolMedium (Chicago). Secret Byrd then sails to The Black Abbey in Ireland, part of Kilkenny Arts Festival.

Secret Byrd (photo Sisi Burn)

Herein lies not a concert, but an encounter: wander through hushed aisles, grasp delicate props of antiquity, partake in ceremonial bread and wine, and yield your senses to a world where faith whispers, not shouts, in the way it was intended to be heard.

Secret Byrd (photo Mark Allen)

This most immersive rite, cunningly staged, unfoldeth as a bewitching voyage of fourscore minutes, unbroken by pause. As thou treadest soft through vaulted nave and shadowed chapel—or sit completely transfixed—thou art cast as witness to Master Byrd’s perilous devotion—his voice ascending e’en when the law did bid it silent, his faith mute yet full of boldness. Though Elizabeth’s England did demand stillness of the persecuted, Byrd’s music returneth answer with ghostly harmonies that utter courage, yearning, and defiance. Byrd is a true craftsman of soundly sculpture, who knoweth just when to stir the humours with sly discord, or to conjure sudden marvels where none were expected.

Secret Byrd (photo Mark Allen)

Creator and Director Bill Barclay—maestro of Concert Theatre Works—beseeches that this secret mass resonates with our age as much as it did “400 years ago.” In a world still rife with belief-based intolerance, Byrd’s sacred relics speak bold truths: that art may thrive in darkness, that mercy may grow in hiding. This production thus marries virtuosity and visceral experience: imagine Byrd’s celestial melodies and harmonies swirling around your very bones, sung with crystalline precision by an ensemble best known for its interpretation of Renaissance polyphony, and anchored by masterly viol sextets—an aural tapestry sumptuous enough for the heavens. Secret Byrd awaits. Miss it not, lest time itself becomes the greater secret.

Secret Byrd (photo Mark Allen)

Before the final note fades into holy hush, mark your calendars for other jewels in the Concert Theatre Works crown. More summer tours: Letters to a Young Poet, Romeo & Juliet. Marcus Passion—each a fusion of drama and counterpoint, each a testament to CTW’s audacious mission: to revive classical music in living, breathing form.

Secret Byrd
Concert Theatre Works
international tour
co-commissioned by St. Martin-in-the-Fields and Washington National Cathedral

16 July 2025: St John’s Episcopal Cathedral, Los Angeles
tickets: 6:00pm & 9:00pm

17-18 July 2025: Grace Cathedral, San Francisco: The Gesualdo Six & Wildcat Viols
tickets July 17 6:30pm & 9:30pm
tickets July 18 6:30pm & 9:30pm

20-21 July 2025: Salvage One, Chicago: The Gesualdo Six, Second City Musick & ViolMedium
tickets July 20 6:00pm & 9:00pm
tickets July 21 6:00pm & 9:00pm

12-13 August 2025: The Black Abbey (part of Kilkenny Arts Festival), Ireland: The Gesualdo Six & Fretwork
tickets 12 August 18:30 & 21:00
tickets 13 August 18:30 & 21:00