Acclaimed Musical Duo “Asteria” to Perform Love Songs from the Late Middle Ages at Carleton College

As Valentine’s Day nears, Carleton College is pleased to present an appearance by the acclaimed vocal duo Asteria on Friday, February 12 at 8 p.m. in the Carleton College Concert Hall. Heralded by the New York Times as “meltingly beautiful” in their deliverance of timeless late Medieval love songs that transport listeners back to the age of chivalry, Asteria will present “A Most Sweet Glance: Love Songs from the Middle Ages.” This event is free and open to the public.

Comprised of professional soprano vocalist Sylvia Rhyne, Carleton Class of ‘78, and Eric Redlinger, tenor and lutist extraordinaire. Asteria has garnered much recognition since it entered the music scene in 2004, winning Early Music America’s first Unicorn Prize for Medieval and Renaissance Music.

While a student at Carleton, Rhyne pursued a passion for early music under the guidance of professor Stephen Kelly. She earned lead roles in early operas and operettas, paving the way for her future in professional musical performance.  She graduated from Carleton in 1978, and was honored by her class for Distinguished Achievement at their 25th reunion. After graduation, Rhyne studied with Wesley Balk at St. Olaf College and recorded with Dennis Russell Davies and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. Rhyne later moved to New York, where she began her professional career in musical theater, starring internationally as Christine in “The Phantom of the Opera” and on Broadway as Joanna in “Sweeny Todd.”   

Redlinger studied at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis where he did extensive archival research into original sources. Following graduation from Middlebury College, Redlinger did post-graduate studies in composition and musicology at the Frankfurt Conservatory of Music, worked in the studio of New York-based composer Philip Glass, and studied medieval lute with Crawford Young at the Schola. He began meeting with Rhyne regularly in New York’s Central Park, where they developed their shared passionate approach to late Medieval and Renaissance pieces. During a sabbatical year in France in 2006, the duo gathered numerous compositions from the late 14th and early 15th centuries to capture the Burgundian style that defines “A Most Sweet Glance.”

Asteria’s performance at Carleton College is sponsored by the the Laudie D. Porter Guest Artist Concert Series. The Concert Hall is located on First Street between Winona and Nevada Streets on the Carleton College campus in Northfield. For more information regarding the concert, please contact Gao Hong in the Department of Music at (507) 222-4475.