Though Musica Universalis is certainly no stranger to formal concerts, we very much enjoy collaborating with artists from other disciplines to create performances with dimensions beyond the usual setting of a band on stage in front of a seated audience. These are some of our favorite recent collaborations. You’ll also find information here about new projects as we develop them.

Upcoming Projects

Veronica, In Bed

December 6th-7th
7:30pm
Shaking the Tree Theatre
823 SE Grant St, Portland, OR 97214

Directed by Štěpán Šimek

Written by Briana Ratterman Trevithick

Featuring the work of Musica Universalis (Laura Kuhlman, Esther Saulle, Paul Martin Beck, and Jeffrey Reynolds), Joellen Sweeney, and Duffy Epstein

Join us for Veronica, In Bed, a dynamic work-in-progress showing that merges Briana Ratterman Trevithick’s fresh script with historical texts by Veronica Franco herself. This production digs into the tangled relationships between sexuality, power, and survival through the life of Veronica Franco, a 16th-century poet courtesan, and in some ways an early Renaissance “influencer.” At its core, it is an exploration of our timeless need for connection, examining how our methods and means of connecting evolve, yet the underlying human drive remains constant.

Featuring key staged selections guided by director Štěpán Šimek, the performance combines Renaissance music and opera, the captivating vocals of Joellen Sweeney, puppetry, and cutting-edge media elements by Trevor Sargent, including live video feeds, projections, social media, and AI manipulation. Audiences will be transported between eras as they explore the tools of power and survival, as well as the persistent desire for influence.

We invite the audience to stay after the show for a brief discussion to share their thoughts. 

A Winter Celebration

Friday & Saturday, December 20 & 21, 2024 @ 7:30 pm (Doors open at 7:00 pm)

Sunday, December 21, 2024 @ 3:00 pm (Doors open at 2:30)

“The2509,” 2509 NE Clackamas St., Portland

December holds a special place in all our hearts no matter your beliefs. Come celebrate the season with Musica Universalis’ Esther Saulle, Paul Martin Beck, Elizabeth O’Connor, and Laura Kuhlman, as we journey through the season with special guest, vocalist, Joellen Sweeney. 
 
We will delight you with tales of the season, songs to warm your heart and energizing dance tunes performed on recorders, violins, vielle, cimbalom, viola da gamba, rebec, crumhorns, bagpipes, voice and percussion. We will even invite you, our audience, to sing and play along with us on a tune or two! 

Tickets are $30. The event has general seating.
Only 35 seats per show. 

Parking is limited so consider carpooling if coming with friends or park a block away.

Concessions available for purchase at the concert.

Come early and hang out with the band before the concert begins! 
Family friendly show!

Past Projects

In this concert featuring renowned recorder virtuoso Cléa Galhano, we showcased selections from the Cantigas de Santa Maria performed in Musica Universalis’ vibrant style. The Cantigas de Santa Maria are 420 poems with musical notation, written in the medieval Galician-Portuguese language during the reign of Alfonso X of Castile El Sabio (1221–1284). The performances took place in May of 2024.

Piercing the Veil is a musical and theatrical exploration of the Celtic origins of Halloween. Featuring the music of Musica Universalis, puppetry by Birdie Amico and Keziah Peterson of Kettlehead Studios, and performance by Briana Ratterman, the show, directed by Štěpán Šimek, weaves together a tapestry of stories from the vast body Irish mythology reenacted by original puppets with music, songs, and poetry.

Piercing the Veil ran for two sold-out weeks in October 2023.

Written by director Štěpán Šimek and actor Jean-Luc Boucherot, Danse Macabre is based on the work of François Villon, the 15th-century French poet, rabble-rouser, and thief. In this one-actor play, Boucherot performs poetry in both French and English from Le Testament, Villon’s monumental, autobiographical work written in 1461. The play also features dancer Briana Ratterman, who inhabits a life-sized figure of Death that both shadows and inspires the poet. Musica Universalis’s live score includes music of Villon’s time, along with settings of his poetry by modern composers including Kurt Weill and Georges Brassens.

Danse Macabre was created in 2019 and 2020, only to be shut down by the COVID-19 pandemic on the afternoon of opening night. The show was resurrected for a very successful run in the fall of 2021.

Click or touch for a gallery of photos from the show.

Krampus Unplugged: The Gritty Tales of St. Nicholas