Rose of Sharon - 100 years of American Music (1770-1870)

"The spirit and tradition of this music is almost entirely lost now, but as one who grew up with first-hand experience of camp and revival meeting songs and hymns, and who was present for part of Joel Cohen's Shaker music recording project, I have to say that this current effort to bring this music to life has a genuine air of sincerity and reverence--and if nothing else, it's certainly enlivening and entertaining. Frederiksen is an amazing musician and a uniquely gifted singer, and for that reason alone you shouldn't miss this."
(10/10 ClassicsToday.com July 2011)

"This program is like an American quilt - the individual parts are unique and very different from one another, but it comes together to form one rich tapestry. I would like to give our audience a picture of some of the rich traditions that developed out of our European heritage, but flourished and grew in their own unique way in the New World." Joel Frederiksen

The activities of Joel Frederiksen, artistic director of Ensemble Phoenix Munich, are many-faceted. As a bass singer he has performed with Jordi Savall, Paul O'Dette, and Stephen Stubbs and with the ensembles Musica fiata, Freiburger Barockorchester, Josquin Capella, Ensemble Gilles Binchois, Huelgas Ensemble, The Waverly Consort and the Boston Camerata. As a singer who plays the lute, Joel Frederiksen is a leading interpreter of music by the English lutenist songwriters and of early Italian Baroque music. His wide-ranging basso profundo voice and his expressive performances have earned him worldwide acclaim. The Elfin Knight, his first CD for harmonia mundi with his Ensemble Phoenix Munich, was released in August 2007.