Les
Touches
Submitted:
April 2, 2025
Awarded
: $
2000
Contact Information:
Les
Touches
4729 Indian Trail
Baytown
TX
77521
United States
8325633823
Reference 1:
Carol Lewis
Reference 2:
Sarah Mead
Summary of Submitted Materials:
Documents:
1. Performance/event contract with Houston Public Library signed by Pedro Funes
2. Calendar for HPL performance series
Audio files (2):
Audio clip of performance (Jenkins Fantasia à 3 No. 6) and accompanying lecture segment by Pedro Funes (both in .mp3 format)
Submitted Documents:
Submitted Recordings:
Committee Notes:
Project Description:
Les Touches Consort is comprised of 5 members from the Viols of Houston (VoH). Our current members are listed as follows:
- Pedro Funes (he/him/his) - treble
- Kendra Preston Leonard (she/her/hers) - treble, pardessus
- Matt Dunn (he/him/his) - tenor
- Jocelyn Ursua (she/her/hers) - tenor, bass
- Elisabeth Ellison (she/her/hers) - bass
This summer, we are partnering with the Houston Public Library (HPL) system to conduct a series of performances and lectures at various locations within their system as part of their "Summer Reading for Grown-Ups" program, which initiates outreach with the Greater Houston community.
This performance/lecture series will take place across both June and July 2025 with 45 min - 1 hr sessions consisting of 3-part music (Pedro - treble/bass, Jocelyn - tenor/bass, Elisabeth - bass) from the respective Renaissance-era works from England, Spain, and France. Our own local chapter president and fellow consort member Pedro will provide education pertaining to the history and performance of the viol throughout the ages. We will be performing at a total of 11 locations in the HPL system, majority of which are located in census regions with relatively lower median incomes around the Greater Houston region.
A portion of our dates will also feature a violin/bass viol duo, joined by Baroque violinist Nadia Lesinska Witherspoon. Our repertoire will also include a John Dowland song arranged for solo voice and two bass viols, with Jocelyn singing tenor.
We will be rehearsing regularly these next few months in preparation for the performance series, preparing both our 3-part repertoire and violin/viol duo.
Each session will feature brief lectures from Pedro Funes providing facts about the viol and promoting both our local chapter and the entire body of VdGSA.
While the Houston Public Library has offered to handle all marketing and promotion via their Communications department, our performances will be provided for free without other guaranteed monetary compensation aside from donations as requested through independent promotions.
Request Amount:
$
2000
Total Project Cost:
$
2000
Budget and Additional Funding:
Not applicable; as mentioned in the project description, the Houston Public Library has offered to handle all marketing and promotion via their Communications department, our performances will be provided for free without other guaranteed monetary compensation aside from donations as requested through independent promotions. The requested $2000 will cover compensation per performance to be divided among all performers per appearance, rehearsal time (primarily in the Baytown area), commute expenditures given the wide location distribution within our performance schedule, and printing of all independent promotional materials for both Viols of Houston and VdGSA. Our Grant in Aid award will be supplemented with independent donations which will be accepted over the next few months leading up to the performance schedule.
Our reward from the Grant In Aid program will be supplemented by independent donations.
Qualifications:
As a consort, this current revival of Les Touches debuted in June 2024 through an independently arranged recital feature all 5 members of the current reiteration. Through promotion, our event saw an audience of 15-20 audience members, with a total of independent donations received amounting to $250.
Our most recent outreach event from February 2025 was a performance/lecture hosted by Early Music America for the Chamber Music America 2025 Conference at Rice University. This event featured a similar presentation structure with performances from Les Touches and education provided by Pedro Funes. Event turnout amounted to 15-20 attendees, majority of whom were personally invited by Pedro and other members of our local VdGSA chapter.
Our members span a wide variety in experience with playing the viol. Pedro has been active with the viola da gamba since his Masters in Early Music Performance program at Indiana University, where he studied under Wendy Gillespie.
Elisabeth has been active with the viola da gamba since 1979, first under Wayne Moss and now under Tina Chancey, founder of early-music ensemble Hesperus. She is currently finishing up a recording project playing the vielle with other early musicians such as Tina Chancey to accompany spoken text from various manuscripts of Geoffrey Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales".
Jocelyn started her journey with the viola da gamba in the midst of the COVID pandemic, studying under Pedro Funes. Since then, she shortly started the bass viol and plays both instruments for Les Touches. While her musical career has been much shorter, she has learned quickly and participates regularly in reading sessions and workshops with the local VdGSA chapter in addition to her recent experiences performing with Les Touches.
Overall, the funding will benefit us greatly as a means to further incentivize outreach in the Houston early music scene to not only expand access to other early music enthusiasts but to a broader, general audience who may be potential additions to our budding early music community. In addition, the lecture components that are planned with our Houston Public Library partnership will also allow us to overall promote engagement with our local library system and in turn provide incentives for promoting literacy in our local communities.