EnsAmble Ad-Hoc with Claire Happel Ashe

The Western Illinois Museum is pleased to welcome EnsAmble Ad-Hoc with special guest harpist Claire Happel Ashe to Our Front Porch. The group will present From the Village to the Court, a program of Baroque music from Spain, on Saturday, April 8, 2023, at 11:00 am at the Western Illinois Museum. There is a suggested $5 donation at the door.

EnsAmble Ad-Hoc was created in Bogotá, Colombia, by Francy Acosta, soprano and percussionist, and José Luis Posada, lute and Baroque guitar, under the guidance and support of Early Music specialist, Eduardo Vargas. The ensemble specializes in the performance of pre-classical repertoires, with attention to Italian and Spanish music of the Renaissance and Baroque periods. As the name indicates, they invite like-minded musicians to perform with the group to create period-appropriate music. 

For the performance at the Museum, Francy and José Luis will be joined by Macomb resident and harpist, Claire Happel Ashe.  The program, From the Village to the Court, shares vocal and instrumental pieces from the humble villanos to the elegant pabanas, each with its distinct musical style. Guests can expect to hear a selection of songs associated with the important playwrights of the Spanish Golden Age, such as works by Juan Hidalgo, José Marín, Ruiz de Ribayaz, and Murcia, among others. This live performance will use period instruments and is an opportunity to experience the music as the composer intended with lively strings of the guitar and harp as they meld with jubilant vocals and percussion.

This program is funded in part by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council. Additional funding was provided by a grant from the Illinois Humanities, with funds from the State of Illinois American Rescue Plan Act.

The Western Illinois Museum is located at 201 S. Lafayette Street, one block south of Macomb’s Courthouse Square. For more information, call the Museum at 309.837.2750, text 309.837.2613, or email info@wimuseum.org. More details and updates can be found on the Museum’s social media channels.

About the Musicians

Francy Acosta holds a D. M. A. in Early Music from Case Western Reserve University, where she studied performance practice with Ross Duffin and voice with Ellen Hargis. She has a degree in Music Education from Universidad Pedagógica (Colombia) and an M.A. in Music from the University of New Hampshire, where she studied voice and vocal pedagogy with Kathleen Wilson on a Fulbright scholarship. Her main interests are the pre-classical Hispanic and Italian repertoires, which she performs with EnsAmble Ad-Hoc and other Early Music groups. She has taught music history and voice both in Colombia and the United States, at institutions that include the Conservatory of the National University of Colombia, and the University of Chicago Graham School of General and Professional Studies. Francy Acosta is currently a faculty member at the Merit School of Music, Chicago, Illinois. She has performed and presented at conferences in Colombia, Argentina, South Korea, and the US.

José Luis Posada holds an M.A. in Early Music from Case Western Reserve University where he studied performance practice with Ross Duffin, and lute and Baroque guitar with Scott Pauley. He earned a Bachelor of Music Education from Universidad Pedagógica (Colombia), and a Master’s in Education from Northern Illinois University. He is a co-founder of EnsAmble Ad‐Hoc and with this and other early music groups he has performed in Mexico and other Latin American countries, and in the US. He has performed and recorded traditional Colombian music and toured extensively, performing on tiple, cuatro, and guitar. José Luis Posada combines performing with teaching activities and has also worked on professional musical editions and arrangements. Highlights include arrangements for the Colombian Symphony Orchestra with Velosa y los Carrangueros (traditional music). Currently, he works as a music teacher for the Cicero Public Schools (Chicago, Illinois) and performs regularly with EnsAmble Ad-Hoc.

Claire Happel Ashe performs on both modern and historical harps with ensembles throughout the Midwest, including Saint Louis and  Milwaukee Symphony Orchestras and the Newberry Consort. She holds degrees from Yale University and the University of Illinois and was a 2007–2008 Fulbright Scholar in Prague. Her studies in historical performance practice have included work with Christa Patton at the Madison Early Music Festival and Queens College Early Opera Workshop, Cheryl Ann Fulton, and Charlotte Mattax Moersch.