2025 Choral Mini-Workshop
Singing Medieval Devotional Songs of St. Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179)
Online Mini-Workshop with Vajra Voices' Karen Clark
Saturday, February 21, 2026, 10 AM PST
In this hour Karen R. Clark, contralto and director of Vajra Voices, presents a brief glimpse of the medieval notation system, called “neumatic”, and the medieval way of learning music— by rote. We’ll learn in the medieval way— by rote— to sing Hildegard's antiphon to divine Love, Karitas Habundat in Omnia. We hope you will attend the workshop AND attend the Vajra Voices with Shira Kammen concerts where we invite you to SING ALONG in Karitas Habundat in Omnia. We look forward to sharing this music with you and passing on the LOVE that as Hildegard writes, exists in ALL.
Workshop handouts will include copies from the original manuscript and an edition created by Karen R. Clark.
Contralto Karen R. Clark’s performances of medieval to modern music have been heard worldwide. In early music, Karen has performed and recorded with eminent ensembles such as Boston Camerata, Sequentia, Waverly Consort, and Joshua Rifkin’s Bach Ensemble. Karen is founder and director of the professional women’s vocal ensemble Vajra Voices, whose CD, O Eterne Deus: Music of Hildegard von Bingen, has received international acclaim. Karen holds degrees from the Indiana University School of Music where she studied opera with Virginia Zeani and early music with Thomas Binkley. Karen has taught in the music departments of Princeton University, Sonoma State University, the Thornton School of Music at University of Southern California, and UC Berkeley. www.karenclark.studio