Elliot Figg, harpsichord | Clay Zeller-Townson, bassoon | Priscilla Herreid, oboe & recorder | Doug Balliett, double bass | Rachell Ellen Wong, violin | Paul Holmes Morton, lute | Shirley Hunt, viola da gamba | Anthony Albrecht, cello | John Taylor Ward, bass-baritone

There’s nothing quite like Ruckus: “Superb” (Opera News), and “achingly delicate one moment, punchy and incisive the next” (The New York Times). Holy Manna is Ruckus’ revisionary exploration of early American hymnody--the melodic and harmonic DNA of American roots music—in arrangements that bring to life the warm colors and rhythmic grit of 18th-century instruments and solo voice.

Celebrating the vast history of the early American hymn, Ruckus reflects on the the shape-note practice and legacy. This presentation invites listeners into some of the most intimate music-making traditions of all time where the distinction between audience and artist is erased, and the shared experience of creation and community reigns.