Our History

In the fall of 1994, a group of New York-based singers who had just returned from summer music festivals gathered to form a group dedicated to performing Renaissance church music. We found a welcoming home at the generous and musically active St. John's in the Village, providing us with a venue for rehearsals and performances. We remained there until 2004, when our audience size outgrew their beautiful, intimate space. 


In the fall of 2004, Polyhymnia relocated to the atmospheric and historic St. Ignatius of Antioch Episcopal Church on Manhattan's Upper West Side. The church, with interiors designed by Ralph Adams Cram, noted architect and designer of ecclesiastical buildings, has the perfect acoustics and ambiance to perform and do justice to Renaissance music. As artists-in-residence for over two decades, we have become an integral part of the St. Ignatius of Antioch community, participating in their concert series and liturgical life by performing a sung Mass each year. 


For nearly three decades our annual three concert series has featured music from best-known of Renaissance composers such as Orlande de Lassus, Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, Josquin Des Pres, and Thomas Tallis. We have also endeavored to present compositions from under-appreciated or less frequently performed composers such as Jacob Vaet, Christopher Tye, Cipriano de Rore, and Philippe Rogier, aiming to elevate the recognition and accessibility of early choral music to New York audiences. All these masterpieces have been performed in both conventional concerts and in carefully researched liturgical reconstructions positioning the music within the acoustic context for which was intended when it was performed - soli Deo gloria -  for the "glory of God alone".

office content 1
office content 2
office content 1
office content 2

Mission and Vision

Our mission is to present music composed between 1450 and 1650.  Our work is both performance and research-based. Working with libraries, historians, and musicologists both here and abroad, Polyhymnia strives to preserve and reintroduce choral masterworks of the late Middle Ages, Renaissance and early Baroque in ways that both entertain and enlighten. Artistic Director John Bradley frequently produces performing editions from original manuscripts, some untouched since the 16th Century.


Our vision is to bring the unique and timeless beauty of
choral music, particularly early music, to all New Yorkers. We invite and encourage local audiences to discover and appreciate the profound beauty and subtlety of these often-neglected masterworks. We are excited to share our enthusiasm with the next generation of performers and audience members  inviting them to immerse themselves in the perfect beauty of these ancient sound worlds.

Our Board

Judith Wink – President, has been a member of Polyhymnia’s board for 14 years and was appointed president in 2012. A retired English teacher, she is also an amateur musician and has been a devotee of Polyhymnia since it was only a gleam in director John Bradley’s eye. For 10 years Judith was concert manager of the New York-based series Music Before 1800. She has been treasurer of the New York Recorder Guild since 2018. A native New Yorker, Judith lives in Manhattan with her husband and some undemanding house plants.

Doug Houston – Treasurer, has been a member of Polyhymnia’s board since 2011. He has been an active choral singer since 1984 and a committed Polyhymnia supporter since 2005. Doug is employed as a Senior Principal Analyst with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. He holds a Masters Degree in Accountancy from the State University of New York Polytechnic Institute and is a licensed CPA in the States of New York and Virginia.

Nancy Tepper – Secretary, An ardent fan of the group since its inception, has been a member of the board since 2004. A graduate of Cornell, and a commodities trader by day, she is a familiar face in the NYC choral scene, having sung with many NYC based choirs including singing currently with The Choral Society of Grace Church, Florilegium Chamber Choir, and St Andrew Chorale. Having been a member of several choral boards and committees, she has a wealth of information that informs the governance of Polyhymnia, and she is also an active member of the New York Choral Consortium representing Polyhymnia, Florlilegium and the Choral Society of Grace Church.

Mick Bowen –  joined the Polyhymnia board as its newest member in 2024. He sings bass with the RenChorNY and the Central City Chorus, among other groups. He works as a freelance editor and reporter in New York City. 

Andrea (Andie) Cortes-Comerer –  has been a singer with a multitude of choirs in New York City, including Accord, Amuse, NYC Master Chorale, and Amor Artis which she currently sings with. A lover of early music, and trained in piano, Andie majored in music and economics at Columbia University. She holds a certificate in change management from Cornell and is currently Organizational Change Management Lead at IPG Mediabrands, a major media and advertising company. She is also pursuing an MS in Management and Organizational Behavior with concentrations in digital marketing, change management, and talent management. 

Sig Rosen – Board Member, A member of Polyhymnia’s board since 2008, he has been an active choral singer since 1964, and focused on Early Music since joining the Renaissance Chorus of New York (RenChorNY) under Harold Brown. He has also been a member of the Columbia Collegium Musicum under Richard Taruskin and Alexander Blachly, and the Renaissance Street Singers under John Hetland. Sig has been an advocate for the dissemination of the great body of sacred music of the Renaissance for over a generation.

Charles Keenan – Board Member, has been a member of the Polyhymnia board since 2010. He is a medical professional and runs Central Sterile Units for Hospitals and Surgical Centers. He is an avocational music lover and supporter and can be seen as an audience member at many choral and early music concerts. He has deep ties to the Episcopal Church as a volunteer.