The Renaissance Players, directed by Winsome Evans, an Associate Professor in the Music Department at The University of Sydney, were established in 1966/67. The ensemble consists of a core group of nine to ten musicians, including singers and instrumentalists, with additional members such as a poetry reader and occasionally one or two miming clowns, adapted to meet the specific requirements of each performance.
Recognized as Australia’s oldest and most proficient early music ensemble, The Renaissance Players have earned a reputation for their distinctive musical style, vibrant costumes, technical skill, and dynamic presentations, resulting in consistently engaging performances.
The group's name reflects its primary mission: to revive and invigorate music from both historical and contemporary eras. Their repertoire is not confined to the Renaissance period but spans a broad timeline, incorporating music from as early as the 9th century to modern folk, rock, and classical genres. Whenever possible, they utilize replicas of period instruments and strive to emulate authentic performance styles relevant to the pieces they present.
The Renaissance Players boast an extensive library of over 2,500 musical works, all of which have been gathered, arranged, or composed by Winsome Evans, who occasionally writes under the pseudonym Snave Pluckpayres.
In addition to their regular performances at venues such as The Great Hall and MacLaurin Hall at The University of Sydney, the John Clancy Auditorium at the University of New South Wales, the Everest Theatre (Seymour Centre), and the Sydney Opera House, the group has toured extensively throughout Australia for the ABC, Musica Viva, and various festival organizations. Notably, in 1974, they embarked on a significant tour of Southeast Asia, from India to New Guinea, organized by Musica Viva Australia and the Department of Foreign Affairs as part of Prime Minister Gough Whitlam's cultural exchange program.
Since 1973, The Renaissance Players have also hosted several annual events, including The Runnymede Pop Festival in March/April, a Christmas Pudding Concert in December, and an annual mid-year event honoring Professor Frederick May, which began in 1976.
Beyond their concert performances, The Renaissance Players have contributed music for television, film, ABC radio plays, and special documentaries. They have also produced six original theatrical works involving medieval liturgical drama and 16th-century commedia in musica, all of which were researched, arranged, and directed by Winsome Evans.
The group’s public recitals showcase the result of extensive research into various techniques for embellishing and elaborating musical structures, as well as exploring patterns of instrumentation. These aspects were traditionally left to the discretion and creativity of performers during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, a practice that continues in much of today’s popular and traditional music.
Their exploration of performance practices has led to collaborations with Eastern European groups, including the Turkish Anatolian Minstrels and the Arabic Eastern Music Band. At various times, performers from living folk traditions have joined the group, sharing their expertise in Celtic, Balkan, Persian, Middle Eastern, and Jewish music, which has enriched the ensemble's approach to reconstructing medieval European folk music. Additionally, the Players have engaged in experimental concerts that explore contrasting concepts of style and structure, collaborating with avant-garde ensembles, as well as musicians such as Don Burrows and George Golla.
Overall, The Renaissance Players curate programs that weave together themes of satire, comedy, pathos, and whimsy, integrating songs and instrumental pieces with poetry, mime, and dance. In recognition of their artistic contributions, they were nominated for the classical section of the ARIA awards in 1997.
