About The Performers

At the core of the ensemble is the duo of singer Donna Stewart and lutenist Ron Andrico. One of the few professional lutesong duos in the United States, their unique and immediate sound blends respect for authenticity with solid musicianship and a flair for improvisation. Their fresh and engaging approach imparts the immediacy of folk music to renaissance music.

The duo's CDs are winning critical acclaim. The Lute Society (UK) has called Rota Fortuna "essential listening". Both Divine Amarillis, their recording of French music from the early 17th century, and My Lord of Oxenford's Maske, their third release, have been selected as Choice CDs by Cleveland, Ohio's mainstream classical radio station WCLV. All three are included among CDBaby's top 40 best-selling classical CDs. Reviewers have described their music as "radiant", "bewitching". and "laden with elegance". Read more reviews here.

Mignarda - Donna Stewart and Ron Andrico - perform historical music that transcends history. Ron Andrico is a lute specialist with publication of several important music editions and scholarly articles to his credit. Mezzo soprano Donna Stewart has a long background in research and interpretation of Gregorian chant and the renaissance choral repertory. Together, the duo specialize in performing music that resides in the grey zone between folk and art music, with interpretations that follow the renaissance ideal of 'moving the passions' of the listener.

The couple met in Cleveland, Ohio while singing Gregorian chant and renaissance polyphony in a five-voice choir for a weekly Latin Mass. They have recently relocated to New York after an idyllic year living in a log cabin off the grid in the Siskiyou Mountains, where they produced their own electricity, cut their own firewood, and enjoyed the welcome opportunity to refine their music with only the songs of birds to compete with the soft sound of the lute. They now live in a handmade house in the woods in West Danby, New York, just south of Ithaca. More Videos

The Mignarda duo is unique in that their musical background mirrors that of the typical musician of the Renaissance: They bring the music to life because they live the music. Capturing the nuance and intricacy of early music with warmth and flair, Mignarda’s performances remind 21st century audiences that at one time this WAS pop music.

Mignarda, based in rural upstate New York, is available for concerts, house concerts, lecture-recitals, or in a format tailored to meet your needs. Please contact us for details & terms.

THE EXPANDED ENSEMBLE

Lisa Rainsong (soprano) Lisa's musical life integrates composition, education and vocal performance. She holds a DMA in composition from the Cleveland Institute of Music, where she is currently a member of the music theory faculty and is coordinator of the DMA program. Lisa's music is performed regularly throughout Northeast Ohio and, as a soprano soloist, she performs recitals featuring her own works as well as 17th-century solo song repertoire. She also sings in the early music vocal ensemble Concorditas, the chorus of Apollo's Fire, and as chorister at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist.

Donna Stewart (mezzo soprano) has had the rare benefit of a thorough grounding in the practical application of Gregorian chant and polyphony from the middle ages onward, during nearly a decade with a five-voice schola dedicated to providing liturgical music for the Latin Tridentine Mass. She has performed and recorded with Apollo’s Fire, Cleveland’s renowned baroque orchestra, and for twenty years has performed as a soloist and professional chorister for music ranging from 12th century chant through dozens of world premieres, appearing throughout the US and Canada, and at England’s Canterbury Cathedral.

Brad Herbst (tenor), holds degrees in Theater and in Vocal Performance from the University of Michigan and Wayne State University. He moved to Cleveland in 2001 to pursue graduate studies in Voice at the Cleveland Institute of Music after performing as a Vocal Arts Apprentice with Lyric Opera Cleveland. Brad has performed as guest with the early music group Ciaramella, and is pursuing an interest in the lute song repertory.

Gregory Heislman (baritone) holds a M.Mus. degree in choral conducting from Cleveland State University. He is featured regularly with Good Company and, since 1992, he has held the position of Director of Music at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Cleveland, Ohio, where he is active as cantor, choral director and organist.

Ron Andrico (lute, director) has a unique musical background and is a specialist in historical music for stringed instruments. A sought-after musician in theatre and recording, for five years he performed, recorded, broadcasted and toured the US and Japan as a member of Oregon’s famous Trail Band. Since 1995, he has turned his attention to the lute and is today one of the few professional lutenists in the US. A respected editor of historical sources of lute music, he is responsible for bringing to light and publishing many forgotten gems of music through Mignarda Editions.