skip navigation | text only | accessibility | site map
Share

The Snark Ensemble

Past Performances

November 24, 2009

Photo of November 24, 2009 Performance
The quartet joyfully celebrates the zany, clever, and brilliant world of vintage silent comedies in its specially crafted film scores. For this performance, the silent films include Laurel & Hardy’s Liberty, and Charley Chase’s Publicity Pays and Hello Baby.

Watch this Performance Watch this Performance

August 4, 2009

Photo of August 4, 2009 Performance
Founded in 2005, this chamber ensemble—composer-instrumentalists Maurice Saylor, Andrew Earle Simpson, and Phil Carluzzo, who between them draw on a wide range of instruments—is dedicated to the creation and performance of new original scores for silent film. The ensemble is named after Lewis Carroll’s epic nonsense poem, The Hunting of the Snark.

Watch this Performance Watch this Performance

Additional Resources

Artist's Official Website: http://snarkensemble.org/

Millennium Stage Home Page

Part of the Performing Arts for Everyone Initiative

About the Artist

Photo of The Snark Ensemble

The Snark Ensemble, founded in 2005, is an instrumental chamber ensemble dedicated to the creation and performance of new original scores for silent film. The ensemble (named after Lewis Carroll’s epic nonsense poem The Hunting of the Snark) consists of a core of three composer-instrumentalists, Maurice Saylor, Andrew Earle Simpson, and Phil Carluzzo.

Based in Washington, DC, the Snark Ensemble draws on a huge array of instruments to bring vintage silent films to new life.  The Snark Ensemble’s scores have appeared on two recent DVD box sets of silent comedies: The Harry Langdon Collection: Lost and Found, acclaimed by Time magazine and other sources; and, in July 2009, Becoming Charley Chase (both on Allday Entertainment).

The Snark Ensemble is comprised of three core composer-instrumentalists. Co-founder Simpson (keyboards), is Associate Professor in the Benjamin T. Rome School of Music at The Catholic University of America. Co-founder Saylor (woodwinds), is Head Music Librarian at The Catholic University of America.  Member Carluzzo (percussion), is a doctoral student in Composition at The Catholic University of America. The Snark Ensemble is joined by numerous guest artists in its performances and recordings.