Colleen Sheinberg

Colleen Sheinberg is a Lecturer in Music, and a Faculty Affiliate of the UNM Institute for Medieval Studies.  She teaches applied piano and harpsichord, as well as undergraduate vocal diction classes, and works with vocal students as a coach-accompanist.  She also teaches Music History I and Topics in Medieval and Renaissance Music, and is the director of the UNM Early Music Ensemble.  For ten years she served as the Department of Music Graduate Coordinator.  She currently serves on the UNM Institute for Medieval Studies Steering Committee.

Ms. Sheinberg is a graduate of Southern Methodist University (B.S. in Anthropology) and the University of New Mexico (M.A. in Anthropology, B.M. in piano performance, and M.M. in piano performance).  Her primary piano instructors included Harris Crohn (SMU), Morton Schoenfeld and George Robert (UNM), and Lois McLeod (piano accompanying, UNM).  She has been active in Albuquerque as a chamber musician, teacher and accompanist, and has performed at the University of North Texas (Denton), Louisiana Tech University (Ruston), the University of Arkansas (Fayetteville), Fort Lewis College (Durango, Colorado), and with the Ensemble of Santa Fe and Santa Fe Desert Chorale.

Long a proponent of early music, Ms. Sheinberg sings and plays a variety of period instruments.  She has performed on harpsichord with Serenata of Santa Fe, the Orchestra of Santa Fe, the Chamber Orchestra of Albuquerque and the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra, and on recorder in the Santa Fe Opera’s production of L’Incoronazione di Poppea.  She and her husband Art together direct Música Antigua de Albuquerque, a professional early music chamber ensemble that they helped to found in 1978.  Música Antigua performs regularly in Albuquerque and Santa Fe and has toured throughout New Mexico and given performances in Houston and Milwaukee.  The ensemble was the recipient of the Albuquerque Arts Alliance’s 2002 Bravo Award for Excellence in Music, and has had two recordings released on the Dorian label of New York:  A Rose of Swych Virtu and The Sport of Love.  The group’s more recent self-produced CD’s include Music to the Max, Round and Round We Go, Thys Yool Thys Yool, and The Four Elements.  The ensemble’s music was also included in the soundtrack of Ken Burns’ epic film documentary “The West.”

“Música Antigua’s choice of repertoire is inspired.  Its selection of instruments for each work reflects a sensitive and imaginative use of sound colors.”  —The Albuquerque Journal

“An impressively panoramic vision.”  —The Washington Post

“Interpretazione:  ECCEZIONALE.”   “Performance: EXCEPTIONAL.  Finally, an excellent recording of medieval music….Música Antigua de Albuquerque boasts soloists of exceptional caliber, distinguished by both expressive depth and sonic beauty.”  —CD Classica: Il Mensile di Musica Classica su Compact Disc, Italy.

“Ah!  What a pleasure.  Voices like satin ribbons floating on the air.”  —Harmonia: Newsletter of Early Music and Related Topics, Mid-Atlantic Region.

“Thank you so much for brilliant Rose of Swych Virty!  Musica Antigua de Albuquerque is incredible highest class of mastery, exclusively irreproachable and polished manners of performance.  Dealings with Musica Antigua de Albuquerque is bright and wonderful holiday, is happiness.  Thank You again and again.  Much friendly love from Siberia.”  —Serge Tikhanoff, Radio Penguin, Russia.