Music for Renaissance Instruments

Penny Hanna, viola da gamba

Penny performs throughout the San Francisco Bay & Monterey Bay areas as a singer, bassist, and/or reed player. Ms Hanna began performing on the Viola da Gamba as music student with the University of Michigan Consort of Viols, later studying with Judith Davidoff in New York. Locally, she has performed in concerts at Colton Hall, UC Davis, UCSC, Cal Berkeley, 1750 Arch St., and with the Santa Cruz Chamber Players & Baroque Festival, Cantiamo! Cabrillo, WAVE, Musica Mundana and the Brandenburg Liberation Front. She has produced numerous  recordings of her own music and her arranging credits include works for Jazz Birds, California Gamba Consort, & Sex Chordae Consort of Viols. She is currently the Cabrillo College Stroke Center’s choir instructor, and serves on the boards of The Santa Cruz Chamber Players. Penny has participated in Madregalia!! concerts for several years.

Francis Toldi, Dulcian

Francis Toldi is a native of Carmel, having recently returned after many years in the San Francisco Bay Area.  His current musical focus is on the dulcian (Renaissance bassoon) and voice.  He received his Bachelor of Arts in Music from San Francisco State University, with further private study on clarinet with Alan Balter in San Francisco, and on Balinese gender wayang with John Badanes and Lisa Gold.  He continued with study and performance on various woodwinds, including clarinet, Hungarian tárogáto, quena, recorders, and dulcian.  His primary performing emphasis over many decades was singing and playing woodwinds in the Coro Hispano de San Francisco and Conjunto Nuevo Mundo.