Alice Davenport ’69 plays in the group Música Eugenia, which performs acoustical music from Elizabethan England and the Spanish Renaissance, original art songs in English and Spanish, and more. Listen to their music on the Goucher Alumni Mixtape.
How and when did Música Eugenia get together?
In 2007, I retired from a peripatetic career and settled in Eugene, OR. I began taking voice lessons and started singing again after a hiatus of over 40 years. For a medium-sized city, Eugene hosts a remarkable number of talented musicians, and I was fortunate to meet Raleigh Williams (1928-2019), a lutenist and vocalist who had performed early music on a semi-professional basis for over 60 years. Raleigh took me under his musical wing, and for about a decade he and I performed English Renaissance songs in venues around Eugene.
Why the name “Música Eugenia”?
After a few years, Raleigh and I decided to call ourselves “Música Eugenia” since we mainly performed in the Eugene area. By then we had been joined by Peter Thomas, a musician with decades of experience as a classical guitarist, composer, and teacher.
What has been your role in the group?
I have been the group’s lead vocalist, although over the years other vocalists have occasionally joined me for performances and on the albums. In addition, I’ve worked with my musical partners to design Música Eugenia’s live programs and the content of our albums. My most important contribution, however, may have been introducing my original Música Eugenia colleagues to the musical repertoire of the Spanish Renaissance.
Does Música Eugenia still perform these days?
Yes and no. Co-founder Raleigh Williams passed away in 2019. Then COVID put an end to most live performances for a while. However, in the years since Raleigh’s passing, Música Eugenia has published three CDs. One CD was a collection of popular songs from the English Renaissance, and the other two albums featured Spanish songs. My Música Eugenia colleague Peter Thomas played classical guitar on one album. On the two other albums, I was accompanied by Hideki Yamaya, a noted performer of lute, early guitar, and early mandolin.
Música Eugenia continues to post music videos on two YouTube channels. At present we have no new albums in the works, but stay tuned!
Other items of interest?
In 2023, Música Eugenia participated in Goucher’s Micro-Internship Program. Three students submitted video art projects, including Alexandra Hagen ’23, who did one for “Dindirindin.”
Check out more from Música Eugenia: