Dear Friends and Family:

A big hello and thank you to all for your continuing support. We appreciate the loyalty so many of you have demonstrated during our renewed musical journey. 2011 was a groundbreaking year for us.

We have been busy composing what we believe will be the best Renaissance music ever recorded.

With that in mind, we find ourselves facing the most crucial time in our career: funding the recording of our first studio album in over ten years, called Grandine il Vento.

We must raise all the monies to pay for the production, promotion and distribution ourselves, since major labels no longer care about the music we make nor most of the music you love. Together with you is the only way we can make it happen.

We have put together a program on the fundraising website Kickstarter. There you will find a vast array of pledge opportunities with rewards ranging from advance copies of the album to VIP tickets to concerts, original paintings, executive producer credits, home concerts, plus special items from our private memorabilia collections including two historic guitars and the dress Annie wore on BBC’s Top Of The Pops. Every dollar, pound, euro or yen raised will be put to good use.

Please visit our Kickstarter project and play an integral role in helping us bring Grandine il Vento to life, and to the ears of fans around the world.

Many Thanks,

Annie and Michael

Our Philadelphia friend and concert promoter Bill Rogers, who promoted our sold-out filmed/recorded September 23, 2011 ‘Turn Of The Cards’… ‘Scheherazade & Other Stories’ show at the Keswick Theater, has asked us to reprise the same show this October 27th at the Scottish Rite Auditorium in Collingswood, New Jersey for fans that couldn’t get tickets for that performance.

There will be a ticket pre-sale available for fans this coming Monday March 5 and general availability will begin on Tuesday March 6.

Pre-sale link: http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/0200486291D58669 – password is ‘BRE’

Stay tuned for updates about the new studio album, the tour and other goodies!

Dear Friends

I am so excited to have been invited by Pamela Ptak, a gifted Couture Dress Designer, to collaborate with her on a gown for a most unusual fashion show called ‘Frock & Roll’ to be held at The Baum School of Art in Allentown, PA, February 9th – March 2nd 2012.

Pamela came to see one of our Fall Renaissance shows and after hearing our song called ‘The Mystic and The Muse’felt inspired to create a gown. When she called me about this, it was the perfect opportunity to discuss the possibility of printing a painting (in this case ‘The Muse’) onto fabric and taking it that one step further.

Since I started painting I have visualised ‘wearing’ my art while singing, now this has become a reality thanks to Pamela and artist/dress designer Ileanna Olympia who so graciously shared her expertise for printing original art onto silk. They have made my dream come true. My painting ‘The Muse’ is now expressed in silk, and with the magical expert hands of Pamela has become a masterpiece.

The opening night is open to the public and the ‘meet and greet’ is also but involves an entrance fee. I would be so happy if you can join me at these two special events.

Opening reception free and open to the public
Monday February 13th 6-8pm

Designer Meet and Greet and Fashion show
Saturday February 25th event begins at 7pm

Please check out the poster for more information about the school and the fabulous designers/artists participating..

Love Annie x

Dear Friends,

It will be my favorite time of the year soon and where better to start it off than my annual ‘Holiday’ show at the Sellersville Theatre, Sellersville, PA.

Please come along… we always have fun and lots of magical, festive music!

With me will be my dear friends: Rave Tesar, Dave Keyes, Jason Hart and Frank Pagano and Denny Bridges on sound…

Practice your ‘singing’!

Hope to see you there.

Love and Peace,
Annie

Renaissance is proud to  headline the final NEARfest on June 23 2012

Dear Friends:

On behalf of the entire band, our crew, management, and those who helped to make our recent tour such a wonderful success and experience for all, we thank each and every one of you for your devotion and support.

We recorded and filmed the Keswick Theatre performance. Being it all sounds and looks great, we will be releasing a CD and DVD available only through our website in time for the Holidays (along with some very special Renaissance goodies).

As we now move forward with our own Renaissance, it is the loyalty and love we receive from each of you that makes this all so very worthwhile.

With much love and appreciation,

Good day to all.

Band, crew and equipment are neatly packed up and ready to head north today as the Turn Of The Cards and Scheherazade and Other Stories tour kicks off in Vermont Saturday. Annie, Michael, Rave, Dave, Frank, and Jason are all in fine form and spirits after a very intense schedule of rehearsals.

Everyone is looking forward to this run of shows and re-connecting with longtime friends and fans. Annie and Michael commented, “We wish that we could be playing for all our fans around the world, but we’ll be feeling their love every time we take to the stage. We’ve decided to record and film the shows so we can share the evening with everyone and will look forward many more shows in 2012”.

Ticket sales have been great, and there are a still a few of the special VIP packages left.

Photo: Richard Barnes

A limited number of Very Special Guest  packages will be made available to fans already holding tickets for the upcoming September tour. This package includes the following:

• Attend soundcheck with Renaissance (approximately 5-6pm on day of show, no photography or video)
• Personalized autographed Very Special Guest laminate pass on lanyard
• Personalized autographed official tour poster
• Attend a Meet and Greet with Renaissance directly after the show, plus your photo taken with the band (bring your own camera)

Cost: $99.00 per person. Available for purchase here.

I received the news this afternoon that Betty Thatcher Newsinger died of cancer on August 15.

I remember the first time I spoke with Betty, I was looking for a writing partner and Jim McCarty suggested I call her as he wanted to write lyrics as well as the music. They had been working together for a while. After speaking we decided that I would put down a couple of songs I’d recently completed on cassette tape and send down to her.

To my amazement in the mail three days later were the lyrics that were fantastic, she just knew what lyric would work with the music. That was the beginning of a wonderful partnership that lasted over fifteen years with songs that have become classics: Ashes are Burning, Carpet of the Sun, Mother Russia, and the hit single we had in the UK Northern Lights. These and more helped in the success of Renaissance.

Although we haven’t worked together for a while we are still touring and performing these classic songs. Both Annie and I remember those early days of working together and in the studio recording our best known work.

Her talent will be missed.

Michael Dunford

Michael Dunford, principal songwriter and guitarist of renowned symphonic progressive rock band Renaissance, will be offering two of his guitars for auction in August 2011:

• Yamaha FG-230 12-string acoustic guitar featured on every Dunford-era Renaissance studio album
• Ovation Adamas 12-string acoustic-electric guitar featured on every tour since 1978

Please visit the Michael Dunford Guitar Auction page for more information about the guitars and the auction.