Contact: 416-766-2415, jennifer.francisco@utoronto.ca


Michael Franklin is a singer and multi-instrumentalist specializing in the performance of European medieval, renaissance and traditional music. He has studied early music performance at the University of Toronto, the Royal Conservatory of Music, and with the Sequentia Ensemble for Medieval Music at the University of British Columbia.

Michael is active in the Toronto concert scene and has performed with Ensemble Ben Trobar, The Hogtown Waytes, Fools Dance, The Toronto Consort and Recordare. He has been recorded for film and television soundtracks, for broadcast by the CBC, and has toured in parts of Quebec and Central Europe with Oriflamme. Michael is also often heard demonstrating period music and instruments at many Toronto museums and historic sites.

Jennifer Francisco is a percussionist and singer.

Her interest in hand drumming styles led her to study Arabic percussion and the Galician pandeireta (tambourine) but she also plays the Irish bodhran and Turkish davul.

She has studied vocal technique as well as Arabic, Balkan and European medieval singing.

As a percussionist Jennifer performed with the Arabesque Dance Company in their acclaimed productions Call of the Nile and Descent of Ishtar at Harbourfron't Studio Theatre as well as a number of Toronto Fringe Dance Theatre productions and public Arabic dance demonstrations. She continues to appear as a vocal soloist and percussionist in the Echo Women's Choir. In 2001 she began to perform with the medieval juggling and music group Oriflamme.

The artistic collaboration of Jen Francisco and Mike Franklin, Moresca, presents an exciting and entertaining mix of mostly European folk and early music. Combining voices, Arabic and Turkish percussion, Spanish bagpipes, Hungarian hurdy-gurdy, Renaissance shawms and crumhorn, and many types of historical and folk flutes, Moresca brings a fresh perspective to songs and dances from various musical styles and traditions, and different times and places.

Moresca has performed at the Royal Ontario Museum, the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art, Harbourfront Centre, the Museum of Civilization in Hull, Quebec, the Church of the Holy Trinity, the Junction Arts Festival, First Night Toronto 2003, 2004 and the Textile Museum.