Custer LaRue
Encyclopedia
Custer LaRue is a soprano
vocalist of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. She specializes in Renaissance music
and traditional Folk music
such as the Child ballads
and music collected in Appalachia
during the early 20th century.
She is from Bath County, Virginia
, and attended Mary Baldwin College
and the Peabody Conservatory, where she received a Bachelor of Music
degree in 1979.
She served as the lead singer for The Baltimore Consort
between 1983 and 2004, and has also worked as a solo artist with ad hoc groups of supporting musicians, with recordings released on the Dorian label.
In the movie "Hunters moon" 1997 Custer LaRue sings "Soldier boy", a folk song, slightly changed, fron the southern Appalachians.
In the 2004 film Vanity Fair
, LaRue's singing was used to voice-over Reese Witherspoon
's three songs: "Over The Mountains/The Great Adventurer," "Now Sleeps The Crimson Petal," and "The Mermaids Song".
In 2009, she was recognized with the "Peabody Alumni Achievement Award Recognizing Outstanding Contributions to Music in Maryland".
Soprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
vocalist of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. She specializes in Renaissance music
Renaissance music
Renaissance music is European music written during the Renaissance. Defining the beginning of the musical era is difficult, given that its defining characteristics were adopted only gradually; musicologists have placed its beginnings from as early as 1300 to as late as the 1470s.Literally meaning...
and traditional Folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
such as the Child ballads
Child Ballads
The Child Ballads are a collection of 305 ballads from England and Scotland, and their American variants, collected by Francis James Child in the late nineteenth century...
and music collected in Appalachia
Appalachia
Appalachia is a term used to describe a cultural region in the eastern United States that stretches from the Southern Tier of New York state to northern Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia. While the Appalachian Mountains stretch from Belle Isle in Canada to Cheaha Mountain in the U.S...
during the early 20th century.
She is from Bath County, Virginia
Bath County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 5,048 people, 2,053 households, and 1,451 families residing in the county. The population density was 10 people per square mile . There were 2,896 housing units at an average density of 5 per square mile...
, and attended Mary Baldwin College
Mary Baldwin College
Mary Baldwin College is a private, independent, and comprehensive four-year liberal arts women's college in Staunton, Virginia. It was ranked in 2008 by US News & World Report as a top-tier, master's level university in the South. Mary Baldwin offers pre-professional programs in law, medicine,...
and the Peabody Conservatory, where she received a Bachelor of Music
Bachelor of Music
Bachelor of Music is an academic degree awarded by a college, university, or conservatory upon completion of program of study in music. In the United States, it is a professional degree; the majority of work consists of prescribed music courses and study in applied music, usually requiring a...
degree in 1979.
She served as the lead singer for The Baltimore Consort
The Baltimore Consort
The Baltimore Consort is a musical ensemble that performs a wide variety of early music, Renaissance music and music from later periods. They began in 1980 as a group specializing in music of the Elizabethan period, but soon expanded their repertoire to include Scottish music, broadside ballads,...
between 1983 and 2004, and has also worked as a solo artist with ad hoc groups of supporting musicians, with recordings released on the Dorian label.
In the movie "Hunters moon" 1997 Custer LaRue sings "Soldier boy", a folk song, slightly changed, fron the southern Appalachians.
In the 2004 film Vanity Fair
Vanity Fair (2004 film)
Vanity Fair is a 2004 British-American costume drama film directed by Mira Nair and adapted from William Makepeace Thackeray's novel of the same name...
, LaRue's singing was used to voice-over Reese Witherspoon
Reese Witherspoon
Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon , better known as Reese Witherspoon, is an American actress and film producer. Witherspoon landed her first feature role as the female lead in the film The Man in the Moon in 1991; later that year she made her television acting debut, in the cable movie Wildflower...
's three songs: "Over The Mountains/The Great Adventurer," "Now Sleeps The Crimson Petal," and "The Mermaids Song".
In 2009, she was recognized with the "Peabody Alumni Achievement Award Recognizing Outstanding Contributions to Music in Maryland".