In its 17th season in 2012-13, Musica Spei (Music of Hope) explores the vast repertoire of rarely-performed, sacred choral masterworks of the medieval and renaissance periods, sharing the riches with audiences throughout central and western New York. Rehearsing and performing without a conductor and generally unaccompanied, the group develops its interpretations in a collaborative fashion, communicating and interacting like members of a jazz or chamber music ensemble. Musica Spei’s recent accomplishments include the release of a second CD, Cathedrals of Sound, and a reinvigoration of the Rochester Early Music Festival, which the group first organized in 2001.