FLC is a proud host of a series of events related to the 2015 Boston Early Music Festival, from June 7-13, 2015 . Founded in 1980 by a group of dedicated performers and instrument makers interested in promoting historical performance in the United States, the Boston Early Music Festival (BEMF) is now universally recognized as a leader in the field of early music. Through a wide array of acclaimed performances, exciting and educational events, and Grammy-nominated opera recordings, BEMF has earned its place as North America’s premier presenting organization for conservators and performers of music of the Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, and Classical periods and has secured Boston’s reputation as “America’s early music capital” (The Boston Globe).
One of the most important features of each Festival is the remarkable array of Fringe Concerts—performances by nearly 100 soloists and ensembles from New England, North America, and Europe—that ilumine the the wonderful music and musicians of the Early Music field. The 2015 lineup will include concerts by Chatham Baroque, New York Continuo Collective, Pegasus Early Music with NYS Baroque, HESPERUS, and Musical Offering, to name but a few.
2015 BEMF Schedule at First Lutheran Church of Boston:
SUNDAY JUNE 7
3pm Antico Moderno (Balint Karosi and Jacques Lee Wood, artistic co-directors)
New compositions by the winners of Antico Moderno’s first composers’ workshop. The Antico Moderno 2015 Composers Workshop offeres composers a chance to work closely with a professional period chamber ensemble so that they may enhance their knowledge of historical instruments and performance practices and the musical/compositional possibilities these offer. Selected composers will have their works performed in this concert premiering the new works. FREE
MONDAY JUNE 8
4:30pm Infusion Baroque (Alexa Raine-Wright, Baroque flute & recorder; Sallynee Amawat, Baroque violin; Camille Paquette-Roy, Baroque violoncello; Rona Nadler, harpsichord). “Who Killed Leclair?” At six o’clock on the morning of October 24, 1764, the violin virtuoso and composer Jean-Marie Leclair was found stabbed to death in the entryway of his home in a suburb of Paris. No one was ever charged with his murder, and the mystery remains unsolved to this day. Infusion Baroque presents a dramatized telling of this intriguing story, alongside performances of chamber works by the great composer and hiscontemporaries. First Lutheran Church. $20 (discounts may apply). www.infusionbaroque.com.
6:30pm Friends of Tom Zajac (Boston Shawm and Sackbut Ensemble, Dünya, Boston Camerata, Piffaro, Blue Heron, Renaissonics, and others). Battaglia d’Amor: A Benefit Concert for Tom Zajac. Performers from Boston’s Early Music Scene present a gala concert to benefit Tom Zajac as he recovers from surgery. All proceeds will go directly to Tom. Please see the Artist Directory for the full list of ensembles. First Lutheran Church. $20 suggested donation.
TUESDAY JUNE 9
10am Bálint Karosi, organ & harpsichord. J. S. Bach: The Art of Fugue. Bálint Karosi, First Prize winner of the 2008 International J. S. Bach Competition in Leipzig, performs the entire Art of Fugue. All proceeds go to the family of Rev. Ingo Dutzmann, who recently lost their home in a fire. First Lutheran Church. $20 suggested donation. www.karosi.org.
THURSDAY JUNE 11
PART ONE: 9AM TO 11AM WILLIAM PORTER
Among America’s most esteemed organists, William Porter has been a featured performer at each BEMF Organ Mini-Festival since its inception in 2003, and he has served as its director since 2009. In addition to continuing an active performing schedule, he has taught at Oberlin, Yale, and New England Conservatory, and is presently on the faculty of the Eastman School of Music and McGill University.
PART TWO: 11:30AM TO 1:30PM DAVID YEARSLEY
The only musician ever to win all major prizes at the Bruges Early Music Festival competition, organist David Yearsley is also an acclaimed musicologist and author praised for both his engaging communicative skills and his impeccable scholarship. He is a Professor of Music at Cornell University.
PART THREE: 2PM TO 4PM: JOHN SCOTT
Hailed for his “perfect combination of technical virtuosity and intense musicianship” by Gramophone, organist John Scott has performed on five continents and alongside some of the most prestigious artists and ensembles. He is the Organist and Director of Music at New York City’s St. Thomas Church after serving in the same role for twenty-four years at London’s St. Paul Cathedral.
FRIDAY JUNE 12
10am RUMBARROCO/La Donna Musicale. Latin Baroque Fusion. Haunting melodies from Spain, featuring a unique blend of Spanish, Jewish, and Arabic culture, spiced up with exuberant Latin American rhythms, and with a detour to Russian favorites, jazz, and women composers. Music by Narvaez, Pisador, Ortiz, Fernadez, Modesta Bor, and others. First Lutheran Church. $15 (discounts may apply). www.ladm.org.
2pm Antico Moderno (Balint Karosi and Jacques Lee Wood, artistic co-directors). Reflections. In line with the group’s mission, “Reflections” features three New England–based composers as they respond to seminal works of Bach and Vivaldi. Robert Honstein’s Night Scenes from Ospedale was written to celebrate the 300th anniversary of Vivaldi’s L’Estro Armonico, and imagines dark and dreamy nocturnal interludes to pair with the bright, active concerti. Balint Karosi’s Bach Studies fall between the movements of a Bach trio sonata, creating a dialogue within the piece itself. First Lutheran Church. $15. www.anticomoderno.org.
3:30pm Ensemble Musica Humana (Corinne Byrne, soprano; Lidia Chang, flute; Andrew Kozar, trumpet; Dylan Sauerwald, harpsichord). Of Love/Of War. Ensemble Musica Humana presents a program of Alessandro Scarlatti, Melani, Handel, and Purcell, featuring vocal and instrumental repertoire on themes of “war” and “peace.” The trumpet and flute provide perfect duet partners to the voice, while contrasting with each other in timbre and connotation. These uniquely orchestrated musical selections will illustrate the duality between the two reigning Baroque aesthetics: Love and War. First Lutheran Church. $15 (discounts may apply). www.ensemblemusicahumana.com.
SATURDAY JUNE 13
12 noon Convivium Musicum. Sweelinck. Program features the music of Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck, the most famous Dutch composer of the late 16th and early 17th centuries. First Lutheran Church. $10 suggested donation. 617-320-7445; ruthiegm@gmail.com; www.convivium.org.
5pm Canto Armonico, directed by Dr. Ulf Wellner. Festive Vespers for Trinity from Lübeck’s Marienkirche, ca. 1660. A vespers service as it might have been performed in the Marienkirche under the direction of Franz Tunder, with music by Monteverdi’s successor at San Marco, Giovanni Rovetta, and his circle. All music from the Marienkirche’s choir library has been prepared by musicologist Kerala Snyder. First Lutheran Church. FREE (donations gratefully accepted). www.cantoarmonico.org.
For more events visit: www.bemf.org
Preliminary 2015 Fringe Concert Schedule: updated May 22, 2015
