Early Music America Fall 2012 - (Page 3)

Early Music America Board of Directors Robert A. Johnson Thomas Forrest Kelly Harvard University Buchanan Ingersoll P .C. Vice Presidents President Finalists Announced in New EMA Baroque Performance Competition Six ensembles have been selected as ﬁnalists in Early Music America’s new Baroque Performance Competition, which aims to promote the career development of new and emerging period instrument ensembles. The ﬁnalists were selected by an independent panel of three judges.The Grand Prize includes a cash award plus bookings on four prestigious early music concert series. The ensembles will compete in a live concert on October 10, 2012, at Corpus Christi Church in New York City, hosted by GEMS. The ﬁnalists (in alphabetical order) are: Agave Baroque. Aaron Westman, Baroque violin; Shirley Hunt, viola da gamba; JungHae Kim, harpsichord; Kevin Cooper, Baroque guitar. Agave Baroque is a dynamic, young Bay Area ensemble specializing in string chamber music of the 17th century. Now in their fourth season, Agave Baroque has emerged as a unique and innovative voice in the early music community, both locally and nationally. In 2011, Early Music America selected Agave Baroque as one of ﬁve ﬁnalists in the NAXOS/EMA Recording Competition. Agave Baroque has performed to soldout crowds throughout the Bay Area, including Barefoot Chamber Concerts, Chattanooga Chamber Music, Old First Concerts, Trinity Chamber Concerts, and the Berkeley Festival. On-air appearances include KPFK Paciﬁca Radio, New Mexico Public Radio, as NPR’s Harmonia. Agave Baroque has also presented several programs to groups of K-12 educators as part of the San Francisco Symphony’s “Keeping Score” program. Ostraka. Josh Lee, bass viola da gamba; John Lenti, theorbo; David Walker, guitar. Founded by Bay Area viol virtuoso Josh Lee, Ostraka has been described as “an utter intellectual and aural delight.” With lutenists John Lenti and David Walker, the trio explores oft-ignored music of the Renaissance and Baroque, bringing a dynamic intimacy to each performance. Recent engagements have brought Ostraka to audiences throughout the U.S. with performances in San Francisco, Boston, Tucson, Louisville, and Berkeley. Their debut recording Division was released in 2010 garnering the trio praise as an “ensemble that plays even the most exasperatingly difﬁcult music with total elegance and care.” Pallade Musica. Tanya LaPerrière, violin; Elinor Frey, violoncello; Esteban La Rotta, theorbo; Mylène Bélanger, harpsichord. Pallade Musica brings together four of Montreal’s most promising early music performers. Having played together for the past three seasons in groups such as Ensemble Caprice, Arion, and Proemio, the members of Pallade Musica discovered that they shared similar musical interests. Their debut on the 2011 Notti Barocche concert series in Montreal featured early seicento repertoire for violin and bass violin (cello) and continuo. Pallade Musica seeks to explore the repertoire for the violin and the cello in which the cello serves not only as the basso continuo, but as a melodic counterpart for the violin. The Sebastians. Daniel S. Lee, violin; Alexander Woods, violin; Ezra Seltzer, cello; Avi Stein, harpsichord. Praised for their “well-thought-out articulation and phrasing” (Early Music Review) and “elegant string playing…immaculate in tuning and balance” (Early Music Today), the Sebastians specialize in music of the Baroque and Classical eras and newly commissioned works for period instruments. The Sebastians were ﬁnalists in the 2011 York International Early Music Competition and the 2011 Early Music America/Naxos Recording Competition. This season they present a series of thematic concerts as artists-in-residence at Emanuel Lutheran Church in Manchester, CT, and will also participate in the Carnegie Hall Professional Training Workshop with L ’Arpeggiata. Les Sirènes. Kathryn Mueller, soprano; Kristen Watson, soprano; Michael Sponseller, harpsichord; Cora Swenson, Baroque cello. Boston-based Les Sirènes takes audiences on an exploration of the soprano voice and the Baroque repertory, offering programs that engage Continued on page 61 Early Music America Fall 2012 Angela Mariani Harmonia, Altramar, Texas Tech University Secretary Charlotte Newman KathleenSpencer Arts Administrator Assistant Secretary Franklin & Marshall College (ret.) Treasurer Christopher Bone Actuary Lewis Baratz Data Industries, Ltd.; Harpsichordist Marie-Hélène Bernard Handel and Haydn Society Thomas Cirillo Portland Baroque Orchestra Robert Cole Cal Performances (ret.) JoLynn Edwards University of Washington, Bothell Raymond Erickson Harpsichordist Valerie Horst Amherst Early Music David Klausner University of Toronto Hank Knox McGill University; Harpsichordist Alexandra MacCracken Ensemble Gaudior Elizabeth Macdonald Washington University Michael McCraw Indiana University Sarah Mead Brandeis University Robert Mealy Juilliard School of Music Charles Metz Optometrist; Harpsichordist Debra Nagy Case Western Reserve University Rachel Barton Pine Violinist Daniel Shoskes M.D., Cleveland Clinic Melissa Smey Miller Theatre, Columbia University Nell Snaidas Soprano Murray Forbes Somerville Organist Jeffrey Thomas American Bach Soloists Ruben Valenzuela Bach Collegium San Diego Bridgett van Wijk Heritage Helicopter Services; Ars Lyrica Houston Staff Executive Director Maria Coldwell Membership Director Sally Mitchell Advertising Manager Patrick Nugent 3 http://earlymusic.org/gems-presents-early-music-america-s-baroque-performance-competition

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Early Music America Fall 2012

Editor’s Note
EMA Competition
Sound Bytes
Musings: Listening Forward
Profile: A Classical Playlist on Your Cable Television
Recording Reviews
Reconstructing Spanish Songs from the Time of Cervantes
Janet See: Traversist on Two Continents
Musical Mosaic Explores “Perspectives of Interspersing Peoples”
Book Reviews
Ad Index
In Conclusion: Conducting Early Music

Early Music America Fall 2012