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A Delightful Diversion.

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PasseriJoseph Lorang ~ violin
Tsutomu William Copeland ~ viola 
Clara Abel ~ violoncello 

Mozart's Divertimento in Eb Major, K. 563 is the only full-length string trio he ever composed. And full-length it certainly is — six movements long and clocking in at around 45 minutes — making it the second longest chamber work Mozart ever wrote, and a giant among string trios composed to this day. “Divertimento” is a genre typically associated with lighthearted, rather informal compositions meant purely for entertainment, and K. 563 stretches that definition in both its scope and profundity. This piece was composed in 1787−1788, a period during which Mozart was facing financial struggles. After repeated, increasingly desperate appeals to his friend Michael Puchberg, a textile merchant, to help him out by sending him money, Puchberg responded by giving Mozart a sizable loan. It is believed that Mozart wrote this piece in dedication to Puchberg in return for this gesture. This work takes advantage of all three voices' capacity for soloistic playing, featuring each of the three instruments in virtuosic roles as well as supporting ones. The result is an intricate conversation among three true equals.

The Passeri Quartet was formed in 2020 through Juilliard’s Historical Performance program. Its members have participated in American Bach Soloists, Boston Early Music Festival, Midtown Concerts, Juilliard String Quartet Seminar, Kneisel Hall, La Risonanza Early Music Academy, Oregon Bach Festival, and Trigonale Early Music Course. The musicians share an interest in expanding the string quartet repertoire on period instruments to include music from the Renaissance to the 21st century.

1:15–2:00 pm
All concerts are free; no tickets or reservations are necessary.

In person at St. Malachy's Church, 239 West 49th Street, Manhattan

Live stream details: You can watch it on your computer in any of two places by clicking on the name you wish: our website or YouTube.

Solo Bach Cantatas for Lent.

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Haigh_HintzscheMargaret Carpenter Haigh ~ soprano
Harrison Hintzsche ~ baritone
Caroline Giassi ~ oboe
Jude Ziliak ~ violin
Rafa Prendergast ~ violin
Daniel McCarthy ~ viola
Oliver Weston ~ violoncello
Nathaniel Chase ~ bass
Thomas Wilson ~ harpsichord

Harrison Hintzsche performs Bach's Cantata 82, Ich habe genug, in collaboration with oboist Caroline Giassi. The program is completed with Bach’s Cantata 199, Mein Herze schwimmt in Blut, with soprano Margaret Carpenter Haigh.

Baritone Harrison Hintzsche is a recitalist, concert singer, and ensemble musician who has been praised for his warm lyric tone, musical subtlety, and dedication to text. His love for Baroque music, art song, and choral music has taken him to world-class stages such as London’s Wigmore Hall, New York’s Alice Tully Hall, and Seoul’s National Theater of Korea. Recent performances include Cantata Collective’s live performance recording of J. S. Bach’s St. John Passion, led by Nicholas McGegan (bass arias, “Pilate”), Bach’s Magnificat with Jos van Veldhoven and the Oregon Bach Festival Chorus, John Blow’s opera Venus & Adonis with Early Music Access Project (“Adonis”), and Finzi’s In Terra Pax with the Choral Society of the Hamptons. He holds degrees in music from the Yale School of Music and St. Olaf College, and is a native of DeKalb, Illinois. harrisonhintzsche.com

Praised as “fiery, wild, and dangerous” (Classical Voice North Carolina) with “a talent for character portrayal” (Chicago Classical Review), soprano Margaret Carpenter Haigh captivates audiences with her “flawless intonation” and “perfect vocalism” (Classical Voice North Carolina). She is in demand as a specialist interpreter of early music throughout North America and has been featured with ensembles including the Memphis, Winston-Salem, and Portland Symphonies; Messiah Festival of the Arts; Bach Akademie Charlotte; Arizona MusicFest; Apollo’s Fire; Evansville Philharmonic; and her own ensemble L’Académie du Roi Soleil. Margaret resides in New York City where she is a member of the Choir of Trinity Wall Street. margaretcarpenterhaigh.com

1:15–2:00 pm
All concerts are free; no tickets or reservations are necessary.

In person at St. Malachy's Church, 239 West 49th Street, Manhattan

Live stream details: You can watch it on your computer in any of two places by clicking on the name you wish: our website or YouTube.

In Praise of Mother Mary.

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Filigree_Christina_Kim_credit_Gentle_Grace_PhotographyChristina Kay ~ soprano
Kim Leeds ~ mezzo-soprano
Christa Patton ~ harp

Filigree, featuring soprano Christina Kay and mezzo-soprano Kim Leeds, delves into music about the iconic figure, Mary, mother of Jesus. Works by female Baroque composers are paired with selections from the Cantigas de Santa Maria, exploring the complexity of Mother Mary as a human and divine figure through these epic — and sometimes even comic — miracle stories from the 13th century.

Filigree is a New England-based ensemble that recaptures the creative ethos of past eras to empower its artists to perform with a renewed sense of musical and theatrical autonomy. Founded by singers Kim Leeds and Christina Kay, Filigree brings more equality to the balance of composer versus performer to make each performance a unique experience.

Artist Website

1:15–2:00 pm
All concerts are free; no tickets or reservations are necessary.

In person at St. Malachy's Church, 239 West 49th Street, Manhattan

Live stream details: You can watch it on your computer in any of two places by clicking on the name you wish: our website or YouTube.

Italian Virtuosity from the 1600–1800s.

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Amelia_Sie_credit-Dennis_DizonAmelia Sie ~ violin
Nathaniel Whittaker ~ violoncello
Dani Zanutinni-Frank ~ theorbo & Baroque guitar
Kevin C. Devine ~ harpsichord

Violinist Amelia Sie explores the shifting language of Italian violin virtuosity from the 1600–1800s, highlighting the transition from use of ornamentation to practice of technical dexterity. This program features music from Marini to Paganini.

Based in New York City, Amelia Sie is a virtuosic and adventurous performer on modern and Baroque violin. She received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Violin Performance from New England Conservatory, where she studied with Paul Biss, Miriam Fried, and Soovin Kim. She most recently graduated with a Master’s degree in Historical Performance from The Juilliard School. Amelia specializes in Italian virtuoso music from the seventeenth through nineteenth centuries and chamber music of the Classical to early Romantic eras.

Artist Website

1:15–2:00 pm
All concerts are free; no tickets or reservations are necessary.

In person at St. Malachy's Church, 239 West 49th Street, Manhattan

Live stream details: You can watch it on your computer in any of two places by clicking on the name you wish: our website or YouTube.

Living Dangerously ~ Strings on Fire in 17th Century Italy.

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Abendmusik_Living_DangerouslyVita Wallace ~ violin 
Claire Smith Bermingham ~ violin 
Dan McCarthy ~ tenor violin 
Larry Lipnik ~ tenor viola da gamba 
Patricia Ann Neely ~ bass viola da gamba 
Richard Kolb ~ theorbo & archlute 

Whether on the run from the law or a jealous husband, revolutionizing musical style or instrumental technique, composers in 17th-century Italy lived on the edge and composed with heart on sleeve. The musicians of Abendmusik go out on a limb and relish the highs and lows of Rosenmüller, Castello, Stradella, and Strozzi.

Abendmusik, New York’s Early Music String Band showcases the rarely-performed repertoire of the late 16th and 17th centuries composed for string consort. The term “Abendmusik” refers to the free concert series established by the organist Franz Tunder in Lübeck churches in the 17th century. It was cultivated further by North German composer Dieterich Buxtehude in the early 18th century. Historically, Abendmusik programs featured sacred and secular vocal and instrumental solo and chamber works, as well as solo organ. The series became so popular, as a result of the free admission and the featured compositions, that it grew into a respectable cultural institution.

The string band Abendmusik explores music from both western and eastern Europe (Italy, the Hapsburg Empire of Austria and Spain, Kroměřiž in Moravia, Poland, Holland, England, Denmark and France) on period instruments.

Artist Website

1:15–2:00 pm
All concerts are free; no tickets or reservations are necessary.

In person at St. Malachy's Church, 239 West 49th Street, Manhattan

Live stream details: You can watch it on your computer in any of two places by clicking on the name you wish: our website or YouTube.

A Musical Banquet ~ 150 years of English keyboard music.

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omemed_credit_gabreile_martinelliOrhan Memed ~ harpsichord

What better way to stretch out last year's celebrations of the inimitable William Byrd (1540−1623) than to present a program that puts his music in the context of the great tradition of keyboard music from sixteenth and seventeenth-century England? From the earliest piece for a plucked keyboard instrument dating from the 1540s through to the majestic suites of Henry Purcell, the contrapuntal rigor of the English is always present, along with that certain quirkiness that charms us so.

Orhan Memed has lived in Rome since 2016. After piano and violin studies in the United States at the University of Southern California, and a doctorate in musicology at the University of Oxford, he moved to Paris to study the harpsichord with Huguette Dreyfus. Paris was his adopted city for over 20 years.

While beginning a performing career in the early 90’s, Orhan was named editor then managing director at Éditions de l’Oiseau-Lyre. His own published research encompasses early English keyboard music, eighteenth-century French vocal music and Macedonian folk music. He has most recently edited the complete keyboard works of Benjamin Cosyn for Musica Britannica. He has taught courses on the history of music and the history of opera for the Vassar College-Wesleyan University Program in Paris (1998–2008) and at the United Nations agency of the FAO since 2019.

In 1999 he was named Artistic Director of the Académie musicale de Villecroze in the south of France where he directed and organized masterclasses, composition workshops and musicological colloquia for over ten years. He is producer and author of several documentary films on artists including Christa Ludwig, Betsy Jolas, Keiko Abe and Jessye Norman. His recordings on harpsichord include Bach’s Goldberg Variations (2011), the Partitas (2013), the Toccatas (2016) and a collection of English music, A Musical Banquet (2020). Haydn & Mozart (2017) was his first solo piano recording, followed by Bach Partitas 342 (2017) and Scarlatti Sonatas (2020) and Haydn & Debussy (2022).

Artist Website

1:15–2:00 pm
All concerts are free; no tickets or reservations are necessary.

In person at St. Malachy's Church, 239 West 49th Street, Manhattan

Live stream details: You can watch it on your computer in any of two places by clicking on the name you wish: our website or YouTube.

The Grand Tour
Dances from England, France, Italy and Spain

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NYBDC_Julia_credit_Liz_Schneider-CohenJulia Bengtsson ~ dance & reconstruction 
Patrick Pride ~ dance 
Paul Shipper ~ music direction, recorder & guitar 
Jason Priset ~ guitar & theorbo 
Dongmyung Ahn ~ violin 

Audiences will be transported back to the 1700’s with virtuosic choreographies created for the most famous dancers of their time. They will be performed by Julia Bengtsson and Patrick Pride from The New York Baroque Dance Company, accompanied by musicians Jason Priset, Dongmyung Ahn and Paul Shipper. The New York Baroque Dance Company is America's leading Baroque dance ensemble and is led by Artistic Director Catherine Turocy.

Julia Bengtsson is a dancer and choreographer originally from Sweden. Her productions span from 18th-century opera-ballets to contemporary dance works and have been presented at Carnegie Hall, UN Headquarters, Bruno Walter Auditorium, and Alvin Ailey Dance Center.

Patrick Pride is originally from Richmond, Virginia and joined The New York Baroque Dance Company in 2021. Since he graduated with a BFA in Dance from Austin Peay State University, he has performed in musical theater productions and contemporary dance works in New York and beyond.

Paul Shipper is a Grammy-nominated singer, instrumentalist and stage director. He is a renowned early music specialist who has performed in all 50 states and 17 countries.

Jason Priset specializes in historical guitars and lute. An international guest artist, he holds a Doctor of Musical Arts from Stony Brook University and a post Doctorate degree from Escola Superior de Musica de Catalunya (ESMUC) in Barcelona, Spain.

Dongmyung Ahn is a Baroque violinist and musicologist. She is a performer, educator, and scholar and directs Queens College Baroque Ensemble.

Artist Website

1:15–2:00 pm
All concerts are free; no tickets or reservations are necessary.

In person at St. Malachy's Church, 239 West 49th Street, Manhattan

Live stream details: You can watch it on your computer in any of two places by clicking on the name you wish: our website or YouTube.

Playing with Fire.

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Silentwoods Collective promo credit Cynthia Roberts webCristina Prats-Costa, Ryan Cheng, Lindsie Katz, Lydia Becker, Eleanor Legault & Epongue Ekille ~ violins 
Ela Kodžas & Annemarie Schubert ~ violas 
Allen Maracle & Andrew Koutroubas ~ violoncellos 
Jonathan Liuk ~ bass 
Jason Priset ~ lute 
Dani Zanuttini-Frank ~ guitar 
Elené Tabagari ~ harpsichord 
Mei Stone & Melanie Williams ~ flutes 
Ezra Gans ~ bassoon

Playing with Fire was first conceived as a journey through myriad Italian Baroque aesthetics and musical expressions. It begins with Corelli’s grandiose first Concerto Grosso from his Op. 6 collection, prominently featuring two violins and solo violoncello in dialogue with one another and the rest of the orchestra. The triumphant end of this piece ushers in Durante’s Second Concerto for Strings. Wandering with little certainty into a mysterious and emotionally charged arena, each movement of this piece includes the key descriptive word “affetuoso” in its title. Complete with fiery violin solos throughout, Durante guides us through various shades of tenderness, passion, and affection. Scarlatti’s Sinfonia introduction to his Oratorio Il Giardino di Rose comprises several short and severely contrasted movements. Concluding with a lively and joyous dance, we move to Vivaldi’s Concerto for Two Violoncellos, which ignites from the depths of the instrument with menacing, impassioned tones. Followed by a melancholic and dreamy second movement with nuanced back and forth dialogue between the two solo violoncellos, our program finishes by featuring the whole band of 17 musicians with Vivaldi’s uplifting and lighthearted Concerto for Two Flutes.

Silentwoods Collective is an artist-run organization focused on community building through public arts offerings and support for young artists. Our vision, to make inspiring live performance experiences commonplace, keeps us keenly focused on constantly re-evaluating the modes in which we present early music. We currently have a small team of artists working together to develop an immersive, multimedia, narrative-based series. This project will be a major undertaking requiring a variety of artists and volunteers from the community and every installment of it will remain accessible to the public free of charge. Our program, Playing with Fire featuring 17 current and graduated students of The Juilliard School’s Historical Performance program will be one of the last traditional concert programs we present for the foreseeable future as we work to develop new innovative offerings for you, our audience.

Artist Website

1:15–2:00 pm
All concerts are free; no tickets or reservations are necessary.

In person at St. Malachy's Church, 239 West 49th Street, Manhattan

Live stream details: You can watch it on your computer in any of two places by clicking on the name you wish: our website or YouTube.

Treasures of the High Baroque: Two Bach Sonatas for Violin & Harpsichord BWV 1016 & 1023.

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Schwarz Shin webJörg-Michael Schwarz ~ violin
Dongsok Shin ~ harpsichord

Dedicated to the Memory of
Karen Marie Marmer (26 January 1957–21 July 2020)
Founder, violinist & manager of REBEL

The six sonatas for violin and obbligato harpsichord (BWV 1014–1019) represent some of Bach's most eloquent and ingenious contrapuntal writing, where harpsichord and violin form a fully integrated trio texture. In the Sonata Violino solo col Basso in E minor (BWV 1023) the harpsichord takes the usual role of continuo accompaniment. Bach’s authorship of this second selection is still somewhat doubtful.

JÖRG-MICHAEL SCHWARZ, a prize winner in several international violin competitions, has performed throughout the Americas, Asia, Australia and Europe, and is recognized as one of North America’s foremost exponents of the Baroque violin. He served as concertmaster for the Barockorchester Stuttgart (1992–96) and has performed and recorded with the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, Anima Eterna and Musica Antiqua Köln. Co-founder/director of REBEL, he has also served as concertmaster/soloist with the New York Collegium, American Bach Soloists, American Classical Orchestra and the Portland Baroque Orchestra.

Much in demand as a soloist and continuo player, DONGSOK SHIN has been a member of REBEL since 1997 and has appeared with the American Classical Orchestra, ARTEK, Concert Royal, Early Music New York, Carmel Bach Festival, Mark Morris Dance Group, The New York Philharmonic, the Orchestra of St. Luke’s and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. He has recorded for ATMA, Bridge, Dorian/Sono Luminus, Hänssler, Helicon, Lyrichord, and Newport Classic. Alongside performing, he tunes and maintains harpsichords in the New York area and is well-known as a recording engineer, as well as a producer and editor of many early music recordings.

Artist Website

1:15–2:00 pm
All concerts are free; no tickets or reservations are necessary.

In person at St. Malachy's Church, 239 West 49th Street, Manhattan

Live stream details: You can watch it on your computer in any of two places by clicking on the name you wish: our website or YouTube.

Tonos y canciones.

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Emericus Ensemble credit Laura Sindell webElise Figa ~ soprano
Carlos Cuestas ~ Baroque guitar and 19th century guitar

Tonos y canciones showcases the enduring tradition of vocal music with guitar accompaniment in Spain. Focused on works by José Marin (ca. 1619–1699) and Fernando Sor (ca. 1778–1839), this program represents the composers’ interplay between local traditions and the nascent universality of Western music in the Baroque and early Romantic eras.

Emericus Ensemble explores the musical intersections between Europe and the Americas during the times of empire and revolution. The ensemble embraces the popularity of vocal music and plucked instruments to showcase repertoires imbued with transatlantic influences between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries. Established in 2013, Emericus Ensemble continues to present creative programs with outstanding musicianship for remarkable listening experiences.

Artist Website

1:15–2:00 pm
All concerts are free; no tickets or reservations are necessary.

In person at St. Malachy's Church, 239 West 49th Street, Manhattan

Live stream details: You can watch it on your computer in any of two places by clicking on the name you wish: our website or YouTube.

Une femme | due donne | a woman.

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La Forza webLydia Becker ~ violin
Jimmy Drancsak ~ violin
Charles Reed ~ violoncello & viola da gamba
Alice M. Chuaqui Baldwin ~ harpsichord

Une femme | due donne | a woman showcases some of the highlights of the trio sonata repertoire written by women composers during the Baroque period. Featuring familiar names including Jacquet de La Guerre and Leonarda, this program also brings to light works by lesser-known composers Marieta Prioli and an English composer known only by her pseudonym “Mrs. Philarmonica”.

Founded in 2022, La forza delle stelle | Baroque Orchestra is a period instrument orchestra based in Montclair, New Jersey. In addition to playing orchestral repertoire from the Baroque period, members of La forza delle stelle also branch-out to plumb the depths of the Baroque chamber repertoire, with a focus on bringing to light unknown and underperformed works.

Artist Website

1:15–2:00 pm
All concerts are free; no tickets or reservations are necessary.

In person at St. Malachy's Church, 239 West 49th Street, Manhattan

Live stream details: You can watch it on your computer in any of two places by clicking on the name you wish: our website or YouTube.

A Battle of the Sexes: Italian Composers from 1300 to 1800.

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Angelica carouselMarie Caruso ~ Artistic Director

Christina Bruno, Claire Collins, Joan Cornachio, Virginia Kaycoff, Anita Massengill, Kathleen McClafferty, Wilma Messenger, Mary Peck, Julia Perrin, Laura Ravotti, Susan Saslow, Amy Yoshizumi

Virginia Kaycoff ~ viola da gamba
Claire Collins ~ percussion
Claire Collins, Wilma Messenger, Laura Ravotti ~ recorders
Special Guest Artist: Richard Kolb ~ theorbo

Renowned male composers and lesser-known female composers take turns in this thought-provoking program by Angelica. Alongside pieces by Marenzio, Monteverdi, Scarlatti, you will hear music by Francesca Caccini, Maddelena Casulana, Leonora d’Este, and others. Despite living in a musical world historically dominated by men, these women overcame obstacles to create music of substance that today is becoming more recognized.

Angelica performs a rich repertory ranging from early anonymous music to contemporary compositions. The group sings in a variety of genres, including chant, Sephardic, Celtic, and American folk, sometimes accompanying themselves with instruments. Angelica has performed internationally in choral festivals in Italy and Lithuania. The ensemble has been lauded as having “a gorgeous sound, rich sonorities, and transparent harmonies.”

Artist Website

1:15–2:00 pm
All concerts are free; no tickets or reservations are necessary.

In person at St. Malachy's Church, 239 West 49th Street, Manhattan

Live stream details: You can watch it on your computer in any of two places by clicking on the name you wish: our website or YouTube.

The Odd Couple: Lindley and Dragonetti.

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Resonate webNathan Whittaker ~ violoncello
Nathaniel Chase ~ double bass

Robert Lindley and Domenico Dragonetti were stars of the Opera in London from 1792 to 1846, but they weren’t singers, or even the conductors. The gregarious Yorkshireman Lindley and shy Italian Dragonetti were the charismatic principal cellist and bassist, and best friends, who for 52 years famously entertained the audiences with their own duets and renditions of Corelli Sonatas.

Acclaimed period instrument performers cellist Nathan Whittaker and bassist Nathaniel Chase team up for a special project: exploring the oft forgotten and under-performed works for cello & bass through the lens of Robert Lindley and Domenico Dragonetti. They have both performed with the Trinity Baroque Orchestra, the Sebastians, the Arizona Early Music Festival, and with other prominent organizations.

1:15–2:00 pm
All concerts are free; no tickets or reservations are necessary.

In person at St. Malachy's Church, 239 West 49th Street, Manhattan

Live stream details: You can watch it on your computer in any of two places by clicking on the name you wish: our website or YouTube.

Veni, Redemptor Gencium.

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Concordian Dawn 2023Amber Evans ~ soprano & percussion
David Dickey ~ countertenor & recorder
Clifton Massey ~ countertenor
Thomas McCargar ~ baritone
Niccolo Seligmann ~ vielle & percussion
Christopher Preston Thompson ~ director, tenor & medieval harp

This Christmas concert transports the listener back to the Middle Ages, highlighting some of the most beautiful and rarely heard repertoire from the medieval holiday season. With one of the earliest surviving polyphonic mass compilations, Missa Tournai, as the concert’s centerpiece, Concordian Dawn offers a true holiday commemoration through medieval liturgy and carols.

Concordian Dawn brings twelfth through fourteenth century primary source material to life for modern audiences across the country. Their “mesmerizing” (Early Music America) debut album, Fortuna Antiqua et Ultra, was released in December of 2021 to critical acclaim, and their recent collaboration with medieval studies scholar, Sarah Kay, entitled Medieval Song from Aristotle to Opera, was released by Cornell University Press in July of 2022.

Artist Website

1:15–2:00 pm
All concerts are free; no tickets or reservations are necessary.

In person at St. Malachy's Church, 239 West 49th Street, Manhattan

Live stream details: You can watch it on your computer in any of two places by clicking on the name you wish: our website or YouTube.

Music in the 19th-century American Parlor: The Melodeon and Cottage Organ.

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Wodehouse Artis credit Ron Terner webArtis Wodehouse ~ harmoniumist
1863 Treat & Davis Melodeon and 1871 Estey Cottage Organ

Lost in the mists of history, the most common keyboard to be found in 19th-century parlors was not the piano, but the foot-pump reed organ or harmonium. Artis will play period repertoire on two outstanding and typical examples — an 1863 melodeon made in Connecticut and an 1871 cottage organ made in Vermont — from her instrument collection.

Pianist, harmoniumist, and organist Artis Wodehouse has devoted her career to preserving and disseminating neglected but valuable music and instruments from the past with an emphasis on American music. Cited by The New York Times as “savior of the old and neglected,” Artis performs on a representative group of antique reed organs, harmoniums and pianos she has restored to concert condition.

Artist Website

1:15–2:00 pm
All concerts are free; no tickets or reservations are necessary.

In person at St. Malachy's Church, 239 West 49th Street, Manhattan

Live stream details: You can watch it on your computer in any of two places by clicking on the name you wish: our website or YouTube.

New Sounds, Old Notes.

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in nomine 2 credit Mei Stone web

Jimmy Drancsak ~ violin
Mei Stone ~ flute & recorder
Morgan Davison ~ bassoon
Hanbyeol Lee ~ harpsichord

Spanning almost one hundred years, this repertoire comprises four national, compositional, and musical styles which envelops an abundance of emotions and a variety of musical languages. Starting in Italy, then France, Germany, and ending in Scotland, the music in this program is delicately placed so the listener can be transported to different times and different places.

Hailing from The Juilliard School, In Nomine Ensemble has recently joined the historical performance scene along the East Coast. Because of its unique instrumentation of Baroque violin, Baroque flute, Baroque bassoon, and harpsichord, the ensemble offers a distinct interpretation to the pieces it performs, mostly written during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. In Nomine Ensemble strives to bring its passion of historically-informed performance to various audiences.

Artist Website

In person: 1:15–2:00 pm
Online: 7:00–7:45 pm

All concerts are free; no tickets or reservations are necessary.

In person at St. Malachy's Church, 239 West 49th Street, Manhattan

*Please note: This concert will NOT be live streamed.

Because of technical issues, we will NOT be live streaming the concert this coming Thursday, December 7, but will record it and premiere it on our YouTube Channel at 7 pm.

Visit the Midtown Concerts or YouTube websites to access our channel and this concert as well as most of our previous concerts. We are very hopeful that the live streaming of our concerts will be resumed next week.

Dynasties: Two Families, Four Hands.

Our apologies to anyone who tried to live stream the concert live! We had technical difficulties with the internet and the stream went down. The good news is that the recorded concert is now online in full. WATCH IT HERE

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Figg Koester webElliot Figg ~ harpsichord
Caitlyn Koester ~ harpsichord

Two dynasties reign within the Baroque keyboard world: the Bachs and the Couperins. Each family boasts generations of organists and courtly keyboardists, and their compositions create the bulk of Baroque keyboard repertoire explored in classrooms and concert halls today. Harpsichordists Elliot Figg and Caitlyn Koester honor these dynasties with a selection of music for two keyboards and four hands.

Harpsichordists Elliot Figg and Caitlyn Koester met in New York City in 2019. Sharing a love of opera scores, double-continuo, and modern arrangements of historical music, they strive to show audiences the sonic possibilities of their instrument. After much time spent workshopping their individual projects together, they make their duo debut in this concert.

Elliot Figg Website

Caitlyn Koester website

1:15–2:00 pm
All concerts are free; no tickets or reservations are necessary.

In person at St. Malachy's Church, 239 West 49th Street, Manhattan

Live stream details: You can watch it on your computer in any of two places by clicking on the name you wish: our website or YouTube.

Found in a Flea Market: The Carlo G Manuscript.

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Gwendolyn Audrey webGwendolyn Toth ~ harpsichord 
Audrey Fernandez-Fraser ~ soprano 

This recently-discovered manuscript gives a glimpse into early ornamentation notated with rarely-seen specificity in an array of songs for voice and continuo. Today's concert brings several of these vocal works to the modern ear, a revelation of historical style for interpreters of early music. These are interspersed with Gwen's original intabulations of early motets, made in the style of Carlo G.

Gwendolyn Toth introduced Audrey Fernandez-Fraser to the Carlo manuscript as a means of assimilating Italian Baroque performance practice. In this process of practicing ornamentation for application in the singing of polyphonic masses and motets, the opportunity arose to perform multiple Carlo G and related works as a duo during masses at St. Ignatius of Antioch Episcopal Church.

Gwendolyn's Website

Audrey's Website

 

In person at St. Malachy's Church, 239 West 49th Street, Manhattan

Live stream details: You can watch it on your computer in any of two places by clicking on the name you wish: our website or YouTube.

Telemann the Godfather.

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Night Music Collage webLeon Schelhase ~ harpsichord
Geoffrey Burgess ~ oboe
Karen Dekker ~ violin & viola
Steven Zohn ~ flute
Eve Miller ~ violoncello

When Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach wrote in 1775 that Telemann "raised me out of the baptismal font," he may very well have meant that in both a symbolic and literal way. Telemann was Emanuel’s godfather and fulfilled that role extensively throughout Emanuel’s life. Join Night Music in an intimate and colorful program which explores Telemann as the godfather with works by the godson and J.G. Janitsch.

Night Music, co-directed by Heather Lardin Miller and Steven Zohn, is a Philadelphia-based chamber ensemble dedicated to exploring and performing music of the Revolutionary era. Our repertory ranges from duos and trios to large-scale chamber works combining strings and winds, as in the imaginative symphony arrangements that were so popular around 1800.

Our musicians are among the country's leading players specializing in historically-informed concerts. They perform with and hold leadership positions in many prominent period instrument ensembles, including Philadelphia's Tempesta di Mare and Boston’s Handel & Haydn Society.

Artist Website

1:15–2:00 pm
All concerts are free; no tickets or reservations are necessary.

In person at St. Malachy's Church, 239 West 49th Street, Manhattan

Live stream details: You can watch it on your computer in any of two places by clicking on the name you wish: our website or YouTube.

A Conversation with Bach: Sonatas for Violin and Harpsichord.

Watch the full concert online here

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Roberts Sykes webCynthia Roberts ~ violin
Peter Sykes ~ harpsichord

J.S. Bach’s G Major Sonata is full of joy and lyrical energy and is contrasted with the C minor Sonata with its passionate darkness. In both of these obligato sonatas, Bach uses the two voices of the harpsichord and the one voice of the violin to converse at the highest level.

Cynthia Roberts and Peter Sykes are on the faculty of the Historical Program at The Juilliard School and enjoy playing recitals together whenever possible. They especially gravitate to performing the music of Bach.

 

1:15–2:00 pm
All concerts are free; no tickets or reservations are necessary.

In person at St. Malachy's Church, 239 West 49th Street, Manhattan

Live stream details: You can watch it on your computer in any of two places by clicking on the name you wish: our website or YouTube.

The Gebauer Hour.

Watch online here

View the program

Goler collageAaron Goler, Morgan Davison & Ezra Gans ~ bassoons 
Kelsey Burnham ~ flute 
Elise Bonhivert ~ clarinet 
Rachel Nierenberg ~ horn 

François-René Gebauer (1773–1845) was a Parisian bassoonist and composer. His inventive and virtuosic chamber music explores the uniquely colorful soundscapes possible on Classical-era wind instruments. This program showcases unusual and sonorous instrument combinations, including a duo for natural horn and bassoon and a trio for three bassoons. Hurricanic power, gentle as a flower; hear historic winds have fun in the Gebauer Hour.

Aaron Goler is a seasoned performer on historical bassoons of all sorts. A graduate of The Juilliard School, Aaron has played with orchestras across North America and Europe including Boston Baroque, Les Arts Florissants, and Concerto Köln. He loves organizing chamber music, and is excited to present this program alongside some of the best historical wind players in New York.

Artist Website

1:15–2:00 pm
All concerts are free; no tickets or reservations are necessary.

In person at St. Malachy's Church, 239 West 49th Street, Manhattan

Live stream details: You can watch it on your computer in any of two places by clicking on the name you wish: our website or YouTube.

GEMS is a non-profit corporation that supports and promotes the artists and organizations in New York devoted to early music — playing repertoire from the Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, and early Classical periods.