Festival Concert Series
Part of the Amherst Early Music Festival, July 2-16, 2023 on the campus of Muhlenberg College, Allentown, PA.
All concerts are at 7:30 pm, except the opera, which begins at 8 pm.
All concerts are free for the public! Masks for audience members may be required.
Baroque Academy Faculty Concert
Thursday, July 6, 7:30 p.m.
Baker Theater in the Trexler Pavilion for Theatre and Dance
Featuring Baroque Academy Faculty: Saskia Coolen recorder, Hsuan-Wen Chen harpsichord, Arthur Haas harpsichord, Peter Sykes harpsichord, Ingrid Matthews violin, Phoebe Carrai cello, Sarah Cunningham viol, Heather Miller Lardin double bass, Gwyn Roberts recorder & flute, Meg Owens oboe, and Wouter Verschuren bassoon & dulcian
Baroque Opera: L'Erismena by Francesco Cavalli
Friday, July 7, 8:00 p.m.
Empire Theatre in the Baker Center for the Arts
Directed by Grant Herreid, with Drew Minter, vocal coaching and gesture, Lawrence Rosenwald, texts, and Dorothy Olsson, historical dance. English translation by Robert Bargrave
L’Erismena is one of the best of Cavalli’s 40 operas. It is full of lilting and mellifluous melodies and hilarious plot twists and mistaken identities. Almost every character is paired at the end of the Opera with a different person than the one they began with. Since sung opera was new in late 17th c England, our production will be set in a public theater c. 1675-80, such as described by Samuel Pepys in his diaries. An actor playing Bargrave will explain various aspects of the confusing plot, but also address certain modern updates, like the addition of a French dance troupe to perform chaconnes and other dances, the new-fangled oboe and bassoon, and his commissioning of new instrumental music from 'young Henry Purcell.'
Faculty Concert: Tapestry of Early Music I
Saturday, July 8, 7:30 p.m.
Baker Theater in the Trexler Pavilion for Theatre and Dance
A variety show of early music through the ages, performed by wonderful AEM faculty using many different instruments and voices. Medieval love songs, Renaissance consort music, high Baroque sonatas, and fantasies that will delight and inspire! Composers may include John Dunstable, William Byrd, Henry Purcell, and G.F. Handel.
Concert New World Recorders
Tuesday, July 11, 7:30 p.m.
Baker Theater in the Trexler Pavilion for Theatre and Dance
A Beginning, a Middle, and an End
Prelude, Fugue, and Allegro. Ouverture, Suite, and Chaconne. Hello, I Love You, and Goodbye. The arc of a piece can take many forms that tie up the music in a satisfying and shapely bow. New World Recorders plays musical narratives by Dufay, Isaac, Locke, Purcell, Marcello, Schumann, Reger, Anonymous and more.
Gwyn Roberts, Priscilla Herreid, Rainer Beckmann, Sarah Shodja
Concert: Lute Society of America & New London Assembly
Thursday, July 13, 7:30 p.m.
Empire Theatre in the Baker Center for the Arts
A Banquet of Music and Dance: Mixed consort music and English country dance
Directed by Jason Priset, Brad Foster, and Cécile Laye
With Emily Eagen, soprano, and Michael Barrett, tenor
A two-part program with Instrumental music played on lute, bandorra, cittern, bass viol, violin, and bass flute, and additional pieces for soprano and tenor voice. A group of English country dancers will perform 17th century dances accompanied by violins and piano.
Choral Workshop Concert: Welcome to All the Pleasures, Music of Purcell & Handel
Friday, July 14, 7:30 p.m.
Egner Chapel
The Festival's Choral Workshop, directed by Kent Tritle, perform
Welcome to all the Pleasures from Ode to St. Cecilia's Day by Henry Purcell
Funeral Sentences by Henry Purcell
Chandos Anthem: My Song Shall be Always by G. F. Handel
with oboe, string ensemble, and organ
Faculty Concert: Tapestry of Early Music II
Saturday, July 15 - Baker Theater in the Trexler Pavilion for Theatre and Dance
A variety show of early music through the ages, performed by wonderful AEM faculty using many different instruments and voices. Medieval love songs, Renaissance consort music, high Baroque sonatas, and fantasies that will delight and inspire! Composers may include John Dunstable, William Byrd, Henry Purcell, and G.F. Handel.
