Baroque Academy Opera Project

Co-directors: Julianne Baird and Grant Herreid

August 7-14, 2022

Northampton Community College
3538 Green Pond Rd
Bethlehem, PA 18020
United States

Tuition:

$675

The 2022 Baroque Academy will be held in Bethlehem, PA at Northampton Community College August 7-14, 2022 Opera singers should plan to arrive on Saturday, August 6, and instrumentalists should be prepared to participate in a run through on Sunday afternoon, August 7.

Pitch is A=415.
Audition due date: April 1, 2022 for singers and May 1, 2022 for instrumentalists.
Tuition: $675.

Baroque Academy Singers
Opera Project: The Judgement of Paris by Daniel Purcell
Edited, with a Prologue and Epilogue created by Grant Herreid and Lawrence Rosenwald.

Co-directed by Julianne Baird and Grant Herreid, with Lawrence Rosenwald, texts, and Dorothy Olsson, historical dance.

The 2022 opera project is a pastiche drawn from two different operas based on the mythological story of the Judgement of Paris : Antonio Cesti's Il pomo d'oro (The Golden Apple), and Daniel Purcell's The Judgement of Paris.

Daniel Purcell's opera, or masque, begins with Mercury descending to earth to tell the shepherd Paris that Jove has instructed him to choose which of the three goddesses, Juno, Pallas, or Venus, is the fairest. Paris voices his trepidation at such an unenviable task; the goddesses appear, each bribing Paris with gifts of power, victory in battle, and possession of the most beautiful mortal lady.

The first act of Cesti's Il pomo d'oro is a perfect intro to Purcell's work. Set in the Underworld, it features a lament by Persephone of her doleful surroundings, lively dialogue between her and her husband Pluto about why she is unhappy, and the plan of Discord to help their cause by sewing chaos into the Banquet of the Gods upon Olympus. It will be sung in English to pair well with the Purcell.

The two works shall be bridged by a ballet of Daniel Purcell's music, forming the Banquet of the Gods, into which Discord throws the magical Golden Apple that causes the strife between the goddesses that initiates the Judgement of Paris. An epilogue will address the dire and tragic consequences of the resulting Trojan War.

Perform a role in our fully staged production with Baroque orchestra and historical dance. Sessions on period acting and performance techniques. Master class and coachings. Performance Friday, August 12, 2022. Audition by April 1, 2022.

Baroque Opera Project Daily Schedule: 9:00-10:30 Master class, 11:00-12:15 staging rehearsal, 1:30-3:00 musical rehearsal, 3:30 to 5:30 tutti rehearsal with orchestra. Opera dress rehearsal: Thursday evening, August 11, after the Faculty Concert.

2022 Baroque Academy Concerts:
Baroque Academy Faculty Concert, Thursday, August 11, 7:30 p.m.
Baroque Opera Project Performance, Friday, August 12, 8:00 p.m.

Performance: Baroque Academy Student Concert 1:00 p.m. (tba)

Late evenings: salon concerts, drop-in sessions

Botticelli's painting 'The Judgement of Paris'

Audition Due date

April 1, 2022

Faculty

Julianne

Baird *

Voice

Grant

Herreid *

Lute Voice

Drew

Minter *

Voice

Lawrence

Rosenwald *

Voice

Where

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Baroque Academy Audition Information

To apply for Baroque Academy you will need to submit the following through our audition portal
https://amherstearlymusic.getacceptd.com

1. $30 registration fee
Your resume or a brief description (one or two paragraphs) summarizing your musical background and experience, including formal and informal training and education.
10-15 minutes of music showing your technique, expression, and understanding of Baroque style. The piece need not be accompanied. Please include composer and title information with your submission.
Singers auditioning for the Baroque Opera Project will need to submit a head shot and a brief physical description: hair color, eye color, height, and weight. Photographs are accepted in any standard form. This information is required to be considered for a role in the opera.

Festival COVID-19 Policy

All participants, faculty, and staff at the AEMF 2022 must be fully vaccinated: 2 doses of Pfizer or Moderna and at least one booster OR 1 dose of J&J and at least one booster. We will no longer require a PCR test, but will require submitting 2 rapid tests with negative results. The first test should be the day before arriving at the Festival, and the second one on the arrival day, or upon arriving at the Festival.

Each person should bring an additional 3 rapid tests per week for ongoing testing. Anyone who tests positive for Covid at the Festival will have to leave as there is no possibility of quarantining on campus. In the event that you have to leave because of Covid, your pro-rated tuition and housing charges will be refunded.
Masking: we will be masked at all times indoors unless playing a wind instrument or eating. (Receptions will be held outside, no masks needed.)
These protocols are the strictest we will have. If the Covid situation improves markedly we may relax some of these policies. Any changes will be announced prior to the Festival and updated on our website. (Updated June 24, 2022).

Scholarships & Work-Study

Work-Study

All participants are welcome to apply for tuition assistance through AEM's Work-Study program. Notice of awards will be sent in late May. Fill out the Work-Study application here to apply. Questions about Work-Study can be sent to Click here to show mail address.

AEM Scholarships

To apply for AEM scholarships, send a one-page letter to Marilyn Boenau, the Executive Director of AEM, explaining your interest in early music or dance and your goal in attending the Festival. Email to Click here to show mail address.

The Washington McClain Scholarship Fund honors the memory of Baroque oboist and Amherst Early Music faculty member Washington McClain. It will fund scholarships for students who have historically been underrepresented in the early music field, including African-American, Latinx, and others. Awards will cover tuition, room and board, and travel and may be used for any in-person AEM event, particularly the Amherst Early Music Festival. To apply send a letter of inquiry to Click here to show mail address, with information about your interest in early music or dance.

In addition to scholarships, AEM offers work study tuition to all of our workshops, and the Amherst Early Music Festival. Work study is an option for students of any age.

Other Organizations

American Recorder Society offers scholarships to recorder players for Weekend Workshops as well as Summer Festivals. Any ARS member who needs financial assistance to attend a weekend or week-long workshop may apply for this scholarship. Deadline: March 31.

Viola da Gamba Society of America offers Grants-in-Aid to its members to attend Workshops and Masterclasses.

The Historical Keyboard Society of North America has established the Funaro Fund Award to support its members to offset the cost of traveling to an early keyboard event.