2011-02-25 now does the glorious day appear

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1 Mary II of England Anne of Great Britain Caroline of Ansbach

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Music for the Royal Women of Brittania Elizabeth Weigle, soprano - Jay Carter, countertenor (replacing Ian Howell) - Clifton Massey, countertenor - Aaron Sheehan, tenor - Jesse Blumberg, baritoneHugh Davies, bassJeffrey Thomas, conductor

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  • 1JEFFREY THOMASmusic director

    Music for the Royal Women of Britannia by Henry Purcell and George Frideric Handel

    Mary II of England

    Anne of Great Britain

    Caroline of Ansbach

    Now Does the Glorious Day Appear

  • 2BOYER & COBERT FINANCIAL GROUPHelping our clients achieve their financial goals

    Retirement PlanningWealth Management

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    1100 Larkspur Landing Circle, Suite 250, Larkspur, CA 94939Tel: 415-461-4143 Fax: 415-461-5402

    [email protected]

    PPG 44875 (11/08)

    AXA Advisors, LLC member FINRA,SIPC. Boyer & Cobert Financial Group is not owned or operated by AXA Advisors,LLC. Boyer & Cobert Financial Group and AXA Advisors, LLC do not provide tax or legal advice.

    www.ghirardocpa.com7200 Redwood Blvd., Ste. 403, Novato, CA 94945

    415-897-5678

    Understanding your unique vision is our top priority; making it a reality is our commitment to you. Let us help you realize your vision.

    Tax PlanningFinancing StrategiesCash Flow, Budgeting and ForecastingCFO ServicesProfitability ReviewBusiness DevelopmentStrategic Planning

    TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR FINANCIAL FUTURE

    655 Redwood Highway Suite 140Mill Valley, CA 94941 415.381.1950

  • 3The American Bach Soloists are Artists-in-Residence at St. Stephens Church, Belvedere.

    Welcome from the General Manager

    It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to the American Bach Soloists performances of Now Does the Glorious Day Appear.

    For the past four years, I served as General Director of the Santa Fe Desert Chorale, and now, having just arrived in San Francisco to become General Manager of American Bach Soloists, I am excited to join you and the artists of ABS in sharing the rich legacy and impeccable reputation of an exemplary organization in its third decade of promoting the highest standards of performance, recordings, and educational programs. I am committed to securing a strong future through careful and prudent fiscal management and to uphold the fine artistic values that are synonymous with American Bach Soloists. And I am equally excited to be joining my wonderful colleagues on the staff of ABS, including James Stahlman whom we welcome as our new Marketing and Public Relations Manager.

    Its not too early to purchase your tickets for our remaining two programs for 2011. Our season continues with April Follies, April 1-4, a program that includes Bachs beloved Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 and the US premiere of Telemanns Concerto in G Minor for Recorder, along with three secular cantatas featuring ABS Competition prize winners Yulia Van Doren, Joshua Copeland, and Johanna Novom. The season concludes with Bach & Lotti, May 6-9: Bachs monumental Magnificat in D Major will be paired with the west coast premiere of Antonio Lottis recently discovered Mass for Three Choirs.

    Be sure to plan on attending the programs of the ABS Academy, July 11-23. Faculty and students will present public concerts of chamber music, Handels Ariodante and our annual performance of Bachs Mass in B Minor. Details about the Academy and how you can support this Education and Outreach program can be found on page 25.

    I would like to express my heartfelt appreciation to all of our contributors, and especially to Angela Hilt & Blake Reinhardt who have generously sponsored this program, and to John & Lois Crowe and Richard & Shipley Walters for additional support of our Davis performance. It is the support of community-minded individuals, businesses, and foundations that enables the American Bach Soloists to present high-quality professional programming in the Bay area. I encourage you to consider joining this distinguished group of contributors through a donation to this years annual fund. Or, perhaps youd like to get involved with ABS by becoming a volunteer. It takes all of us to ensure ABSs future.

    I look forward to meeting you and hearing about your musical experience with American Bach Soloists. Enjoy the concert!

    Don Scott Carpenter

    On the cover: portrait of Mary II by Sir Peter Lely (1618-1680); portrait of Anne of Great Britain by Michael Dahl (16591743); portrait of Caroline Wilhelmina of Brandenburg-Ansbach by Jacopo Amigoni (16821752).

  • 4Contributors

    This list represents contributions received between February 1, 2010 and February 1, 2011. We deeply regret any errors or omissions.

    Corporate, Government, and Foundation Support

    $10,000 or more Grants for the Arts/San Francisco

    Hotel Tax FundClarence E. Heller Charitable

    FoundationCharles Hosmer Morse FoundationE. Nakamichi FoundationNational Endowment for the Arts $5,000-$9,999Ann and Gordon Getty

    FoundationThe Bernard Osher FoundationWallis Foundation

    Up to $4,999AT&T Foundation Matching Gifts

    ProgramAXA Foundation Matching Gifts

    ProgramClorox FoundationCounty of MarinThe San Francisco Foundation

    Individual Support

    Royal Patrons: $10,000 and above Anonymous (3) Hugh Davies and Kaneez Munjee Jan Goldberg Fraser and Helen Muirhead Bach Family Circle: $5,000 - $9,999Jose and Carol Alonso Richard and Sharon Boyer John and Lois Crowe Kevin and Peggy HarringtonAngela Hilt and Blake Reinhardt Patricia and George Locke Kim and Judith Maxwell Kwei and Michele

    Capellmeisters: $2,500 - $4,999Wendy Buchen David Cates and Cheryl Sumsion JP Crametz and T. Ravid Judith Flynn Marie Hogan and Douglas Lutgen Paul and Sandra Ogden Nancy Quinn and Tom Driscoll Jim and Jennifer Steelquist Richard and Shipley Walters $1,000 - $2,499Anonymous Peter Brodigan Peter and Claudia Brown John and Jane Buffington Lisa Capaldini David and Judy Covin Silvia Davidson Colin and Rebecca Drake Richard G. Fabian Thomas and Phyllis Farver Tom Flesher and Adam Verret Richard Forde Alfred and Irene M. Glassgold Connie Harden Benjamin and Lynette Hart John F. Heil Milton and Carol Hollenberg James and Joan Kelly Valerie and Dan King Norman Larson Olaf and Jeanette Leifson Lamar Leland James Meehan Paul Morin Virginia Patterson Mark and Katherine Perl Ann Preston Martin and Elizabeth Secker Peter and Asiye Sonnen Roman Shi and Fred Stark Jim and Jennifer Steelquist Jeffrey Thomas

    Cantors: $500 - $999Anonymous Gretchen Brosius Barbara Casey and Richard Siggins

    Donna Chazen Eunice Childs Eric Collier and Joseph Newell Garniss Curtis David Davies and Ama Torrance Mag Dimond Ayame Flint Cynthia FosterA. John and Paula Gambs Kathryn Hobart Susan and Stafford Keegin Jessica Kinloch Richard and Patricia Taylor Lee William Lokke Susan Mann Blair Martin Marian Metson Frank Pajerski Charles Quesenberry David and Mary Raub Colby and Katherine Roberts Geerat and Edith Vermeij Delia Voitoff-Bauman and

    Steve Bauman Charles and Elizabeth Wilts $250 - $499Anonymous Peter and Margaret Armstrong Uni Cordoba Joseph and Judy Craig Chauncey and Emily DiLaura Bob and Margaret Eldred Barbara Thomas Fexa David Franklin and Ruedi Thoeni Lowell and Nancy Froker Robert and Ann Goldberg David and Dorli Hanchette Steve and Randi Herman Philip and Ruth Hicks Ken Hoffman Norman and Rae Leaper Jennifer Lindsay Lee and Hannelore McCrumb Andrew Morgan and

    Danny Richard Krista Muirhead and Barry

    Grossman Debra Nagy

    Mary Belle OBrien and Georgia Heid

    Steven Peterson and Peter Jaret Bill and Ray Riess Christopher Robertson Cynthia Sawtell Gary Schilling and Stefan Hastrup Hart and Wilma Smith David Tayler

    and Hanneke Van Proosdij Millicent Tomkins Rick Trautner Barbara Van Slyke Thomas and Ann Watrous Diana Wilks William and Gretchen Kimball

    Fund Jerri Witt Foster and Betty Wright Choristers: $100 - $249Anonymous Cheryl Arnold and John Frykman Phyllis and Tom Baer Judith Barker and Linda Mitteness Jeff Bartak Charles Beadle Robert Berman Edward Betts Borden and Betty Bloom Jesse Blumberg and Rita Donahue Daniel and Diana Bort Roberta Brokaw David and Carol Brown Nancy and Penn ButlerRobert and Lynn Campbell Lynne Carmichael Lynne Carr Michael Chappell Gary Chock Mendel Cohen and Julia Vestal Robert and Mary Commanday Robert Cook and Blanca Haendler Cindy Cooper Lynne Crowell Caroline Damsky Jacqueline Desoer Lester and Elaine Dropkin Nancy Dubois

    Nakamichi Foundation

    ClarenCe e. HellerCHaritable Foundation

    The American Bach Soloists gratefully acknowledge the generous support received from

  • 5ContributorsRobert and Susan Flax Thomas and Mary Foote Margaret Fuerst Margaret Garms Phil Garratt Jim and Laura Gregory Barry Grossman Darrow and Gwen Haagensen David Hammer Lauri Harper Donna Heinle Daniel Hersh Ralph and Leny Heymann David G. King, M.D. Joseph and Jeanne Klems William and Janette Knick Marcia Kolb Thomas Koster William and Emily Leider John and Kathleen Leones Malcolm and Natalie Mackenzie John Mark Pierre Martin Raymond Martinez Janice Masterton Robert McCaskill Sharon Menke Guy and Wende Williams Micco Abigail Millikan-States Jim and Julie C. Monson George Morgan Janet D. Morris Paul Nettelman Jerome Oremland Kay Pepitone Dove Pierce Lawrence and Erica Posner K. Rathke and D. Rogers Penelope Rink and Frederick Toth Ed and Maureen Rinne David Robinson Gary Roof Lisa Schaefer Charles and Janet Seim Sharie Shute Edith Simonson Jeanne Smith Scott Sochar Aline Soules Mariana Steinberg Gerald and Sandra Swafford Robert Thompson Dean and Jeanice Tipps Kurt Von Meier Effie Westervelt Richard White Dennis Wolframski Janet Youngblood

    Friends: $25-$99 Anonymous (2) Cindy Albers Shirley Armor Adrienne Austin-Shapiro Schuyler and Susie Bailey Johanna Baruch

    Ward and Patricia Belding Rachmael Ben-Avram Al Bernstein Ernst and Hannah Biberstein John Bingham Mary Bost Irving and Karen Broido Leslie Brown Stephanie Cartwright Dr. and Mrs. Dikran L. Chamlian Ann Cheng Roger and Ana Chretien Richard and Evelyn Clair Center For Learning In Retirement Julie Coffin Carol Copperud Jeffrey Martin Dickemann Steven Edwards Josh Eichorn and Sandra Whitney Marcella Fasso Cassandra Forth Sandra Francis Susan Garbini and Ian MacGregor Victor and Linda Gavenda David Goi Margaret Harding Cynthia Hearden Ingeborg Henderson Helen Henon Robert Herriot and

    Patricia Landman Ellen Hershey Peter Huson Bob Isaacson and Virginia Stearns Ann Jensen Elaine Johnson Laurel Johnson Don and Diane Johnston Charles and Paige Kelso Isik Kizilyalli George Knudson George Kovatch and

    J. Robert Wiskotzil Jeremy Kranz Natalie Krawczyk William Langley Harold and Helene Lecar Robert Levin Sally Levinson Joseph Lifschutz Deana Logan and

    Joseph C. Najpaver David and Carolyn Long Laura Louis Malcolm and Sandy Manson Larry Marietta Noreen Mazelis Ann McCown Jesse and Catherine Miller Minako Miyazaki Barbara Molloy Michael and Jennifer Moran Diane and John Musgrave Judith Ostapik Mary Osterloh Arie Perry

    Thomas Ramos Gail Riley and Moira Little Thomas Robinson Roy Rosenthal Vicki and Robert Schaevitz Julius Otto Schindler Norman Schlossberg Robert Sensel Cecelia Shaw David Sheehan Nina Shoehalter Steve Siegelman Allegra Silberstein Harold Skilbred and

    Rochelle Matonich Dan Slobin Sam W. Smith Mason and Sandra Stober Jean Swearingen Li-Hsia Wang Heidi Waterman Peter and Barbara Winkelstein Suzanne Young

    Bach Kids Sharon and Richard Boyer,

    in honor of: Jake D. Sutter Keira N. Sutter Alexander J. Sutter Leah G. Sutter

    Jan Goldberg, in honor of: Cameron Gremmels Michael Goldberg Alexander Goldberg

    Dorli and David Hanchette, in honor of: Kevin Wottrich Meaghan Wottrich

    Tributes Phyllis and Thomas Baer, in honor

    of Katherine McKee RobertsSharon and Richard Boyer,

    in memory of Mamie F. Vercelli Sharon and Richard Boyer, in

    memory of Edward T. SmithburnSharon and Richard Boyer, in

    memory of Rosemary PollastriniNancy and Penn Butler,

    in memory of Perry FosterMichael Chappell,

    in memory of Perry Foster Cynthia Foster, in honor of Andrew

    Morgan and Katherine McKee Janice Masterton, in honor of Jim

    and Jennifer SteelquistJanice Masterton,

    in memory of Larry Masterton Jeffrey Thomas,

    in memory of Perry Foster

    In-Kind SupportAmerican Conservatory TheaterAmy Schwab DesignsAnchor Brewing Company

    Asian Art Museum of San Francisco

    Benissimo RestaurantBerkeley Repertory Theatre Bistro Ginolina Carde BlancheChabot Space & Science Centerde Luna JewelryDelicious! CateringFentons CreameryGrgich Hills EstateHeart O The Mountain WineryJasons RestaurantKermit Lynch Wine MerchantLark TheaterLawrence Berkeley National

    LaboratoryLo Cocos RestaurantMarin SymphonyMarin TheatreMeeker VineyardMerola Opera ProgramOakland AsPenman Photographic ArtistsRock Wall WinesSams Anchor CafeSF Opera and Andrew MorganSmith-Rafael Film CenterTafelmusikTrumer BrauereiTwisted SilverWard St. CafeWaters Edge HotelWildfox Restaurant

    Jose and Carol AlonsoJohanna BaruchSharon BoyerBarbara CaseyDavid CatesSilvia DavidsonHugh Davies and Kaneez MunjeeCynthia and Perry FosterJan Goldberg and Ken HoffmanKevin D. HarringtonBenjamin and Lynette HartKen HoffmanMarie HoganShelley JohnsonElfrieda LangemannJennifer Lane and the UNT

    CollegiumRaymond MartinezPaul MorinHelen Drake MuirheadLissa NicolausKatherine Roberts PerlNancy Quinn and Tom DriscollColby and Katherine McKee RobertsAnn RosenfeldMillicent TomkinsMichele and Kwei Heidi WatermanDavid WilsonRick Yoshimoto

  • 6BACH KIDSThe music of J.S. Bach has been handed down from generation to generation. Its beauty and humanity inspires and enhances our lives. This rich legacy is currently under our watchbut the future belongs to our children.

    ABS BACH KIDS program is the perfect way to cherish a child by investing on their behalf in performances of Bachs music for audiences today and in the future.

    For each tax-deductible donation of $100 or more, well list the name of your child, grandchild, niece, nephew, or any other young person in your life in a special section of our program booklets for one year.

    A unique gift for any child: theyll see their name in print!

    When theyre old enough, bring them to ABS concerts with our special discounted Bach Family Tickets ($5 when accompanied by an adult with a regular-priced ticket).

    Name(s) of Bach Kids

    Donor Name

    Address

    City State Zip Code

    Phone Email

    My check is enclosed, made payable to American Bach Soloists.Please charge my: VISA Mastercard Amex

    Card # Expiration

    Name on Card

    Signature

    MAIL: American Bach Soloists - 44 Page Street, Suite 504 - San Francisco, CA 94102-5973PHONE: 415-621-7900 FAX: 415-621-7920

    TWO SPECIAL WAYS TO HONOR YOUR LOVED ONES

    TRIBUTE GIFTSAll of us have treasured people in our lives who have been significant and meaningful. The teachers who went that extra mile, the family members whove given unqualified support, the mentors and colleagues who have enriched our work lives: they all hold special places in our hearts and minds.

    Recognize these special people by making a donation to ABS in their honor or memory.

    For each tax-deductible contribution of $100 or more, you can have someone acknowledged in ABS program booklets for one year in our special Tributes section.

    In addition to listing their names in our programs, we can also send a letter informing them or their family of your gift. Simply provide their address on a separate piece of paper.

    Name(s) of Tributes

    (Choose one:) in honor of in memory of

    (Choose one:) in honor of in memory of

    Enclosed is my donation of $_______ for a total of ______ Bach Kids and/or Tributes gifts

  • 7Donor Benefits

    We cant do it without you! American Bach Soloists strive to retain reasonable ticket prices even though sales cover only about 40% of the cost of presenting these outstanding concerts. ABS is proud to receive significant government and foundation support, but the bulk of our contributed income comes from generous donations from individuals like you. As an ABS donor, you play a crucial role in bringing these wonderful programs to the widest possible audience.

    Your gift in any amount is greatly appreciated!

    Name

    Address

    City State Zip Code

    E-mail Phone

    Yes, I want to help ABS thrive! Enclosed is my tax-deductible contribution of: $25 $50 $100 $250 $500 $1,000 $2,500 Other: _________

    My check is enclosed, made payable to American Bach Soloists. Please charge my: Visa Mastercard American Express DiscoverCard # Expiration

    Name on Card

    Signature

    MAIL:ABS44PageStreet,Suite504SanFrancisco,CA94102-5973 PHONE:415-621-7900FAX:415-621-7920 ONLINE: use our secure server: americanbach.org/support

    GIFTS OF STOCK

    We also welcome gifts of appreciated securities. To arrange transfers, please call (415) 621-7900.

    VEHICLE DONATION

    Donating your used vehicles to ABS has never been easier thanks to our partnership with the Vehicle Donation Processing Center! You receive a tax-deductible donation and ABS gets cash! Call the VDPC at 800-390-4790 or visit their website: donatecarusa.com.

    Donor Benefits*Exclusive sponsorship of a guest artist

    Sponsorship of an ABS program

    Invitation for two to a special ABS private House Concert performance

    Four complimentary Section A companion tickets to any ABS performance (other than Messiah)

    Invitation for two to an ABS rehearsal

    Complimentary copy of ABS Season Highlights CD

    Invitation for two to a post-concert reception with ABS musicians

    Acknowledgment in ABS programs for one year

    Choristers Cantors Capellmeisters Bach FamilyRoyal

    Patrons

    *Gifts to American Bach Soloists are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law. Certain benefits have a fair market value (indicated above) that must be deducted from your gift to determine the tax-deductible portion of the contribution. You may elect to decline all the benefits in your giving category, and receive a tax-deduction of the full value of your gift.

    Please list my (our) name(s) as:

    Thank You!

  • 8proud sponsorOF THE

    AMERICAN BACH SOLOISTS

    PacUnion.com | A Member Of Real Living

    Belvedere415.789.5659

    Kentfield415.448.1100

    Larkspur415.945.6300

    Mill Valley, Strawberry415.383.1900

    Mill Valley, Downtown 415.380.6100

    Ross 415.464.8686 415.461.8608 415.461.8686

  • 9

    Win a trip for two to the BOSTON EARLY MUSIC FESTIVAL JUNE 2011Grand Prize: A trip for two to the Boston Early Music

    Festival including round trip air fare, three nights in a Marriott Hotel, and two tickets to the June 15th performance of Steffanis Niobe, Queen of Thebes.

    First Prize: Archival Quality Family Photograph - sitting & print - from Penman Photographic Artists

    Second Prize: VIP Tour & Tasting at Cline Cellars Winery in Sonoma

    Third Prize: Two Tickets to any Midsummer Mozart Festival concert in 2011

    Fourth Prize: Handcrafted Jasper necklace from Twisted Silver

    Proceeds will benefit the American Bach Soloists Academy, an advanced training program for emerging professionals and accomplished students of Historically Informed Performance Practice held annually at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

    Drawing will take place on March 7th, 2011. You need not be present to win.

    For more information and official rules, visit: americanbach.org/raffle

    Jeffrey Thomas - Artistic Director

    AMERICAN BACH SOLOISTS 2011 RAFFLESend your personal check or money order in the amount of $20 per entry (payable to American Bach Soloists) to the address below. Your raffle ticket entry stubs will be sent to you by return mail.

    Name:

    Address:

    City/State/Zip:

    E-mail:

    Phone:

    mail to: American Bach Soloists44 Page Street, Suite 504San Francisco CA 94102-5973

  • 10

    About American Bach Soloists

    The AMERICAN BACH SOLOISTS (ABS) were founded in 1989 with the mission of introducing contemporary audiences to the cantatas of Johann Sebastian Bach through historically informed performances. Under the leadership of Co-founder and Music Director Jeffrey Thomas, the ensemble has achieved its vision of assembling the worlds finest vocalists and period-instrument performers to bring this brilliant music to life.

    For twenty-two years, Jeffrey Thomas has brought thoughtful, meaningful, and informed perspectives to his performances as Artistic and Music Director of the American Bach Soloists. Recognized worldwide as one of the foremost interpreters of the music of Bach and the Baroque, he continues to inspire audiences and performers alike through his keen insights into the passions behind musical expression. Fanfare Magazine proclaimed that Thomas direction seems just right, capturing the humanity of the musicthere is no higher praise for Bach performance.

    Critical acclaim has been extensive: The Wall Street Journal named ABS the best American specialists in early musica flawless ensemblea level of musical finesse one rarely encounters; San Francisco Classical Voice declared that there is nothing routine or settled about their work. Jeffrey Thomas is still pushing the musical Baroque envelope; and the San Francisco Chronicle recently extolled the ensembles divinely inspired singing.

    The first public concerts were given in February 1990 at St. Stephens Church in Belvedere, where the ensemble serves as Artists-in-Residence. 1993 brought the debut of ABSs first annual summer festival in Tiburon/Belvedere. By the fifth season, regular

    performances had been inaugurated in San Francisco and Berkeley, and as a result of highly successful collaborations with the Robert and Margrit Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts, ABS full concert seasons expanded to the Davis/Sacramento region in 2005. As their audience increased, so the artistic direction of the ensemble expanded to include Bachs purely instrumental and larger choral masterpieces, as well as music of his contemporaries and that of the early Classical era.

    The American Bach Soloists present an annual Subscription Series with performances in Belvedere, Berkeley, Davis, and San Francisco. Their annual holiday performances of Handels Messiah, presented each December before capacity audiences since 1992, have become a Bay Area tradition. In addition to their regular subscription season, the American Bach Soloists have been presented at some of the worlds leading early music and chamber music festivals, and have appeared worldwide from Santa Fe to Hong Kong and Singapore. In 1998, in conjunction with the Fifth Biennial Berkeley Festival & Exhibition, ABS established the American Bach Soloists & Henry I. Goldberg International Young Artists Competition as a way to foster emerging musicians who wish to pursue a career in early music.

    In conjunction with ABS 15th Anniversary Season in 2003-04, Maestro Thomas announced the Bach Cycle, an ambitious plan to present all of Bachs major oratorios, including two Passions, the oratorios for Christmas and Easter, and the Mass in B Minor; the violin and harpsichord concertos, Brandenburg Concertos, and orchestral suites; the major cantatas from Bachs years in Mhlhausen, Weimar, and Leipzig; and the sonatas and suites for violin, flute, cello, and viola da gamba.

    Superbly musical ... wonderfully suave ... fresh, different Gramophone

    ABS is a rare, perhaps unique, organization that does something highly specialized and quite esoteric that still involves (and delights) a general audiencethe houses were full and the concerts

    were rich, rewarding, and well-received. marin independent Journal

    Thomas Bach orchestra is superb! GoldberG maGazine

  • 11

    ABS has been a leader throughout the Bay Area in their commitment to artistic collaborations. Some recent examples include a collaboration with two San Francisco dance organizations, Xeno and Ultra Gypsy, at The Crucible in Oakland in 2004 and collaborations with the well-known Mark Morris Dance Group in 2004 and 1999. To celebrate their 20th Anniversary Season, ABS joined forces with San Franciscos Grace Cathedral and Lighting Systems Design Inc. (based in Orlando FL) in a spectacular laser show rendering of Handels Music for the Royal Fireworks. And in 2011, ABS will collaborate with San Francisco choreographer Todd Eckert in three new works using music by Bach, Telemann, and Vivaldi.

    The Chorus of the American Bach Soloists has shone in repertoire from the Baroque and early Classical eras. With the inception of the Choral Series in 2004, these fine singers have been featured on programs exploring over five centuries of choral music. To acknowledge this splendid work, the American Bach Soloists announced in 2006 a new name for their choral ensemble: American Bach Choir. Critics have acclaimed their sounds of remarkable transparency and body.

    In July 2010, the American Bach Soloists inaugurated North Americas newest annual professional training program in Historically Informed Performance Practice. Drawing on their distinguished roster of performers, the American Bach Soloists AcAdemy offers advanced conservatory-level students and emerging professionals unique opportunities to study

    and perform Baroque music in a multi-disciplinary learning environment. The AcAdemy is held in the San Francisco Conservatory of Musics exquisite new facilities in the heart of the citys arts district.

    The American Bach Soloists have a discography of eighteen CDs on the Koch International Classics, Delos International, and American Bach Soloists labels, including six volumes of Bach cantatas, many performed one on a part. The ensembles critically acclaimed disc of Bachs Mass in B Minor has been called a benchmark recording and a joyous new performance (The Washington Post). One of their most popular offerings is an historically significant version of Handels Messiah, recorded live during performances in 2004 at the Robert and Margrit Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts at UC Davis, and released in November 2005 on the Delos International label. In 2007, ABS entire catalogue of critically acclaimed recordings of Bachs Mass in B Minor, cantatas, and transcriptions of Italian music, Haydn Masses, choral and vocal works by Schtz, and other works was re-released on iTunes, Magnatune.com, Amazon, CDBaby, and ABS own excellent and resourceful web site, which features free streaming audio of most titles. The same year brought two new and much-anticipated releases: Beethovens Ninth Symphony and Bachs Brandenburg Concertos. The most recent release, 1685 & The Art of Ian Howell, features the remarkable young countertenor (and recent winner of the ABS Young Artist Competition) in works by Bach, Handel, and Domenico Scarlatti.

    About American Bach Soloists

    Board of Directors, Founders, Staff, Advisory Council & Acknowledgments

    BOARD OF DIRECTORS

    Hugh Davies, President Lynette A. Hart, Vice President Jan Goldberg, Treasurer Marie Hogan, Secretary Jose Alonso Richard J. Boyer David Cates Cindy Cooper John H. Crowe Benjamin L. Hart Helen Drake Muirhead

    FOUNDERS

    Jeffrey Thomas Jonathan Dimmock Richard H. Graff The Rev. & Mrs. Alvin S. Haag Mr. & Mrs. Robert V. Kane Dr. & Mrs. Paul C. Ogden

    STAFF

    Jeffrey Thomas Artistic Director

    Don Scott Carpenter General Manager

    Steven Lehning Music Administrator

    Katherine McKee Director of Patron Services

    James Stahlman Marketing and Public Relations Manager

    Lisa May Box Office and Concert Manager

    Keith Perry Academy Administrator

    Heli Roiha Bookkeeper

    Vijay Dutt Chalasani Stage and House Manager

    E.J. Chavez Stage Crew

    Joseph Sargent Writer

    Quinn Associates Development Consultants

    NEQA/Communications Publicists

    ADVISORY COUNCIL

    The Right Reverend Marc Andrus Irv Broido Karen Broido Corty Fengler Tom Flesher Phil Garratt John Karl Hirten Corey Jamason Sandra M. Ogden Don Roth Kwei Elizabeth F. Wilts Charles E. Wilts

    ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

    St. Stephens Episcopal Church Vestry, Staff, and Parishioners The Reverend Robert Gieselmann, Interim Rector John Karl Hirten, Organist

    University of California at Davis Instrument Loans

    Jan Goldberg & Ken Hoffman Kevin & Peggy Harrington Walter & Ellen Sanford Ken & Marjorie Saur Judith Stone Millicent Tomkins Housing and Hospitality

    Patricia Wolf Jubillee Gee William Langley Office Volunteers

  • 12

    MASTER CLASSES ABS will present three Master Classes in collaboration with the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, during our 2010-2011 Season. All Master Classes are free and open to the public. No tickets or advance reservations are required.

    Jeffrey Thomas conductor Wednesday 16 February 2011 7:30 pm

    Kate van Orden bassoon Wednesday 16 March 2011 7:30 pm

    Janet See flute Tuesday 5 April 2011 7:30 pm

    San Francisco Conservatory of Music 50 Oak Street at Van Ness, San Francisco CA 94102

    ABS WEB SITE - americanbach.org Our excellent web site features over 200 artist biographies, links to program notes and concert repertory details, and options to listen to or purchase our celebrated series of critically acclaimed recordings. Additionally, you will find information about how you can help ABS by volunteering, providing financial support, or purchasing ads in our concert program booklets. Educational resources are available, including information about early instruments, our education and outreach programs, and links to other organizations.

    FREE PRE-CONCERT INSIGHTS Learn more about the program! One hour prior to each performance from February through May, enjoy a free and informative lecture given by ABS musicians.

    FREE TICKETS FOR MUSIC EDUCATORS All K-12 music educators are invited to attend one of our concerts free of charge in exchange for their input regarding our educational programs. And each educator may purchase one additional companion ticket at 50% off. For more information, please call (415) 621-7900 or go to: americanbach.org/educators

    FREE CHORAL WORKSHOP Each year, ABS presents a Choral Workshop designed specifically for experienced choral singers. Within a rehearsal environment under the leadership of ABS Artistic Director Jeffrey Thomas, historically informed performance practice and aesthetics regarding Baroque vocal technique, phrasing, tempos, choral balance, and rhetoric are examined and cultivated in a musically enlightening and enriching event.

    Saturday 29 January 2011 10:00 am to 4:00 pm St. Marks Lutheran Church, San Francisco

    The annual workshops are provided completely free of charge, but space is limited so early registration is encouraged. For more information, please visit: americanbach.org/workshop

    Education and Outreach

    We Believe

    Jeffrey Thomas, Music Director

    The experience of Art is a human right. Music is essential to our quality of life. Bachs creativity and life epitomize ideals of artistic virtuosity,

    humanitarianism within changing worlds, and the primacy of education.

    Every Arts Organization must: educate present and future generations. uphold the highest aesthetic standards. enlighten its own and greater audiences. relate to the community and culture in which it thrives. inspire the intellects of its patrons. serve as a compelling model for other cultural organizations.

    Arts Patrons want: to have meaningful, memorable, and valuable experiences. to be empowered, knowledgeable, and informed consumers. to be involved as integral participants, not just observers.

    The American Bach Soloists: promote artistic excellence. sustain the musical heritage of historical cultures. value and respect the diversity of our patrons and sponsors. treasure the gifted instrumentalists and singers that we present. nurture young and emerging talent. support the efforts of all who endeavor to preserve history, celebrate

    culture, and ensure the accessibility of the Arts.

  • 13

    J.S. Bach A Choral RetrospectiveFrchte dich nicht (BWV 228) and favorite choruses including Wohl mir, da ich Jesum habe (Jesu, Joy of Mans Desiring from BWV 147); Aus der Tiefe (from BWV 131) and much more with the SFBC Baroque Orchestra

    saturday, March 26, 8PM/sunday, March 27, 4PMFree Lecture, Sunday, 3PM

    Calvary Presbyterian Church, Fillmore & Jackson, SF

    Advance $28-$24 ($15 Student)Door $35-30 ($20 Student)

    www.sfbach.org 4154414942

    . . .voices blended in a warming glow that filled the space. . . .this group has been delighting audiences for [over] 70 years. A truly San Francisco tradition!

    SF Classical Voice

  • 14

    The Musicians and Their InstrumentsAMERICAN BACH SOLOISTS

    Violins

    Elizabeth Blumenstock (leader) Andrea Guarneri, Cermona, 1660. *

    Lisa Grodin Paulo Antonia Testore, Contrada, Larga di Milano, 1736.

    Katherine Kyme Johann Gottlob Pfretzichner, Mittenwald, 1791.

    Tyler Lewis Timothy Johnson, Hewitt, TX, 2009; after Antonio Stradivari, Cremona, 18th century.

    Janet Strauss (principal II) Matthias Joannes Koldiz, Munich, 1733.

    David Wilson Timothy Johnson, Hewitt, TX, 2007; after Antonio Stradivari, Cremona, 18th century.

    * The 1660 Andrea Guarneri violin played by Ms Blumenstock, is made available to her through the generosity of the Philharmonia Baroque Period Instrument Trust.

    Violas

    David Daniel Bowes Richard Duke, London, circa 1780.

    Katherine Kyme Anonymous, German, circa 1800.

    Jason Pyszkowski Jay Haide, El Cerrito, CA, 2008; after Giovanni Paolo Maggini, Brescia, circa 1580.

    Aaron Westman Dmitry Badiarov, Brussels, 2003; after Antonio Bagatella, Padua, circa 1750.

    Violoncellos

    William Skeen Anonymous, Northern Italy, circa 1680.

    Shirley Edith Hunt Anonymous, Milan, circa 1706.

    Viola da Gamba

    Steven Lehning Marcelo Ardizzone, Paris, 1992; after Edward Lewis, England, circa 1700.

    Contrabass

    Steven Lehning Anonymous, Austria, circa 1830.

    Theorbo

    John Lenti Klaus Jacobsen, London, 2001; after 17th century Italian models.

    Harpsichord

    Jeffrey Thomas Willard Martin, Bethlehem, PA, 1990; after Franois Blanchet, Paris, circa 1730.

    Organ

    Corey Jamason John Brombaugh & Associates, Eugene, OR, 1980.

    Oboes

    Debra Nagy Randy Cook, Basel, 2004; after Jonathan Bradbury, London, circa 1720.

    Stephen Bard Levin & Robinson, New York, 2003; after Saxon models.

    Recorders

    Debra Nagy von Huene Workshop, Boston, MA 2002; after Thomas Stanesby, Jr., London, circa 1725. Wim Somsen, Wageningen, The Netherlands, 1990s; after Peter Bressan, London, circa 1690.

    Stephen Bard Adrian Brown, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 2000; after Jacob Denner, Nuremburg, circa 1715.

    Bassoon

    Kate van Orden Peter de Konigh, Hall, The Netherlands, 1986; copy of Thierriot Prudent, Paris, circa 1770.

    Trumpets

    John Thiessen Rainer Egger, Basel, 2005; after Johann Leonhard Ehe III, Nuremburg, 1748.

    Kathryn James Adduci Rainer Egger, Basel, 2006, after Johann Leonhard Ehe III, Nuremburg, 1748.

    AMERICAN BACH CHOIR

    Sopranos

    Michelle Clair

    Tonia DAmelio

    Julia Earl

    Rita Lilly

    Kaneez Munjee

    Altos

    Dan Cromeenes

    Elisabeth Eliassen

    Kevin Fox

    Katherine E. McKee

    Amelia Triest

    Tenors

    Edward Betts

    Andrew Morgan

    Mark Mueller

    Colby Roberts

    Sam Smith

    Basses

    Johan Andreasson

    Adam Cole

    Hugh Davies

    Thomas Hart

    Raymond Martinez

  • 15

    Tonights ProgramAMERICAN BACH SOLOISTS

    AMERICAN BACH CHOIR

    Elizabeth Weigle, sopranoIanHowell,countertenorCliftonMassey,countertenor

    AaronSheehan,tenorJesseBlumberg,baritoneHugh Davies, bass

    Jeffrey Thomas, conductor

    Now Does the Glorious Day AppearMusic for the Royal Women of Britannia

    Friday February 25 through Monday February 28, 2010BelvedereBerkeleySanFranciscoDavis

    These performances are generously sponsored byAngela Hilt & Blake Reinhardt and George & Patricia Locke.

    The Davis performance is generously sponsored byJohn & Lois Crowe and Richard & Shipley Walters.

    Music by Henry Purcell(1659-1695)

    Now Does the Glorious Day Appear, Z. 332 (1689)

    Come, Ye Sons of Art, Away, Z. 323 (1694)

    Music by George Frideric Handel(1685-1759)

    Te Deum (Queen Caroline) in D Major, HWV 280 (1714)

    Eternal Source of Light Divine, HWV 74 (1713)Birthday Ode for Queen Anne

  • Join us this concert season for some of our favorite music and discover exciting new works we know our audiences will love. Youll hear two recently discovered Baroque treasures: the West Coast premiere of Antonio Lottis Mass for Three Choirs, and the first US performance of a recorder concerto by Telemann.

    And this summer, look for the return of our Academy at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music when ABS joins the next generation of early music virtuosi in exciting collaborations, faculty and student recitals, and a performance of Bachs Mass in B Minor.

    2010-2011Our 22nd SeasonSan Francisco Belvedere Berkeley Davis

    Jeffrey Thomas - Artistic Director

    Brilliant Secular Treasures by Bach & Telemann

    Bach Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 in G Major Weichet nur, betrbte Schatten Wedding Cantata Schweigt stille, plaudert nicht Coffee Cantata

    Telemann Ode on the Death of a Pet Canary Concerto in G Minor for Recorder (US Premiere)

    YULIA VAN DOREN soprano JOSHUA COPELAND baritone JOHANNA NOVOM violin JUDITH LINSENBERG recorder

    Bach had a tremendous sense of humor! His famous Coffee Cantata shows the Leipzig Meister to be a man of wit and comedy, and as au courant as any other. Three of our most brilliant ABS Young Artist Competition prizewinners and the Bay Areas own virtuoso, Judith Linsenberg, will collaborate with the ABS orchestra in the best and brightest secular music by Bach and Telemann, including the ridiculously absurd Ode on the Death of a Pet Canary and the US premiere of Telemanns recently discovered Concerto in G Minor for Recorder and Strings.

    Friday 1 April 2011 8:00 pm St. Stephens Church, Belvedere

    Saturday 2 April 2011 8:00 pm First Congregational Church, Berkeley

    Sunday 3 April 2011 7:00 pm St. Marks Lutheran Church, San Francisco

    Monday 4 April 2011 8:00 pm Davis Community Church, Davis

    Free Pre-Concert INSIGHTS by Jeffrey Thomas begin one hour prior to each performance.

    These performances are generously sponsored by Jan Goldberg.

    The Belvedere performance is generously sponsored by Wendy Buchen.

    April Follies

    Subscribe and Save! ABS Subscribers receive a discount of 15% free ticket exchange and replacement distinctive status exclusive perks and are guaranteed the best seats in the house

  • A West Coast PremiereBach Magnificat in D Major

    Lotti Mass for Three Choirs (West Coast Premiere)

    The 2010-2011 Season Finale will bring to the West Coast the premiere of a work that was discovered just a decade ago: the Mass for Three Choirs by the Venetian master Antonio Lotti. ABS maestro Jeffrey Thomasrecognized worldwide as one of the foremost interpreters of the music of Bach and the Baroquewill lead the celebrated American Bach Choir in this ravishing music from the great tradition of San Marcos maestri di cappella, paired with one of J.S. Bachs most joyous and universally popular works, the Magnificat in D Major.

    Friday 6 May 2011 8:00 pm St. Stephens Church, Belvedere

    Saturday 7 May 2011 8:00 pm First Congregational Church, Berkeley

    Sunday 8 May 2011 7:00 pm St. Marks Lutheran Church, San Francisco

    Monday 9 May 2011 8:00 pm Davis Community Church, Davis

    Free Pre-Concert INSIGHTS by CSU Sacramento lecturer Steven Lehning begin one hour prior to each performance.

    These performances are generously sponsored by Hugh Davies & Kaneez Munjee and Jose & Carol Alonso. The Davis performance is generously sponsored by Jim & Jennifer Steelquist.

    Bach & Lotti

    Subscribe and Save! ABS Subscribers receive a discount of 15% free ticket exchange and replacement distinctive status exclusive perks and are guaranteed the best seats in the house

    americanbach.org(415) 621-7900

    Master Classes at the San Francisco

    Conservatory of MusicThese master classes are open to the public. Admission is free and no tickets or advance reservations are required.

    KATE VAN ORDEN bassoon Wednesday 16 March 2011 7:30 pm

    JANET SEE flute Tuesday 5 April 2011 7:30 pm

    American Bach Soloists Summer Festival & Academy

    Two weeks of chamber music concerts, free public lectures, colloquia, Academy-in-Action concerts, Handels Ariodante, and Bachs Mass in B Minor.

    Monday 11 July through Saturday 23 July 2011 San Francisco Conservatory of Music

    American Bach Soloists at the American Guild of

    Organists ConventionMusic director Jeffrey Thomas will conduct members of ABS and organist Kimberly Marshall in a performance of Dialogues for Organ and Strings by Margaret Vardell Sandresky.

    Thursday 7 July 2011 8:00 pm St. Marks Lutheran Church, San Francisco

    Other Events

  • 18

    Program NotesThe term ode usually conjures up an image of classical poetry; an elaborate homage addressing subjects ranging from a vaunted lover to a Grecian urn. For music history, however, the ode has a more focused meaning. In seventeenth- and eighteenth-century England, odes were substantial, ceremonial works, structured like cantatas with opening instrumental symphonies followed by assorted short movements for solo and ensemble singers. These elaborate pieces would be performed at suitably momentous functions: praising the reigning monarch on his or her birthday, expressing remorse upon the death of a ruler, offering thanks on other special occasions, or as tributes to St. Cecilia, the patron saint of musicians.

    Court performance was a central feature of the genre, and having ones music displayed in this venue was a sure sign of success. Not surprisingly, many of Englands court composers used odes and other laudatory pieces to deepen their relationships with royal patrons. In the early decades of the Reformation, William Byrd wrote music praising Queen Elizabeth I despite his personal Catholic leanings under her Protestant reign (a heresy that could be punishable by death). Henry Purcells career during the 1680s was heavily focused on court music for Charles II and James II; he also wrote numerous odes for the subsequent monarchs William III and Mary II, as well as some famously exquisite funeral music upon Marys death in 1695. And in the 1710s, George Frideric Handel managed to make a strong impression on Queen Anne during his initial travels to England, despite her being (according to the Duke of Manchester) too busy or too careless to listen to her own band, and having no thought of hearing and paying new players however great their genius or vast their skill.

    Purcell began his ode-writing career with a series of welcome songs, launched in 1680 with an ode for Charles IIs return to London and continuing through Jamess reign. When James was deposed eight years later in the Glorious Revolution, Purcell began cultivating odes honoring Marys birthday, which fell on April 30. Though he was never head of the Chapel Royal (responsibility for composing odes usually fell upon this position, titled the Master of the Kings or Queens Musick), Purcell enjoyed favored status that led him to regularly compose odes for the queen until her death.

    For this program, the American Bach Soloists perform the first and last of Purcells odes to Marya repertory that embodies a new emphasis on expressiveness, virtuosity, and colorful instrumentation. Now Does the Glorious Day Appear is the first, composed in 1689 to celebrate the queens birthday and based on a text by Thomas Shadwell (which Purcell altered significantly). The instrumental scoring uses strings only but includes a second viola part, a touch that provides an especially rich orchestral texture. Another novelty appears in the tenor solo This does our fertile isle, where an extremely short ground bass of just two notes is later transformed

    into an orchestral ritornello. For sheer emotional power, the countertenor solo By beauteous softness has few peers, combining a melancholy descending ostinato bass line with an exceptionally alluring melody. Rich counterpoint also features prominently at certain points in the ode, notably in the opening movement and first chorus Now does the glorious day appear.

    Purcells last ode to Mary, Come, ye Sons of Art, Away, was also a birthday piece, composed in 1694 on a text by Nahum Tate. In comparison to its predecessor, this is a more expansive work in both orchestral size (adding brass and woodwinds) and expressive range. Structurally, the ode is organized around three ground bass pattern movements, surrounded by an array of solo and choral sections. Purcell was fond enough of the opening three-part symphony to later incorporate a revised version into his opera The Indian Queen. A jaunty setting of Come, ye Sons of Art for countertenor and chorus follows, leading to some vivid musical imagery in the countertenor duet Sound the trumpet, where the soloists mimic trumpet sounds over a lively ground bass, and the countertenor solo Strike the viol, with recorder obbligatos reflecting the internal textual phrase inspire the flute. The bass soloist and chorus next proclaim The day that such a blessing gave, an exhortation for jubilee celebration. Subsequent movements elaborate upon this jubilee until the triumphant closing movement, See Nature rejoicing, combining soprano and bass with chorus and full orchestra. (As a performance note, the only surviving copy of this piece

    Henry Purcell (circa 1695) by John Closterman (1660-1711)

  • 19

    dates from 1765, in a copy whose questionable scoring requires modern performers to make careful performance practice decisions.)

    During Handels lifetime odes were routinely performed twice per year, for the New Year and on the reigning monarchs birthday, but other events could occasion large celebratory pieces as well. The Te Deum in particular often served as a musical expression of national joy, thanks in no small part to Purcells impressive Te Deum in D. Handels own Te Deum in D Major of 1714, though given the sobriquet Queen Caroline, was originally associated with another monarch, King George I, who happened to be Handels previous employer as Prince George Ludwig, Elector of Hanover. Georges ascension to the English throne in August 1714, following the death of Queen Anne, could have proven awkward for Handel, who had left Hanover two years earlier to visit London and overstayed his welcome without Georges permission (ultimately being dismissed from his Hanover post in 1713). Evidently there were no hard feelings, however, and the piece was premiered on September 26, 1714, the first Sunday after Georges ceremonial arrival in London earlier in the week. As the London Evening Post reported, On Sunday morning last, his Majesty went to his Royal Chapel at St Jamess, and the Right Hon. Earl of Stamford carried the Sword of State; Te Deum was sung, composd by Mr Hendel [sic], and a very fine Anthem was also sung. Another periodical, the Weekly Packet, similarly commented Mr Handels Te Deumwas very excellently performd there, as was also a very fine Anthem. As for Caroline, who became queen in 1727, she would become an ardent patron of Handel, and upon her passing Handel composed one of his most affecting pieces, the funeral anthem The Ways of Zion do Mourn.

    Handel was a great admirer of Purcell, and certain aspects of this Te Deum harken back to his predecessor. The piece opens with a stately We praise thee, O God for choir and a trio of soloists, punctuated by a solemn declamation of the closing words Holy, holy, Lord God of Sabaoth. A briskly paced The glorious company of the Apostles praise thee finds the alto soloist negotiating some opera-like virtuoso figures in a minor key, followed by a choral declamation and a triple-time bass solo, now in major. An obbligato flute and alto solo solemnly proclaim When thou tookest upon thee to deliver man, and as the textual focus shifts from God to the people, the chorus enters to declaim, O Lord, save thy people. Trumpet fanfares herald the majestic Day by day we magnify thee, with two choral outbursts surrounding a brief interlude for solo tenor and bass. Following this assertive movement, Handels plaintive setting of the text Vouchsafe, O Lord, to keep us this night without sin is a delicate aria for alto in the relative minor key and at a more relaxed pace, appropriate for a text that asks for mercy and protection. The final O Lord, in thee have I trusted begins with a stately unison theme,

    Program Notes

    which Handel then distributes in different voices enveloped by rhythmic figurations, before a brief but forceful concluding utterance.

    Handels Ode for the Birthday of Queen Anne is both a birthday gift to the queen and a commemoration of the 1712 Treaty of Utrecht, which ended the War of the Spanish Succession. Both themes are combined in a recurring refrain that closes each choral section: The day that gave great Anna birth / Who fixd a lasting peace on Earth. Composed at age 28 during Handels second sojourn to England, the piece was meant to be performed on February 6, 1713 (the queens birthday), but such a performance did not actually occur. Nevertheless, the works ultimate premiere went a long way toward Handels gaining Annes favor, for she soon awarded him a pension of 200 pounds per year.

    Structurally the ode comprises seven sections, each of which begins with a soloist and ends with the chorus. Stylistically, the ode shows several signs of Handels training in Rome, with melodic flourishes redolent of Italian opera and relatively straightforward choral writing. The idea of peace provides a thematic through-line for the ode, with an especially vivid expression in the closing movement United nations shall combine, where the chorus begins in antiphonal division before coming together both musically and symbolically for the final refrain.

    Joseph Sargent

    George Frideric Handel (circa 1727) by Balthazar Denner (1685-1749)

  • 20

    explore a m e r i c a n b a c h . o r gtickets CDs free 24/7 audio player artist bios program notes volunteer support mailing list

    of sound whether the bow was moving up or down. And, of course, concert halls grew in size, so instruments were made to play louder. In the 20th century, some composers required sounds that acoustic instruments simply could not produce; hence the genre of electronic music.

    One of the most exciting sounds we hear from these early instruments, however, is the inherent tension during the most climactic moments in a musical work. If you havent already done so, find a recording of Beethovens Ninth Symphony played by an orchestra of period instrumentsABS own recently released recording comes to mind!and listen to the most dissonant or loud moments. Youll be glad to hear the instruments being pushed to their limits, and you just might find the ease and aplomb with which modern instruments and their players perform the same passages to be lackluster by comparison.

    Finally, a short note about antiques and repro-ductions: While it is not uncommon to find violins and violoncellos (or cellos as they are known today) that are more than 300 years old being played in orchestras like ours, very few surviving antique wind instruments are still playable. Consequently, period wind instruments are almost always copies of originals.

    Several decades ago, a movement began in the classical music industry to perform music on the instruments that were used during the composers lifetime. Unquestionably advanced by the advent of CD recordings in the early 1980s, this marriage of scholarship and style became known as historically informed performance practice. But it encompasses more than just the proper choice of instruments for the performance of music from the Renaissance, Baroque, and Classical eras. Fine points of expression, articulation, and even the way instruments are tuned play a large role in what you are hearing tonight.

    Probably for most of us it is the use of these beautiful and, in most cases, truly antique and priceless instruments that brings the most unique quality to these performances. Rather than cataloguing all the well-founded and essential reasons to use period instruments for this music, it is even more compelling to consider why the use of modern instruments would cheat us of the experience a composer like Handel meant to give to us.

    Instruments have evolved and grown over the

    centuries, mostly because composers would present new challenges to instrumentalists, and therefore to those who built their instruments. When a composer like Bach or Beethoven would write the most difficult passages that would tax the limits of an instruments responsiveness, within a decade or so instrument builders found a way to accommodate the challenges. In the Baroque period, musical phrases were made up of strong and weak notes, falling on strong and weak beats within a bar. When a violinist would move the bow in a downward stroke across a string, the sound was stronger than when the bow would be moved in an upward direction. But eventually the lengths of musical phrases grew, and more notes were meant to be played in a connected way, leading much further down the line to a phrases focal point. Accordingly, the bows for stringed instruments were then made to create the same amount

    About Early Instruments

  • 21

    Now does the Glorious Day Appear, Z. 332 (1689)Text: Thomas Shadwell

    SYMPHONY

    CHORUSNow does the glorious day appear, The mightiest day of all the year.

    DUET (Tenor & Bass)Not any one such joy could bring,No, no, not that which ushers in the spring.That of ensuing plenty hopes does give,This did the hope of liberty retrieve.

    SOLO (Tenor)This does our fertile isle with glory crown,And all the fruits it yields we now can call our own,On this blessd day was our restorer born;Far above all let this the calendar adorn.

    CHORUSNow does the glorious day appear,The mightiest day of all the year.

    SOLO (Bass)It was a work of full as great a weight,And did require the self-same power,Which did frail humankind create,When they were lost them to restore.For a like act, Fate gave our Princess birth,Which adding to the Saints, made joy in Heaven,As well as triumph upon Earth,To which so great, so good a Queen was given.

    SOLO (Countertenor)By beauteous softness mixed with majesty,An empire over every heart she gains;And from her awful power none could be free.She with such sweetness and such justice reigns.

    DUET (Basses I & II)Her hero to whose conduct and whose armsThe trembling Papal world their force must yieldMust bend himself to her victorious charms,And give up all the trophies of each field.

    TRIO (Soprano, Countertenor, Tenor)Our dear religion, with our laws defense,To God her zeal, to man benevolence;Must her above all former monarchs raiseTo be the everlasting theme of praise.

    SOLO (Tenor)No more shall we the great Eliza boast,For her great name in greater Marys will be lost.

    SYMPHONY

    CHORUSNow, now, with one united voiceLet us aloud proclaim our joys;I Triumphe let us sing,And make Heavens mighty concave ring.

    Come, Ye Sons of Art, Away, Z. 323 (1694)Text: Nahum Tate

    SYMPHONY

    SOLO (Countertenor) & CHORUSCome, ye Sons of Art, come away!Tune all your voices and instruments play To celebrate this triumphant day.

    DUET (Countertenors I & II)Sound the trumpet, till around You make the listning shores rebound.On the sprightly hautboy play;All the instruments of joy,That skilful numbers can employ,To celebrate the glories of this day.

    CHORUSCome, ye Sons of Art, come away,Tune all your voices and instruments play To celebrate this triumphant day.

    SOLO (Countertenor)Strike the viol, touch the lute,Wake the harp, inspire the flute.Sing your patronesss praise,In cheerful and harmonious lays.

    SOLO (Bass) & CHORUSThe day that such a blessing gaveNo common festival should be.What it justly seemd to crave,Grant, o grant, and let it have The honour of a Jubilee.

    continued...

    Texts

  • 22

    SOLO (Soprano)Bid the virtues, bid the graces To the sacred shrine repair Round the altar take their places Blessing with returns of prayr Their great defenders care,While Marias royal zealBest instructs you how to pray Hourly from her ownConversing with the Eternal Throne.

    SOLO (Bass)These are the sacred charms that shieldHer daring hero in the field;Thus she supports his righteous cause,Thus to aid his immortal powr she draws.

    DUET (Soprano & Bass) & CHORUSSee Nature, rejoicing, has shown us the way,With innocent revels to welcome the day.The tuneful grove, and talking rill,The laughing vale, the replying hill,With charming harmony unite,The happy season to invite.What the Graces require,And the Muses inspire,Is at once our delight and our duty to pay.Thus Nature, rejoicing, has shown us the way,With innocent revels to welcome the day.

    ~ Intermission ~

    Te Deum (Queen Caroline) in D Major, HWV 280 (1714)Te Deum Laudamus, circa 500(Traditionally ascribed to Saints Ambrose and Augustine)English Text: Book of Common Prayer, 1662

    SOLI (Alto, Tenor, & Bass) & CHORUSWe praise thee, O God: we acknowledge thee to be the Lord. All the earth doth worship thee: the Father everlasting. To thee all Angels cry aloud: the Heavens, and all the Powers

    therein. To thee Cherubin and Seraphin: continually do cry, Holy, Holy, Holy: Lord God of Sabaoth; Heaven and earth are full of the Majesty: of thy glory.

    SOLI (Alto & Bass) & CHORUS(Alto) The glorious company of the Apostles: praise thee. The goodly fellowship of the prophets: praise thee. The noble army of martyrs: praise thee.

    (Chorus) The holy Church throughout all the world: doth acknowledge thee;

    The Father: of an infinite Majesty; Thine honourable, true: and only Son; Also the Holy Ghost: the Comforter. (Bass) Thou art the King of Glory: O Christ. Thou art the everlasting Son: of the Father.

    SOLO (Alto) & CHORUS(Alto) When thou tookest upon thee to deliver man: thou

    didst not abhor the virgins womb. When thou hadst overcome the sharpness of death: thou

    didst open the Kingdom of Heaven to all believers. Thou sittest at the right hand of God: in the glory of the

    Father. We believe that thou shalt come: to be our judge. We therefore pray thee, help thy servants: whom thou hast

    redeemed with thy precious blood. Make them to be numbered with thy saints: in glory

    everlasting. (Chorus) O Lord, save thy people: and bless thine heritage. Govern them: and lift them up forever.

    CHORUSDay by day: we magnify thee; And we worship thy name: ever world without end.

    SOLO (Alto)Vouchsafe, O Lord: to keep us this day without sin. O Lord, have mercy upon us: have mercy upon us. O Lord, let thy mercy lighten upon us: as our trust is in thee.

    CHORUSO Lord, in thee have I trusted: let me never be confounded.

    Eternal Source of Light Divine, HWV 74 (1713)Birthday Ode for Queen Anne; February 6, 1713Text: Ambrose Philips

    SOLO (Alto)Eternal source of light divine With double warmth thy beams display, And with distinguishd glory shine, To add a lustre to this day.

    SOLO (Alto) & CHORUS The day that gave great Anna birth Who fixd a lasting peace on earth.

    Texts

  • 23

    Listen, nd concert info, join our email list, and buy tickets at clerestory.org

    Clerestory Distinctive voices blending in a gorgeous sound . . .

    Americana:Into the West

    BERKELEYSunday, March 27, 4:00 p.m.St. Marks Episcopal Church

    SAN FRANCISCO

    Monday, March 28, 7:30 p.m.Music at Meyer: Temple Emanu-El

    SOLO (Soprano) & CHORUS (Soprano) Let all the winged race with joy Their wonted homage sweetly pay, Whilst towring in the azure sky They celebrate this happy day: (Chorus) The day that gave great Anna birth Who fixd a lasting peace on earth.

    SOLI (Alto & Soprano) & CHORUS (Alto) Let flocks and herds their fear forget Lions and wolves refuse their prey And all in friendly consort meet, Made glad by this propitious day. (Soprano, Alto, & Chorus) The day that gave great Anna birth Who fixd a lasting peace on earth.

    DUET (Alto & Bass) & CHORUS (Alto & Bass) Let rolling streams their gladness show With gentle murmurs whilst they play, And in their wild meanders flow, Rejoicing in this blessed day. (Chorus) The day that gave great Anna birth Who fixd a lasting peace on earth.

    DUET (Soprano & Alto) Kind health descends on downy wings; Angels conduct her on the way.

    Tour glorious Queen new life she brings,And swells our joys upon this day.Kind health descends

    DUET (Soprano & Alto) & CHORUS The day that gave great Anna birth Who fixd a lasting peace on earth.

    SOLO (Bass) & CHORUS (Bass) Let envy then conceal her head, And blasted faction glide away.No more her hissing tongues well dread,(Chorus) Secure in this auspicious day.The day that gave great Anna birth Who fixd a lasting peace on earth.

    SOLO (Alto) & CHORUS (Alto) United nations shall combine; To distant climes the sound convey (Double Chorus) United nations shall combine; To distant climes the sound convey That Annas actions are divine, And this the most important day! (Chorus) The day that gave great Anna birth Who fixd a lasting peace on earth.

    Texts

  • 24

    Millicent TomkinsArtist

    Musical Still Life & Gicle Prints

    Email: [email protected] Website: millicenttomkins.com

    Telephone: 415-383-7194

    San Francisco

    Renaissance Voices Todd Jolly, Music Director

    The Music of Joy *** EMA 25th Anniversary Concert ***

    We join with Early Music America, the national

    service provider to North American Early Music

    organizations to celebrate their 25th year with this

    concert featuring Toms Luis de Victorias

    Missa Gaudeamus & other joyful music of the

    Renaissance & Early Baroque including works by

    Tallis, Byrd, P urcell & Josquin

    March 19, 20 & 27, 2011

    The Music of Love Our OPERA EARLY & ANCIENT series returns with

    Matthew Lockes delightful masque Cupid & Death.

    Featuring the libretto by Christopher Gibbons, Cupid &

    Death accidentally exchange arrows lovers are struck

    dead & those whose time of passing has come are struck

    ardent pandemonium ensues until Mother Nature & the

    god Mercury step in to make things right.

    August 13, 14, 20 & 21, 2011

    Visit our website for de tails & ticke ts:

    www.SFRV.org

    ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS OR SERVICE

    with

    Advertising with ABS allows you to support one of the finest early music ensembles in the country while getting your message to our highly educated patrons in a cost-

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  • 25

    In July 2010, the American Bach Soloists inaugurated North Americas newest annual professional training program in Historically Informed Performance Practice. Drawing on their distinguished roster of performersnamed the best American specialists in early music by The Washington Postthe American Bach Soloists ACADEMY offers advanced conservatory-level students and young professionals unique opportunities to study and perform Baroque music in a multi-disciplinary learning environment. In addition to in-depth coachings and technical studies with masters of their particular instruments, string players, wind and brass players, continuo and keyboard players, and singers work together with all faculty members, gaining the perspectives of eminent and highly acclaimed professional artists from a variety of disciplines.

    The ACADEMY is held in the San Francisco Conservatory of Musics exquisite new facilities, recently opened in the heart of the citys arts district. Located two blocks from Davies Symphony Hall (home of the San Francisco Symphony) and the War Memorial Opera House (home of the San Francisco Opera and San Francisco Ballet companies), the Conservatory offers state-of-the-art performance halls, classrooms, practice rooms, and teaching studios.

    The American Bach Soloists AcAdemy offers nearly two weeks of public events that present the celebrated artists of the American Bach Soloists performing side-by-side with the next generation of early music virtuosi.

    Chamber Music Concerts ~ Free Public Lectures Handels Ariodante ~ Bachs Mass in B Minor

    Colloquia ~ Open Master Classes

    Join us this summer ... July 1423, 2011 americanbach.org/academy

    ACADEMY SPONSORS

    The American Bach Soloists AcAdemy Sponsors represent the San Francisco Bay Area arts communitys most culturally responsible patrons who are excited to provide uniquely challenging and artistically productive educational experiences to the worlds next generation of professional musicians specializing in the timeless repertoire of the Baroque era and, in particular, the music of Bach and his contemporaries.

    Whether your passion is for the Arts, Education, or Music, your investment in the careers of the cream of the crop from conservatories around the globe will help ensure the future of great music that has inspired generations from all walks of life.

    As a member of this essential and prestigious society, you will be invited to a special opening reception on the first day of the Academy to meet our students and faculty. You will also be invited to a special private reception at the conclusion of the Academy. And you will have first access to Priority Ticketing for all events.

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    Experience what the San Francisco Chronicle hails as divinely inspired singing by the American Bach Choir on these CDs...available for

    purchase during intermission.

    americanbach.org/recordings

    Beethoven: Ninth Symphony

    Handel: Messiah

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    Music Director Jeffrey Thomas

    JEFFREY THOMAS has brought thoughtful, meaningful, and informed perspectives to his performances as Artistic and Music Director of the American Bach Soloists for more than two decades. Recognized worldwide as one of the foremost interpreters of the music of Bach and the Baroque, he continues to inspire audiences and performers alike through his keen insights into the passions behind musical expression. He has directed and conducted recordings of more than 25 cantatas, the Mass in B Minor, Musical Offering, motets, chamber music, and works by Schtz, Pergolesi, Vivaldi, Haydn, and Beethoven. Fanfare magazine has praised his series of Bach recordings, stating that Thomas direction seems just right, capturing the humanity of the musicthere is no higher praise for Bach performance. He has appeared with the Baltimore, Berkeley, Boston, Detroit, Houston, National, Rochester, Minnesota, and San Francisco symphony orchestras; with the Vienna Symphony and the New Japan Philharmonic; with virtually every American baroque orchestra; and in Austria, England, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Mexico. He has performed at the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Spoleto USA Festival, Ravinia Festival, Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Berkeley Festival and Exhibition, Boston Early Music Festival, Bethlehem Bach Festival, Gttingen Festival, Tage Alte Musik Festival in Regensburg, E. Nakamichi Baroque Festival in Los Angeles, the Smithsonian Institution, and at the Brooklyn Academy of Musics Next Wave Festival, and he has collaborated on several occasions as conductor with the Mark Morris Dance Group.

    Before devoting all of his time to conducting, he was one of the first recipients of the San Francisco Opera Companys prestigious Adler Fellowships. Cited by the Wall Street Journal as a superstar among oratorio tenors, Mr. Thomas extensive discography of vocal music includes dozens of recordings of major works for Decca, EMI, Erato, Koch International Classics, Denon, Harmonia Mundi, Smithsonian, Newport Classics, and Arabesque. Mr. Thomas is an avid exponent of contemporary music, and has conducted the premiers of new operas, including David Contes Gift of the Magi and Firebird Motel, and premiered song cycles of several composers, including

    two cycles written especially for him. He has performed lieder recitals at the Smithsonian, song recitals at various universities, and appeared with his own vocal chamber music ensemble, LAria Viva.

    Educated at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, Manhattan School of Music, and the Juilliard School of Music, with further studies in English literature at Cambridge University, he has taught at the Amherst Early Music Workshop, Oberlin College Conservatory Baroque Performance Institute, San Francisco Early Music Society, and Southern Utah Early Music Workshops, presented master classes at the New England Conservatory of Music, San Francisco Conservatory of Music, SUNY at Buffalo, Swarthmore College, and Washington University, been on the faculty of Lehigh University in Pennsylvania, and was artist-in-residence at the University of California, where he is now professor of music (Barbara K. Jackson Chair in Choral Conducting) and director of choral ensembles in the Department of Music at UC Davis. He was a UC Davis Chancellors Fellow from 2001 to 2006; and the Rockefeller Foundation awarded him a prestigious Residency at the Bellagio Study and Conference Center at Villa Serbelloni for April 2007, to work on his manuscript, Handels Messiah: A Life of Its Own.

    In the Press...

    Thomas united enlightened historical performance practice with native musical intelligence.

    San FranciSco examiner

    Thomas cast the music in winningly immediate termsa performance marked by crisp rhythmic focus and tender lyricism.

    San FranciSco chronicle

    Under the dexterous leadership of Music Director Jeffrey Thomas, the choir produced sounds of remarkable transparency and body.

    San FranciSco chronicle

    Thomas direction seems just right, capturing the humanity of the musicthere is no higher praise for Bach performance.

    FanFare maGazine

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    Artist Profiles

    JESSE BLUMBERG (baritone) is an artist equally at home on opera, concert, and recital stages. This past season he performed the role of the Celebrant in Bernsteins Mass at Londons Royal Festival Hall under the baton of Marin Alsop, debuted with Boston Lyric Opera as Harlekin in Ariadne auf Naxos, and performed recitals in Paris with the Mirror Visions Ensemble. In 2007 he created the role of Connie Rivers in The Grapes of Wrath (recorded by P.S. Classics) at the Minnesota Opera, and later made his Utah and Pittsburgh Opera debuts in the same production. Other recent appearances include leading and featured roles with Annapolis Opera, Opera Delaware, Opera Vivente, and the Boston Early Music Festival. In concert, Mr. Blumberg has been a featured soloist with American Bach Soloists, Los Angeles Master Chorale, Sacred Music in a Sacred Space, and the Berkshire Choral Festival. He has also given the world premieres of two important chamber works: Ricky Ian Gordons Green Sneakers (recorded by Blue Griffin Recording) and Lisa Bielawas The Lay of the Love and Death, the former at the Vail Valley Music Festival, and the latter at Alice Tully Hall. He has toured with the Mark Morris Dance Group and the Waverly Consort, and given recitals for the Marilyn Horne Foundation. Last season, he and pianist Martin Katz performed Schuberts two monumental song cycles, Die schne Mllerin and Winterreise, over one weekend in Ann Arbor, and will soon repeat this pairing in New York City. Mr. Blumberg has been recognized in many song and opera competitions, and in 2008 was awarded Third Prize at the International Robert Schumann Competition in Zwickau, becoming its first American prizewinner in over thirty years. His 2010-2011 engagements include song recitals in New York, Boston, and Washington, D.C., debuts with New York Festival of Song, Clarion Society, University Musical Society, Green Mountain Project, and Apollos Fire, and returns to American Bach Soloists, Minnesota Opera, and the Boston Early Music Festival. He received a Master of Music degree from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and undergraduate degrees in History and Music from the University of Michigan. Mr. Blumberg is also the founder and artistic director of the Five Boroughs Music Festival, a new concert series in New York City.

    HUGH DAVIES (bass) was born and educated in England, and started his singing career as a boy chorister at St. Albans Abbey under the direction of Peter Hurford and Simon Preston. While a student at Cambridge University, he was a Choral Scholar at Kings College, where the director of music was David Willcocks. As a professional singer based in London, he appeared with Glyndebourne Opera and the Royal Opera, Covent Garden, and performed as a soloist with leading choirs and orchestras throughout Europe. He was a member of the Monteverdi Choir, the Schtz Choir and the John Alldis Choir, and made many recordings and broadcasts on television and radio. After teaching music in Australia for two years, Hugh moved to California in 1986. He now sings, mostlyin the San Francisco area, both as a soloist and as a member of several professional ensembles, and has appeared with groups such as the American Bach Soloists, California Bach Society, Magnificat, Albany Consort, San Francisco Bach Choir, Santa Rosa Symphony, Sonoma County Bach Choir, Symphony Silicon Valley, and the Theatre of Voices. He has also appeared with Boston-based Cut Circle and, in Southern California, with Pacific Chorale and Musica Angelica. He is also President of ACFEA Tour Consultants, an organization that arranges international tours for amateur performing arts ensembles, and serves on the board of Chorus America and as President of American Bach Soloists.

    Jesse Blumberg Hugh Davies

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    IAN HOWELL (countertenor) sings with a warm and seamless tone rarely heard from countertenors. Praised by the New York Times for his clear voice and attractive timbre and San Francisco Classical Voice for his flawless singing, Mr. Howell took First Prize at the American Bach Soloists 2006 International Young Artists Competition with an acclaimed performance of Bachs Cantata BWV 170, Vergngte Ruh, and Third Prize at the Oratorio Society of New Yorks Competition. This Blacksburg, VA native can be heard with the all male chamber choir Chanticleer on one DVD and seven CDs, including the GRAMMY award-winning Lamentations and Praises and the GRAMMY award nominated Our American Journey. His 2009-2010 season featured solo debuts at the Ravinia Festival, in the Beginners Ear recital, Messiah with the Handel Choir of Baltimore, as Joacim in Handels Suzanna with The New York Metamorphosis, in Pergolesis Stabat Mater with Chatham Baroque, Bachs St. John Passion with Musica Angelica in Los Angeles, and in recital at Ohios Columbus Guitar Society. He returns this season in performances with the American Bach Soloists, and with the Staunton Music Festival. Recent seasons have seen Mr. Howell appear with ensembles and orchestras across the USA and Canada, including American Bach Soloists, Oratorio Society of New York, Musica Sacra (NYC), Choral Arts Society of Philadelphia, Vancouver Chamber Choir, Portland Baroque Orchestra, Berkshire Choral Festival, Princeton Glee Club, Tableau Baroque, and The Choir of St Thomas 5th Ave (NYC). Mr. Howells debut solo CD with the American Bach Soloists was released in March of 2009 and featuring repertory by D. Scarlatti, J.S. Bach, and Handel. He is committed to spreading awareness of the countertenor voice and is an active teacher and clinician, maintaining studios in Philadelphia, at Swarthmore College, and in New York City. Mr. Howell graduated in 2006 with a Master of Music Degree in Voice offered jointly by the Yale Institute of Sacred Music and the Yale School of Music.

    CLIFTON MASSEY (countertenor) enjoys performing a variety of vocal styles with world-class musicians. Praised for his depth of tone by the Dallas Morning News and expressive, moving singing by San Francisco Classical Voice, he strives for informed interpretations of styles from the Middle Ages to newly composed pieces. Known for a deep commitment to musical excellence, Mr. Massey is often sought for oratorio and ensemble work throughout the Bay Area and beyond. At home on the concert and opera stage, he has appeared as Apollo in Albinonis Il Nascimento dellAurora with City Concert Opera, the sorceress in Purcells King Arthur at the Bloomington Early Music Festival, and as soloist with notable period-instrument groups including American Bach Soloists, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, Concert Royal NYC, and the Dallas Bach Society. He has collaborated with such renowned conductors as Jeffrey Thomas, Nicholas McGegan, Skitch Henderson, John Holloway, and Paul Hillier. A proponent of high-level ensemble singing, Mr. Massey performed with the award-winning ensemble Chanticleer with whom he sang in over 200 concerts in such settings as the Tanglewood Music Festival, Ravinia Festival, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Tokyo Opera City, and in a variety of the worlds finest concert halls. With them, he can be heard as a soloist on their recording Sound in Spirit. In 2006, a group of alumni from that ensemble formed Clerestory, an acappella mens ensemble with whom he can be heard on their upcoming CD Night Draws Near available in October. As an educator, Mr. Massey seeks to instill a love of music and singing with young adults, and is often sought as a choral clinician and adjudicator. Upcoming solo projects include this evenings Purcell and Handel performance with the American Bach Soloists, and Bachs Mass in B Minor with Pacific Collegium in Spring of this year. Mr. Massey is a native of Dallas, Texas and holds a music education bachelors degree from Texas Christian University and a masters degree in Early Music vocal performance from Indiana University, where he studied with Paul Elliott, Alan Bennett and Paul Hillier.

    Artist Profiles

    Clifton MasseyIan Howell

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    AARON SHEEHAN (tenor) is part of a new generation of early music vocalists that performs in projects ranging from Medieval to 20th Century music. His voice has been described by Opera News as Sinuous and Supple and the Boston Globe says he sings with musical charm and vocal aplomb. He has appeared as soloist with the American Bach Soloists, Tragicomedia, Concerto Palatino, New York Collegium, Handel and Haydn Society, Aston Magna Festival, Moscow Chamber Orchestra, Clarion Music Society, Boston Cecilia, American Opera Theater, Intermezzo Chamber Opera, and the Lyra Concert Baroque Orchestra. His singing has taken him to many festivals including Tanglewood, Boston Early Music Festival, Regensburg Early Music Festival, Washington DC Early Music Festival, and Monadnock Summer Music Festival. Aaron has recorded and toured the U.S. and Europe with Paul Hilliers ensemble, Theater of Voices, with which he still performs, Blue Heron Renaissance Choir, Fortunes Wheel, and La Donna Musicale. Mr. Sheehans recently sung engagements include the role of Ivan in the Boston Early Music Festivals production of Matthesons Boris Gudenow, the role of Enea in Cavallis Didone, the role of Pastor in a recording of Monteverdis Orfeo, and a recording of Lullys Thse with BEMF. Other engagements have included a Midwest tour of Handels Acis and Galatea, a St. John Passion at the National Cathedral, one on a part Bach cantatas with the American Bach Soloists, and the role of Amour in Lullys opera Psych with the Boston Early Music Festival. Mr. Sheehan teaches voice at both Wellesley College and Brown University.

    ELIZABETH WEIGLE (soprano) is sought out for her unique vocal beauty and interpretive insight, which she lends to music ranging from the Baroque to the 21st Century. Highlights of her recent and upcoming performances include: world premiere of Theofanidis Now is the Time that Hope Has Come at the Juilliard Theater in New York, Mahlers Fourth Symphony with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, Oliver Knussen Hums and Songs of Winnie the Pooh in Carnegie Hall, as Pat Nixon in Adams Nixon in China with the Opera Boston, Handels Messiah and Bach BWV 51 Jauchzet Gott in Allen Landen with the American Bach Soloists, Carmina Burana in Baltimore, Schumanns Das Paradies und die Peri in Boston, Brahms Requiem, Bachs Mass in B Minor at the Cathedral Choral Society National Cathedral in Washington D.C., Handels cantatas, La Lucrezia with New Yorks Four Nations and Armida Abbandonata with the Baroque Chamber Orchestra of Colorado. Ms. Weigles most recent recordings include Mozarts Requiem with Apollos Fire (Koch), and the world premiere recording of 66 Times by Prix de Rome winning composer Shih-Hui Chens (Albany). A graduate of the Eastman School of Music where she studied with the late Jan DeGaetani, and coached extensively with Paul ODette and Christel Thielmann, Ms. Weigle received her Masters degree from the Manhattan School of Music with continued studies at The Juilliard School.

    Elizabeth WeigleAaron Sheehan

    Artist Profiles

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    Dietrich BuxtehuDe Membra Jesu NostriA cycle of seven cantatas offers poignant Lenten meditationsChamber chorus and strings, featuring Rachel Hurwitz and David Sego, violin

    Friday, March 4, 8PMSt. Marks Lutheran Church San Francisco

    Saturday, March 5, 8PMAll Saints Episcopal Church Palo Alto

    Sunday, March 6, 4PMSt. Marks Episcopal Church Berkeley

    415-262-0272www.calbach.org

    San Francisco, Berkeley, Atherton and Walnut Creek

    March 49

    Zheng Cao: The Life of a SingerAcclaimed mezzo-soprano Zheng Cao

    (SF Operas Bonesetters Daughter) performs U.S. premiere of

    Nathanial Stookeys Into the Bright Lights.

    Tickets start at $30

    April 913

    Haydns CreationHaydns great masterpiece, featuring

    Dominique Labelle, Thomas Cooley, Philip Cutlip, and

    the Philharmonia Chorale (Bruce Lamott, director).

    Tickets start at $25

    philharmonia.org(415) 252-1288

  • American Bach Soloists Discography

    americanbach.org/media

    MASTERWORKS SERIES

    Bach Brandenburg Concertos

    Bach Harpsichord Concertos

    Bach Italian Transcriptions

    Bach Mass in B Minor

    Bach Violin Concertos

    Beethoven Ninth Symphony

    Corelli Concerti Grossi

    Handel Messiah

    Haydn Masses

    Schtz Choral & Vocal Works

    Carols for Christmas

    The Art of Ian Howell

    BACH CANTATA SERIES

    Solo Cantatas

    Trauerode

    Mhlhausen Cantatas

    Cantatas for Easter

    Weimar Cantatas

    Favorite Cantatas

    freestreaming audio

    americanbach.org/player

    Listen to ABS