EarlyMusicNews.org

“Zephyrus - the English Bagpipe Orchestra - offer the glorious harmony and sinuous counterpoint of six sweetly toned bagpipes underpinned by driving percussion. Formed by Jon Swayne in 1998 to perform his piece The Halfe Hannikin Variations, Zephyrus brings together some of the best players of modern English bagpipes. The polyphonic style of writing developed by Jon is quite unique and exploits to the full the amazingly rich sonority offered by six pipes. The group have released two CDs of their music, Halfe Hannikin and English Suite.

The Halfe Hannikin Variations is a suite of music inspired by the tune of the same name in John Playford's 1651 edition of The English Dancing Master. It comprises Prelude - Theme, Slowish Waltz, Polka, Slow Five, Bourrée, Dark Seven, Wodgy and Finale. The piece is far from a static presentation, the musicians having worked out carefully choreographed moves so as to enhance both the visual and the musical impact. ..“

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Added on: May 11, 2009 | Hits: 1036

"Deborah Booth plays Renaissance, Baroque, and modern flutes and recorders. Her training in flute performance was taken at Cincinnati Conservatory, the University of Kentucky, the Mannes School of Music - Historical Performance Program, and she has studied with Marion Verbruggen, Sandra Miller, Thomas Nyfenger, and other noted teachers in Amsterdam and New York. Ms. Booth played in several orchestras, including the Louisville Orchestra and the North Carolina Symphony. ... " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Aug 06, 2008 | Hits: 1728

"Debra’s wide ranging discography includes a disc of fifteenth-century German instrumental and vocal music with Ciaramella (Naxos), “Stolen Gold” for amplified baroque and tape – a work written for Debra by composer Anna Rubin (Capstone Records), collaborations with vielle player Shira Kammen (“Mistral” on Bright Angel Records), Handel’s Acis and Galatea with the Montreal-based ensemble Les Boréades (ATMA), sacred music of Vivaldi with Toronto’s Aradia Ensemble (Naxos), Masses of Joseph Haydn with Ensemble Rebel (Hänssler Classics), and Lutheran Masses of J.S. Bach with the Washington Bach Consort (Loft Recordings). Recording projects for 2007 include Brandenburg Concertos with the American Bach Soloists, a disc of instrumental music by Johann Friedrich Fasch with Philadelphia's Tempesta di Mare, and Lully's Psyché with the Boston Early Music Festival. Debra has appeared at many international early music festivals including the Boston & Berkeley Early Music Festivals, Regensburg (Germany), and Laus Polyphoniae (Belgium), and has had live performances featured on CBC Radio Canada, Klara (Belgium), NPR’s Performance Today, WQXR (New York City) and WGBH Boston. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 23, 2008 | Hits: 1184

Kelly Nivison Roudabush is a versatile flutist with expertise in both modern and historical flute performance. She teaches privately in Bloomington, Indiana, and has experience teaching ages 6 through adult. Kelly is an up and coming name in the early music community. She has been a semi-finalist twice in the National Flute Association's Baroque Flute Artist competition (2007, 2009), and has won the National Flute Association's Baroque Masterclass Performers competition (2011). She has performed for notable period flutists, including Barthold Kuijken, Rachel Brown, Janet See, Christopher Krueger, and Stephen Preston. Her primary traverso teachers include Barbara Kallaur and Nancy Schneeloch-Bingham. 

Added on: May 27, 2011 | Hits: 887

" Kiri Tollaksen enjoys a varied career as a performer and teacher. Equally skilled on trumpet and cornetto (a wind instrument used primarily in 17th century Western Europe), Kiri has been praised for her "stunning technique, and extreme musicality," (Journal of the International Trumpet Guild). She has performed extensively throughout North America and Europe with numerous groups such as Apollo's Fire, The Folger Consort, Piffaro, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, New York Collegium, Concerto Palatino, La Fenice, the Huelgas Ensemble, the Catacoustic Consort and Seattle Baroque Orchestra. She has performed both at the Boston Early Music Festival, and at the Bloomington Early Music Festival, and she is a regular member of the quartets La Gente d'Orfeo and Anaphantasia, both based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. " See website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 03, 2008 | Hits: 958

"Lars Johannesson, flutist, is an active performer and teacher in the San Francisco and Monterey Bay areas. Lars studied modern flute with Lloyd Gowen and Tim Day at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where he also began playing Baroque flute. He pursued post-graduate studies in Baroque flute with Wilbert Hazelzet at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague, Holland. Recent engagements include performances with Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, Portland Baroque Orchestra, Santa Cruz Baroque Festival, Ensemble Monterey Chamber Orchestra, Jubilate! and Santa Cruz Chamber Players. Having an interest in different musical genres, Lars also performs Celtic, Swedish and other traditional music. As a studio musician, Lars has recorded for numerous CD releases, including many on the Gourd Music label. Lars lives in Santa Cruz with his wife and twin sons. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: May 04, 2008 | Hits: 954

“Mary Oleskiewicz specializes in historical flutes and flute playing. She and her duo partner, harpsichordist Dr. David Schulenberg, are available for concerts, masterclasses, lessons, and general or scholarly lectures on a wide variety of subjects, including tuning and temperament, playing pitch, pedagogy, and performing practice. In 2001 she was the first-prize winner of the National Flute Association's triennial Baroque Flute Artist competition.

Mary Oleskiewicz has appeared worldwide as a flutist and lecturer. An associate professor of music at the University of Massachusetts Boston, where she has taught since 2001, during 2006-8 she carried out research as a Fellow of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation at the University of the Arts in Berlin (Germany). Previously she held a joint curatorial and faculty appointment at the National Music Museum and the University of South Dakota. She received the Ph.D. in 1998 in Performance Practice from Duke University.  ..“

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Added on: Feb 08, 2010 | Hits: 955

“The Maryland Early Brass Consort is dedicated to the performance of early brass music of the Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, and Romantic eras on instruments of the period, such as natural trumpets and horns, cornettos, sackbuts, and baroque tympani, as well as early versions of valved brass instruments.  MEBC plays as an ensemble and joins with other musical groups to form larger ensembles.  MEBC also presents educational programs for elementary, high school, and university classes, in which students are encouraged to try out our collection of instruments.“

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Added on: Nov 12, 2012 | Hits: 3071

“Michael McCraw is cited in the newest edition of Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians as one of the most important early bassoon players and pedagogues of our time. A pioneer in the field of baroque performance with original instruments, he began his career in New York City as a member of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra.

McCraw has played with such ensembles as Musica Antiqua Koeln, Concentus Musicus Wien, London Baroque, Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, and Camerata Koeln. From 1991 through 2002, he was principal bassoonist of the Tafelmusik Orchestra.

McCraw has taught at festivals and workshops all over the world and was a faculty member of the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. His recordings number more than 140 and include a highly acclaimed CD of Vivaldi bassoon concerti with the Seattle Baroque Orchestra. McCraw serves as musical director of the baroque double reed workshop in Albuquerque, N. M. “

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Added on: May 03, 2010 | Hits: 926

“B.M., Tel Aviv University; Soloist Diploma, Arnhem Conservatory; Artist Diploma, Longy School of Music; D.M.A., Boston University. Baroque flute with Wilbert Hazelzet, Carla Kemme-Mahler, Christopher Krueger, Michael Melzer, Pieter van Howelingen. Masterclasses with Barthold Kuijken, Maarten Root, Jed Wentz, Ton Koopman. Flute with Sergio Feidman, Uri Shoham. Faculty: Atlantic Union College, Amherst Early Music Summer Workshop. Director, Chamber Music at Mather House. Performances with Handel & Haydn Society, Boston Baroque, Sequentia. Member: La Donna Musicale. Founding member: New Quartet, Kammerton. Recordings: Deutsche Harmonia Mundi, Centaur, and private labels. “

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Added on: May 03, 2010 | Hits: 893

“Stephen Hammer plays and teaches oboes of all periods, recorders, and Renaissance reeds, and is active as an instrument-maker and music administrator. He is especially interested in the musical rhetoric of the Baroque period, and also enjoys tennis, playing jazz, and making web sites.“

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Added on: May 27, 2011 | Hits: 912

“Washington McClain is a former member of the Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra and current principal oboist of l'Ensemble Arion (Montreal) and Apollo's Fire Baroque Orchestra (Cleveland, Ohio). He has performed with many baroque orchestras in the United States and in Canada.

Washington's extensive teaching and performing experience in workshops and festivals in North America includes The Amherst Early Music Festival, Albuquerque Baroque Double Reeds, the Madison Early Music Festival, The International Baroque Institute at Longy (Boston), Festival International de Musique Baroque de Lamèque (New Brunswick, Canada), The Staunton Music Festival (Virginia), and the Boston Early Music Festival. He is also the first period instrument performer to be featured in an article of Windplayer Magazine.

McClain has made recordings for Sony Classical Vivarte, ATMA Records, Analekta Records, and Centaur Records.“

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Added on: May 03, 2010 | Hits: 851

“Wendy Rolfe is one of the United States' leading performers on historical and modern flutes.  She has just been accepted to the Fulbright Program Senior Specialists Candidate Roster as a Candidate for international projects. Ms Rolfe has toured the USA with a Solo Recitalist Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, presenting her unique "The Flute Through the Ages". This program illuminates musical history with flutes from her own collection, including an 1818 Claude Laurent crystal flute. Ms. Rolfe also annually tours Brazil, giving recitals and master classes at the Universities of Sao Paulo, Brasilia, Campinas and Rio. In 2005, she was guest artist and professor at the XV International Flute Festival in Quito Ecuador. Currently, Ms Rolfe is engaged in a Berklee College of Music Faculty Fellowship project in Brazil, working with the Flautistas da Pro Arte education program in Rio de Janeiro, and recording a solo CD of Brazilian music for flute and piano with leading Brazilian pianist Maria Jose Carrasqueira. ..“ Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Apr 19, 2009 | Hits: 897

“¡Sacabuche! is a sackbut and cornetto ensemble that began as a collegium ensemble based at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music's Early Music Institute and performs the beautiful and lesser-known repertoire of baroque trombones, organ and voice. This ensemble is noted for its dedication to creative and engaging interpretations of early Baroque and late Renaissance masterpieces and a willingness to explore multi-genre works. …“

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Added on: Sep 28, 2011 | Hits: 973