All concerts are at 8:00 pm in the Calvin Fine Arts Center

Saturday, October 6, 2007The Baltimore Consort

Now in its 27th year of delighting audiences on both sides of the Atlantic, the Baltimore Consort’s arrangements of early music from England, Scotland, France, Italy and Spain speak to the heart as well as the mind. Its love for the early music of English/Scottish heritage has led the group to delve into the rich trove of traditional balladry and dance tunes preserved in the Appalachian Mountains and Nova Scotia. “Few early music players have more fun making music than the Baltimore six...” (The New Yorker). Among the 12 discs the group has recorded, its latest, Cancionero: Early Music from Spain (2006), explores the extraordinary repertory from the Iberian Peninsula. The consort tours all U.S. regions, has appeared frequently in Europe, and holds residence at the Walters Art Gallery and the Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore. The Baltimore Consort has also been heard on syndicated radio programs such as Performance Today, St. Paul Sunday, Millennium of Music, Harmonia and Onstage.

Saturday, October 27, 2007VocalEssence, Philip Brunelle, conductor
—presenting the Michigan debut of The World Beloved: A Bluegrass Mass

Founded in 1969 under the name Plymouth Music Series, VocalEssence is recognized internationally for innovative exploration of music for voices and instruments. Under the guidance of Philip Brunelle, the organization explores rarely heard and newly commissioned works that attract interest from around the world. In 2002 the Plymouth Music Series changed its name to VocalEssence, capturing the essence of its mission to explore music for the human voice, from spoken word to choral singing. The Minneapolis Star Tribune described the Ensemble Singers as producing a “luxuriant sound... performing with tonal purity and technical mastery.” The Ensemble Singers are best known for their frequent guest appearances on the nationally broadcast public radio program A Prairie Home Companion. The group has received the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers/Chorus America Award for adventurous programming of contemporary music an unprecedented five times it has been eligible, and it was awarded the once-in-an-organizational-lifetime Margaret Hillis Achievement Award for Choral Excellence.

Friday, February 22, 2008The Westminster Choir, Joe Miller, conductor
—in partnership with the American Choral Directors Association

Setting the standard for choral excellence for 80 years, the Westminster Choir is composed of students at Westminster Choir College of Rider University in Princeton, N.J. It has been the chorus-in-residence for the Spoleto Festival USA since 1977, performing both in concert and as the opera chorus. The choir was also the chorus-in-residence for the Festival of Two Worlds in Spoleto, Italy, for 23 years. Under the baton of its new conductor, Joe Miller, formerly of Western Michigan University, the choir continues its tradition of choral excellence. His 2006–2007 inaugural season at Westminster includes performances at Princeton and at the Spoleto Festival USA, as well as a concert tour of the southern United States. Praised by critics for its “full-bodied, incisive singing” (The New York Times), the Westminster Choir also forms the core of the Westminster Symphonic Choir, which has performed and recorded with the leading conductors and orchestras of our time.

Saturday, March 29, 2008The Chicago Jazz Ensemble, with Jon Faddis

Three of the most creative geniuses in jazz — vocalist Nat King Cole, trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie and pianist Thelonious Monk — were born in 1917, making 2007 the 90th anniversary of their births. Join Jon Faddis and the Chicago Jazz Ensemble in celebrating the musical legacy of these three exceptional musicians. The concert features classic Dizzy Gillespie big band arrangements (from Gillespie’s original charts, personally entrusted to Faddis by Gillespie), as well as Monk’s music as arranged by Michael Philip Mossman, Slide Hampton and Dennis Mackrel — charts that premiered at Carnegie Hall under Faddis’ direction. The CJE’s own vocalist, Bobbi Wilsyn, highlights the music of Nat King Cole, with new arrangements of songs such as Route 66 and Straighten Up and Fly Right, commissioned by the CJE specifically for this concert.

Thursday, May 1, 2008Leon Fleisher, piano with Katherine Jacobson
—in partnership with the Gilmore International Keyboard Festival
*Note: Concert at 7:30 p.m.

Leon Fleisher made his debut with the New York Philharmonic at the age of 16. He was the first American to win the Queen Elizabeth International Piano Competition in Belgium. His celebrated work with George Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra resulted in a series of recordings, which remain touchstones of the classical catalog. During the 1964–65 season, Mr. Fleisher’s career was interrupted by the onset of a debilitating condition affecting his right hand, repetitive stress syndrome. He then devoted his musical career to teaching, conducting and eventually to left-hand-alone piano literature. His performances and recordings of the repertoire for the left hand, beginning in the 1980s, won him critical and popular acclaim, and two Grammy nominations. In 1995, with the Cleveland Orchestra, Mr. Fleisher was able to play the Mozart Concerto in A major, K.414, successfully with both hands. He now performs both left-hand repertoire and select works for two hands worldwide. Katherine Jacobson made her Carnegie Hall debut in 2004 with Leon Fleisher, Jaime Laredo, and the New York String Orchestra. She has performed in the United States and famous concert halls around the world. (This concert is presented in partnership with the Gilmore International Keyboard Festival at 7:30 p.m.)

All concerts are at 8:00 p.m. in the Calvin Fine Arts Center.
Each includes an educational outreach.

For additional information call: (616) 526-6800