Ensemble Chaconne, now celebrating its 40th season, will make its debut in the longstanding Arts on the Green Concert Series in the beautiful sanctuary at First Congregational Church Shrewsbury. The group will perform gems by J.S. Bach, Handel, Vivaldi and other baroque masters. Hailed by Classical Voice of North Carolina as “a powerhouse of great playing,” the ensemble tours widely in the U.S. and abroad. They’ve been praised for “vitality and character, style and verve.” (MusicWeb International).
The concert is free and open to the public; donations welcome. For information, call (508) 845-7286 or 617-947-5548. Email: [email protected]
The program on September 21 will include Sonata in E Minor BWV 1034 by J.S. Bach, Concerto for Lute in D Major by Vivaldi, Quatorzieme Concert by François Couperin, Sonata in G major, Opus 1, No. 5 by Handel, works for solo lute by Leopold Silvius Weiss, and Fantasia 10 in E major for viola da gamba by Telemann.
Founded in 1985, Ensemble Chaconne’s extensive career includes performances for The National Gallery in London, The Bach Festival Society of Winter Park Florida, Jordan Hall in Boston, The National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa, The Edison Theatre in St Louis, The Yale Center for British Art, Spivey Hall in Atlanta, Connecticut Early Music Festival, The Morton Arboretum Chamber Series in Chicago, The National Music Museum in Vermillion SD, King’s Chapel Boston, and the Royal Shakespeare Company Residency at Davidson College, to name a few.
Peter H. Bloom, baroque flute, performs in the United States, Canada, Europe, and the Far East; appears on 49 recordings; is contributing editor for Noteworthy Sheet Music; and is a winner of the American Musicological Society’s Noah Greenberg Award for “distinguished contribution to the study and performance of early music.” His playing has been called “brightly gorgeous” (Gapplegate Music Review), “breathtaking” (Ivan Rod Review, Denmark), and “a revelation for unforced sweetness and strength” (The Boston Globe). His performances on historical flutes include Animusic Portugal, New York Flute Club, The Museum of Fine Arts Boston, The American Musical Instrument Society, The Metropolitan Museum, and the American Antiquarian Society, among others. He has performed with such notables as Ensemble Aubade, Grammy-nominee D’Anna Fortunato, Henning Ensemble, and The Aardvark Jazz Orchestra (53rd season), and has given lectures across the globe. He holds an MM with distinction in flute performance from the New England Conservatory and a BA (Philosophy) from Boston University.
Olav Chris Henriksen, acclaimed in Europe and North America as a soloist on lute, theorbo and early guitars, is also a much sought-after ensemble player, performing and recording with the Boston Camerata, Handel & Haydn Society, Waverly Consort, and Chanticleer, among others. His solo recordings are on Centaur and Museum Music; he has also recorded for Nonesuch, Erato, Pro Musica, Telarc and Decca. He has lectured at Harvard University, Northeastern University, the Nelson Atkins Museum (Kansas City), Musikkhögskolen (Oslo), the Museum of Fine Arts Boston and elsewhere. He has taught at the Boston Conservatory and the University of Southern Maine. The Boston Herald praised his playing, saying, “Henriksen was able to dazzle with his virtuosity in the fantastical figurations of John Dowland’s solo Fantasy for lute and Kapsberger’s similarly brilliant Toccata prima.”
Carol Lewis has been called a “zestful and passionate champion” of the viola da gamba. She has demonstrated her virtuosity and versatility as a soloist in the U.S. and abroad, and has toured internationally with Hespèrion, Boston Camerata, Capriccio Stravagante and other noted ensembles. She appeared recently with Boston Camerata at The Cloisters (New York) and the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, with Dunya at College of the Holy Cross, and with Cappella Clausura in the Boston area. She has recorded on Astrée, EMI, Lyrichord, Harmonia Mundi, Nonesuch, and other labels, and has taught at Festival dei Saraceni (Pamparato, Italy), Milano Civica Scuola di Musica (Italy), New England Conservatory of Music, Amherst Early Music and elsewhere. The Boston Herald called her playing “brilliantly florid,” and the Centre Presse (Poitiers, France) admired her “technique and musicality, her breathtaking dexterity.”