See also--Outreach programs for school and community offerings.

Musica Pacifica with Debra Nagy, oboe

             
Touring Programs

CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST

A “smorgasbord” of early music!  In this very popular program of Baroque gems, we visit the major artistic centers of Europe and sample the musical forms of the 17^th and 18^th centuries. Colorful suites by Rameau and Marais and brilliant chamber concertos by Vivaldi and Telemann rub shoulders with virtuosic trio and solo sonatas by Handel, Purcell, Castello, Bach, and others.

(any instrumentation)

DANCING IN THE ISLES

Rousing Baroque Folk and Dance Music from Scotland, Ireland, and England

Something for everyone! This program includes Musica Pacifica’s arrangements of traditional Irish and Scottish folk tunes, dance suites from the English theater, Jacobean masque music, trio sonatas by Scots Oswald and McGibbon, as well as works with a Scottish flavor by Matteis and Veracini, and Purcell’s famous "Three Parts upon a Ground."

(rec, 2 vlns, continuo; plus lute/guitar and/or percussion, if logistics permit)

ALLA RUSTICA

Experience the toe-tapping rhythms and exotic flavors of Baroque folk music from Mexico, Spain, and Scotland side-by-side with so-called "rustic" pieces by such composers as Vivaldi, Marais, Rameau, and Telemann who imitated in a more genteel fashion the popular music of their time and place. Virtuoso percussionist Peter Maund, of Ensemble Alcatraz, Davka, and Alasdair Fraser's Skyedance, joins Musica Pacifica for this rousing program.

(rec, vln, (guitar), percussion, continuo; can also include oboe or 2nd violin)

A VENETIAN CARNIVAL

This lively program includes music that evokes the festive and magic Carnival season for which Venice was so renowned.  Vivaldi’s colorful chamber concertos La Notte (The Night) and Tempesta di Mare (Sea Tempest), as well as 17^th-century sonatas by Uccellini, Cazzati, and Merula, reflect the extreme affects and topsy-turvy of this whimsical time.  A suite from Campra’s Les Festes Vénitiennes represents a foreigner’s “take” on Venice and Carnival, while evoking the popular style and characters of the commedia dell'arte. Chamber music by other Venetian composers, such as Veracini, Albinoni, and Vitali, and amusing readings from the period round out the program.

(rec, vln, oboe or 2^nd violin, (bassoon), continuo)

INVITATION TO A SALON

We invite you to partake of the pleasures of a Parisian salon: become a member of the French bourgeoisie for an evening and enjoy the vast range of musical choices they did--opera, ballet, intimate chamber recitals and concerts featuring the hottest visiting Italian virtuosi.  Our salon concert offers them all:  ballet and opera suites by Lully and Rameau, bravura sonatas by Veracini or Geminiani, and Telemann's enormously popular "Paris" quartets.  This program may also include guest artist, Ellen Hargis, soprano, singing the passionate and beguiling cantatas of Montéclair and Clérambault.

(rec, ob, vln, continuo)

A FAMILY AFFAIR, or the father, the sons, and the godfather

Trio, duo, solo sonatas, and chamber concertos from one of the greatest musical families ever, including works by J.S. Bach, W.F. Bach, C.P.E. Bach and his godfather, Georg Philipp Telemann.  Readings from the personal letters of these composers offer an intimate glimpse into their lives and provide a context for the works themselves.

(any instrumentation)

STRUDEL WITH ESPRESSO:  The Italian Connection

The exuberant music of the Italian Baroque set the world on fire, and German composers of the day sought to infuse their own more intimate art with this spirit.  This program combines the best of both worlds: the passion and excitement of Vivaldi, Corelli, Scarlatti, and Frescobaldi, and the emotional depth and fascinating intricacy of Bach, Handel, Telemann, and Buxtehude.  Savor some of the finest works of the Baroque era in this delectable concert.

(any instrumentation)

ALLA NAPOLITANA

In this program of music from Baroque Naples, you’ll hear rarely performed chamber concertos for recorder, two violins, and continuo by Alessandro Scarlatti and Francesco Mancini, as heard on Musica Pacifica’s award-winning CDs of this music, along with trio sonatas by Matteis, a piquant harpsichord sonata by Domenico Scarlatti, an unusual duo for two violins without bass by Barbella, a sonata by Pergolesi, and more!

(rec, 2 vlns, (vla), continuo)

Programs with Guest Artists

CHIAR’OSCURO
with Michael Collver, cornetto and countertenor

Renowned vocalist and cornettist Michael Collver joins Musica Pacifica in exploring the astonishing range of passions in the music and poetry of seventeenth-century Italy. Vocal masterworks by Monteverdi and Sigismondo d’India--including Monteverdi's haunting Lamento d'Arianna--complement the pyrotechnic sonatas of Gabrieli, Castello, Frescobaldi, Merula, and Fontana.
 

CROSSING THE CHANNEL  - Baroque Airs and Dances from France and England

      with Linda Tomko and Company, three Baroque dancers

This enchanting program features evocative French dances in the noble style, from dreamy musettes to lively entrees de bacchantes, in charming pastoral scenes. Virtuoso choreographies from the London stage contrast with the elegance of ball dances created for Queen Anne’s court.  Musica Pacifica collaborates with noted Baroque dance authority Linda Tomko and her dancers costumed in elegant, period-style costumes and wigs, presenting dances set to music by Lully, Paisible, Marais, and Campra.  Instrumental selections by Purcell, Handel, Couperin, and Boismortier round out the program.

A COLONIAL CHRISTMAS
with Julianne Baird, soprano

Explore our rich cultural heritage with Musica Pacifica and acclaimed soprano, Julianne Baird, in this delightful holiday program of music and narration from Early America. Included will be selections from the cosmopolitan cities of the Northeast, the Appalachian Mountains, the Moravian Church and German settlers, along with readings from the churches, parlors, and taverns of the American colonies. Christmas arias by J. S. Bach, French Baroque Noels by Delalande and Daquin, and instrumental selections by Telemann and Scarlatti round out the program.

sounds of Christmas past
with Ann Monoyios or Ellen Hargis, soprano

In a refreshing change from the usual holiday fare, Musica Pacifica presents a wide variety of Christmas music from 18^th-century Italy, France, and Germany. The ravishing "Christmas Cantata" of Alessandro Scarlatti, heartfelt arias from Bach's cantatas, virtuosic chamber works of Vivaldi and Telemann, and familiar carols in unusual settings, arranged by Musica Pacifica, are featured in this program celebrating the spiritual and festive moods of the season.
 

A CONCERT FOR THE GRAND DUKE
with guest artist Michael McCraw, bassoon

The smaller courts of 18^th-century Germany were crossroads of culture, as they strove to recreate the artistic splendors of the leading capitals, such as Paris, Vienna, and Venice, and as royals vied with each other to bring in the most talented musicians from all over Europe.  In this tradition, Musica Pacifica joins forces with one of the most talented musicians in North America, virtuoso bassoonist Michael McCraw, to present an evening of entertainment for a music-loving duke.  The program features some of the most colorful and distinctive scores of the era: Vivaldi's concerto in A minor for recorder, bassoon, and continuo; seldom heard bassoon sonatas by Schaffrath and Telemann; Boismortier's sonata for violin, bassoon, and continuo; as well as sonatas by Bach and Veracini.

SCOTCH HUMOUR

with Mary Wilson, soprano

The Baroque came to a Scotland already steeped in its own highly characteristic and flavorful folk traditions.  Musica Pacifica presents spicy sonatas by Scots Oswald and McGibbon alongside works by Italian masters such as Geminiani, Veracini and Barsanti, who were inspired by Scottish popular materials and brilliantly adapted them to the more sophisticated Continental musical styles of the day.  The program also includes "foot-stomping" traditional Scottish dances, such as strathspeys, gigs, and reels, as well as Haydn Scottish songs.

INVITATION TO A SALON

with Ellen Hargis, soprano

Please see "Touring Programs" above for a complete description of this program.