TOURING PROGRAMS
Musica Pacifica's core ensemble of recorder, violin, cello/gamba, and harpsichord expands to include oboe, percussion, additional strings, bassoon, lute, and voice, according to program and presenters' desires. Suggested instrumentation is listed with each program.
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 17th and 18th 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.
(Instrumentation: any)
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."
(Instrumentation: 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.
(Instrumentation: 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 Mar e (Sea Tempest), as well as 17th-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. (Photo of Venetian character: David Blankenhorn/See 360 Studios.)
(Instrumentation: rec, vln, oboe or 2nd 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.
(Instrumentation: 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.
(Instrumentation: any)
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.
(Instrumentation: any)
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!
(Instrumentation: rec, 2 vlns, (vla), continuo)
PROGRAMS WITH GUEST ARTISTS
 THE FOGGY FOGGY DEW: SONGS OF LOVE AND LOSS
Acclaimed mezzo-soprano Jacqueline Horner-Kwiatek of Anonymous 4 joins Musica Pacifica in a program of songs and instrumental music from the British Isles. Original arrangements of traditional songs from 18th-century collections, as well as settings by Geminiani, Barsanti, and Haydn, paint lively, humorous, and poignant portraits of love and loss. The program also includes delightful New arrangements by Musica Pacifica of traditional English, Irish, and Scottish dance tunes, along with chamber works by Purcell, Matteis, and others.
(Instrumentation: recorder, violin, percussion, continuo; and voice)
DRAMA QUEENS: MAD SONGS AND MORE
Mezzo-soprano Jacqueline Horner-Kwiatek of Anonymous 4 joins Musica Pacifica in a program of passionate, dramatic and heartfelt music from the stages of 17th and 18th century England. Featuring selections by masters such as George Frideric Handel, Henry Purcell, John Blow, and John Eccles, this program reflects the swirl of popular local and refined Continental influences that excited the diverse audiences of the day. Readings from contemporary dramatists and diarists make vivid the tumultuous daily life of those revolutionary times.
(Instrumentation: recorder, violin, continuo, and voice)
The Coal-Seller’s Concert Hall—Music from Purcell’s London
 with Robert Mealy, violin
Music from the world’s first public concert-series—produced by coal-seller Thomas Britton—presented in London in 1678. The program features some of the greatest 17th-century works for three trebles, including Purcell's ingenious "Three Parts on a Ground," less well-known works for this combination by foreign visitors like Matteis and Baltzar, favorite hits from the theater, and brilliant dances and canzonas by "fam'd Itallian Masters" like Uccellini, Marini, and Merula.
 Il GIARDINO D'AMORE
with Ellen Hargis, soprano
Love requited, love unrequited, love proffered and love rejected are the subjects of the great Italian cantata literature. Recorder, violin, cello and harpsichord accompany the doyen of American sopranos. Cantatas and arias by Handel, Alessandro Scarlatti, and Steffani--including Handel's gorgeous Mi Palpita il Cor--as well as instrumental works by Corelli, Vivaldi and Sammartini.
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 Mary Wilson, soprano
In a refreshing change from the usual holiday fare, Musica Pacifica presents a wide variety of Christmas music from 18th-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 18th-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.
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