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The Evelyn Dunbar Memorial Early Music Festival combines informed performance and scholarly inquiry.
Since its founding in 1996, the festival has provided exceptional opportunities for performers to prepare important masterworks with the guidance of leading scholars. Each festival has included masterclasses, pre-concert presentations, and lectures.
K. Dawn Grapes Lecture
Thursday, October 23, 6 p.m.
Vail Chapel, free
Associate Professor of Music History at Colorado State University, K. Dawn Grapes specializes in the music of early modern England and music history pedagogy. She is the author of John Dowland: A Research and Information Guide and Dowland, featured in Oxford University Press’s Composers Across Cultures series, as well as the “John Dowland” entry for Oxford Bibliographies.
Bienen Contemporary/Early Vocal Ensemble: Time Stands Still
Friday, October 24, 7:30 p.m.
Galvin Recital Hall, $8/5
Preconcert talk by K. Dawn Grapes at 6:30 p.m. in McClintock Choral and Recital Room
Andrew Megill, conductor
BCE sings choral music of Renaissance composers Orlando Gibbons and John Dowland alongside contemporary works which respond to, or are inspired by, the works of these historic composers. The program features the music of Ralph Vaughan Williams, Irving Fine, C. H. H. Parry, and Rebecca Clarke, as well as a world premiere by Chicagoland composer Stacy Garrop.
Paul O’Dette, lute and Aaron Sheehan, tenor
Saturday, October 25, 7:30 p.m.
Galvin Recital Hall, $40/15
One of the most influential figures in his field, lutenist Paul O’Dette has helped define the technical and stylistic standards to which 21st-century performers of early music aspire. His performances at major international festivals in Vienna, Barcelona, Tokyo, and Melbourne have often been singled out as highlights of those events. O’Dette is a two-time winner of the Grammy, a twelve-time winner of the Diapason d’Or, and a two-time winner of the Echo Klassik award. Recognized internationally as a leading interpreter of Baroque repertoire, tenor Aaron Sheehan is equally adept at performing in concert and opera settings. His performance in the titular role of La descente d’Orphée aux enfers won a 2015 Grammy Award in the category of Best Opera Recording.
Virginal Mini-Recital
Sunday, October 26, 6 p.m.
Vail Chapel, free
Keyboard students of Stephen Alltop present a 30-minute recital of selections by John Dowland and Orlando Gibbons for the virginal, a keyboard instrument in the harpsichord family popular during the late Renaissance and early Baroque periods.
Hosanna to the Son of David: Music of John Dowland and Orlando Gibbons for Voices and Viols
Sunday, October 26, 7 p.m.
Alice Millar Chapel, free (offering accepted)
Stephen Alltop, conductor; vocal ensemble; viol consort
A vocal ensemble and a consort of five professional viol players offer a compelling array of works for voices and viols. The program features psalms and instrumental works by John Dowland and anthems for soloists, choir, and viols by Orlando Gibbons, including “Great King of Gods,” “Hosanna to the Son of David,” and “See, See the Word Is Incarnate.”
Established through the generous support of Ruth Dunbar Davee and her husband, Ken M. Davee, the festival was named in memory of Ruth’s sister, Evelyn Dunbar, who was an enthusiastic participant in early music ensembles at Northwestern. Mrs. Davee earned her MA in 1937 and her PhD in English Literature in 1942, graduating with honors from Northwestern University’s Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences. After her husband’s death in 1998, Mrs. Davee took over as president of The Davee Foundation. She was a member of the Bienen School of Music Advisory Board. Mrs. Davee died on April 19, 2011, at the age of 99.
Joachim Schamberger, director
Stephen Alltop, conductor
Alison DeSimone, guest scholar
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Bienen Contemporary/Early Vocal Ensemble, faculty and guests
Donald Nally, conductor
Kerry McCarthy, guest scholar
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Bienen Contemporary/Early Vocal Ensemble and Callipygian Players
Donald Nally, conductor
Stephen Spinelli, guest scholar
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Northwestern University Opera Theater
Joachim Schamberger, director
Stephen Alltop, conductor
Jeffrey Kurtzman, guest scholar
Panel discussion: Drew Davies, Jeffrey Kurtzman, Linda Austern, and Jason Rosenholtz-Witt
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Handel’s Theodora
Northwestern University Opera Theater
Joachim Schamberger, director
Stephen Alltop, conductor
Panel discussion and pre-concert talks: Ellen T. Harris, Jesse Rosenberg, and Drew Davies
Alice Millar Spring Festival Concert: The Young Handel
Alice Millar Chapel Choir and Baroque Music Ensemble
Stephen Alltop, conductor
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The Callipygian Players
Bienen Contemporary/Early Vocal Ensemble
Donald Nally, conductor
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Piffaro, The Renaissance band
Bienen Contemporary/Early Vocal Ensemble
Donald Nally, conductor
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(Continued Below)
Handel’s "Alcina" (2023)
William Byrd (Fall 2022)
The Road to Bach (Winter 2022)
"Orfeo Remote" (2020)
"Orfeo Remote" (2020)
Handel’s "Theodora" (2018)
Handel’s "Theodora" (2018)
Handel’s "Messiah" (2016)
Monteverdi's "L'Incoronazione di Poppea"
Piccinni’s "La Buona Figliola" (2006)
Monteverdi's "Vespro della Beata Vergine" (2004)
Monteverdi master class with Jeffrey Kurtzman (2004)
Northwestern University Opera Theater
Stephen Alltop, conductor
Michael M. Ehrman, director
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Stephen Alltop, conductor
David Douglass, concertmaster; The Newberry Consort
Jonathan Glixon, guest scholar
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Stephen Alltop, conductor
David Douglass, concertmaster; The Newberry Consort
Wendy Heller, guest scholar
Alice Millar Chapel Choir and Baroque Music Ensemble
Stephen Alltop, conductor
Noel Koran, stage director
James Turner, guest scholar
Dinko Fabris, guest scholar
Stephen Alltop, conductor
Ingrid Matthews, guest performer (violin)
Kathryn Montoya, guest performer (oboe)
Carl Schalk, guest scholar
Stephen Alltop, conductor
David Douglass, concertmaster; The Newberry Consort
Jeffrey Kurtzman, guest scholar
Stephen Alltop, conductor
Elizabeth Blumenstock, guest concertmaster
Ellen Hargis, guest performer (soprano); The Newberry Consort
Stephen Alltop, conductor
A. Peter Brown, guest scholar
Diane Heffner, guest performer (clarinet)
Charles Kaufmann, guest performer (bassoon)
Marilyn McDonald, guest concertmaster
The Newberry Consort, Bienen School’s ensemble-in-residence
Stephen Alltop, conductor
Stanley King, guest performer (oboe)
Kenneth Slowik, guest conductor/scholar
The ensemble Sequentia performed the Viking saga Edda Eins, cosponsored by the Goethe-Institut Chicago.
Benjamin Bagby, guest lecturer
Newberry Consort
Northwestern’s Early Music Ensemble
Joshua Rifkin, musicologist and conductor
Charles Garth, baroque dance expert
Newberry Consort
