SCBF News

2011-04-10T21:23:00.000-07:00

PRESS RELEASE

The Santa Cruz Baroque Festival presents:

FOREST SONG: The Classical Clarinet (Concert IV)

Featuring Eric Hoeprich (classical clarinet) with Linda Burman-Hall (fortepiano)

In the baroque period the clarinet was indeed a 'rare bird' just hatched around 1700. The classical clarinet of Mozart's time had only 5 keys but yielded great timbral variety. Enjoy the silken voice of this endangered instrument in works by Lefèvre, Stadler, Hoffmeister, Weber and Beethoven, brought to you by one of the world's leading historical clarinetists.

Eric Hoeprich has performed and recorded with renowned artists Frans Brüggen, Philippe Herreweghe, Sir Roger Norrington, and Christopher Hogwood, and Musica Antiqua Köln, just to name a few. He has also authored a book on the history of the clarinet through the musical instrument series of Yale University Press.

In addition to music, we explore parallels in the conservation of species and instruments with images of endangered wildlands, including rare birds and animals selected by biologist Richard Tenaza. This visual presentation is accompanied by a sound collage by Linda Burman-Hall. “Bilou Sapiens” (Wise Bilou) layers the voices of live wooden flutes over Tenaza's fieldwork recordings of animal sounds from the Mentawai Rainforest (electro-acoustic composition with Lars Johannesson & Alissa Roedig, baroque flutes).

More information about Hoeprich, the classical clarinet, Richard Tenaza, and “Bilou Sapiens” follows below.

Concert IV takes place on Saturday, April 16, at the UCSC Music Center Recital Hall beginning at 7:30 pm. Tickets can be purchased through the UCSC Ticket Office (www.santacruztickets.com, 831-459-2159), the Civic Center Box Office, and the SC Baroque Festival (www.scbaroque.org, 831-457-9693). Admission: $23 general, $17 senior, $6 college student, $3 K-12.

Photos (attached or available upon request): Eric Hoeprich; Richard Tenaza & Linda Burman-Hall; Historical Clarinets (illustration)

Eric Hoeprich & the Classical Clarinet

For the past twenty-five years Eric Hoeprich has specialized in performing on the historical clarinet. His expertise as a musician, scholar and instrument maker allows for a unique approach to the solo clarinet repertoire of the 18th and 19th centuries.

Hoeprich is founding member and principal clarinet of Frans Brüggen's Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century, and in addition to performing with his own ensembles world-wide, he has played and recorded with many luminaries of early music, including the Academy of Ancient Music (Hogwood), Orchestre des Champs-Elysées (Herreweghe), London Classical Players (Norrington), Musica Antiqua Köln (Goebel), Philharmonia (McGegan), Canada's Tafelmusik, Anima Eterna (van Immerseel) and the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra.

His interest in playing and making early clarinets has led Hoeprich to amass a large collection of 18th and 19th century clarinets, including original instruments played by clarinetists that Weber and Brahms composed for, as well as possibly the oldest surviving French clarinet, made in the 1770s by Prudent in Paris.

Hoeprich and historical clarinets: “Eventually I became quite serious about the recorder and went to The Netherlands to study with Frans Brüggen, with whom I'd already had lessons at Harvard College when I was in my first year there. While I was in The Hague I started to make instruments, and also saw that there was an 18th-century version of the clarinet made of boxwood and started to play and make these as well.”

Historical versus modern clarinets: “The most important differences lie in the number of keys and the wood that was used to make clarinets in the 18th century. A typical Viennese School clarinet had 5 keys, which is sufficient for playing this music. There is a certain skill required to execute the cross-fingerings in order to produce all the notes in the music, but this has the added advantage of giving the instrument great variation in timbre throughout its scale.”

(Both interview excerpts are quoted from Gordillo, Bernard: “Questions for Early Clarinetist Eric Hoeprich” (posted April 7, 2010 at http://indianapublicmedia.org/harmonia/questions-for-eric-hoeprich-early-clarinettist/ )

Richard Tenaza & Bilou Sapiens

One could write a book on the numerous travels, adventures and accomplishments of Dr. Tenaza.

"When I was a child I didn't fantasize about being a fireman or policeman or president or movie actor. I didn't fantasize about material possession or wealth either. What I fantasized about were wild animals and wild people in wild places. . . . I've been very, very fortunate in having been able to live out many of those childhood fantasies."

Among his many endeavors, mostly related to his pursuit of the understanding and conservation of animals in their native habitats, Tenaza has recorded the fascinating vocalizations of endangered female Kloss gibbons, which musicologist Linda Burman-Hall (who happens to specialize in the music of Indonesia as well as early music) has worked into a sound collage together with a pair of live wooden flutes.

Says Dr. Tenaza: “Linda and I both think that the single most fascinating aspect of the Kloss's gibbon singing is the duets produced by neighboring females. The ladies meet at their territorial boundaries and sing in synchrony, performing aerial 'dances' together at the height of each song.”

The world premiere of this unique sound collage will be presented in accompaniment to Tenaza's rainforest images.

In addition to curating this special presentation, Burman-Hall will also be performing on fortepiano with Eric Hoeprich.

More information on all events at our website: www.scbaroque.org ####

Baroque Bassoon Duo Bios

2011-03-30T12:16:00.000-07:00

Our Concert III, "Three Centuries of Endangered Sounds," is coming up this Saturday, April 2. It features 3 ensembles: a renaissance flute consort, a baroque bassoon duo, and a trio with classical baryton. Here is some more information on our baroque bassoon duo, Anna Marsh and Yueh Chou:
---
Yueh Chou is known for her work on Modern and Historical Bassoons. She holds a Certificate Diploma (2007) on both Baroque and Classical Bassoons at the Koninklijk Conservatorium in Den Haag, the Netherlands; a Bachelors degree in Music from the Juilliard School and has obtained both Masters and Doctorate (2000) degrees in Music (with minors in Baroque Bassoon and Music Education) from the University of Southern California. Yueh has extensive performance and teaching experience, including teaching Master Classes at Fu-Jen University in Taiwan. She has taught Bassoon and Chamber Music at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music Preparatory Division since 2001, and Chabot College in Hayward since 2009. Besides her love of modern and historical instruments, she also enjoys contemporary music. She premiered the solo Bassoon pieces: "Under the Open Sky" by Veronika Krausas in Los Angeles and "Group on a Row the Same" by Lou Harrison in Santa Cruz in. She has performed in Den Haag, Amsterdam (Muziekgebouw aan't IJ) in the Netherlands, Geel and Chimay (Theatre du Chateau) in Belgium; Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center in the United States, and the National Concert Hall in Taiwan. She plays on a modern by Heckel; a baroque after Prudent (c.1770) by Peter de Koningh, and a classical after Granser (c. 1800) also by Peter de Koningh.

Anna Marsh owns five bassoons and likes to play them. She has appeared with Tafelmusik, Indianapolis Baroque Orchestra, Opera Atelier, Seattle Baroque, The National Cathedral, Opera Lafayette, Washington Bach Consort, Ensemble Voltaire, Apollo's Fire, Foundling, Americantiga, Chicago Opera Theater, the Hollywood Bowl, Banff Centre for the Arts, Musica nel Chiostro, the Bloomington Early Music Festival, Boston and Berkley Fringe Festivals, Sante Fe Pro Musica, Aradia Ensemble, Indianapolis Museum of Art and others. Anna has also taught at the Amherst Early Music Festival, the Hawaii Performing Arts Festival, the Los Angeles Music and Art School, The Albuquerque Double Reed Workshop and teaches privately. She co-directs the group Ensemble Lipzodes which toured Brazil in July 2008 and has recorded two cds. She also enjoys playing with Circa 1800, a classical woodwind quintet and with From the Depths, a group devoted to music and literature. Their latest project included Chaucer's Canterbury Tales with the respective music of the time. Anna has been a concerto soloist with the Foundling Orchestra, Americantiga orchestra, the USC Early Music Ensemble and the Indiana University Baroque Orchestra. Anna has also worked in the library and/or administration at the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Washington National Gallery of Art, Museum of the City of New York and the Weyerhauser Technology Center. Anna has recorded for Centaur, Avie, Naxos, the Super Bowl and Musica Omnia Record Labels.
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More information at http://www.scbaroque.org/concerts.html
We hope you can make it!
~ Alissa

Concert III takes place on Saturday, April 2, at Holy Cross Church (Santa Cruz), beginning at 7:30 pm. Tickets can be purchased through the UCSC Ticket Office (www.santacruztickets.com, 831-459-2159), the Civic Center Box Office, and the SC Baroque Festival (www.scbaroque.org, 831-457-9693). Admission: $23 general, $17 senior, $6 college student, $3 K-12. 3-Ticket Flex Pass: $57 general, $42 senior, $16 student.

Impressive Line-up at our 2011 Youth Competition

2011-03-05T15:02:00.000-08:00

The lineup of chamber music competitors for the Santa Cruz Baroque Festival's

Youth Chamber Music Competition is very impressive. The contest, now in its 9th year, annually attracts the best and most devoted young players of chamber music from our region. The range of entries is remarkable is that it spans from the Middle Ages to the present, from the 13th Century Court of Alfonso X through Baroque masters such as Giulio Caccini and Alessandro Scarlatti in the 17th C and Telemann, Albinoni and Vivaldi in the 18th, through the Romantic composers such as Schumann and Borodin, and even a 20th century composer of 'Baroque' music, Kirt Mosier. The range of instruments and groups is similarly broad, including string and mixed orchestras from Monte Vista Christian School (Shari McQueen, director), and smaller chamber groups representing students of artist-teachers representing numerous studios in Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties. ~ Linda Burman-Hall (Artistic Director)

This competition is judged by Linda-Burman Hall, along with SC Sentinel music critic Phyllis Rosenblum and musician members of the Baroque Festival's Board of Directors. For updates on this year's contestants, check our Website (information on this year's contestants and winners forthcoming by the end of March).

Travel Report: Music in SPAIN

2010-07-21T13:25:00.000-07:00

(By Charles Sutton - luthier, musician, and former SCBF board member)

One musical highlight each summer here in our part of Spain is the International Guitar Festival and Competition held in the nearby city of Velez-Malaga. Now in its nineteenth season, the week-long Festival features master classes, symposiums, and performances by contestants and instructors. The concerts are free and open to the public. The premiere presentation took place in the inner courtyard of the city's historic Palace of the Marques of Beniel, a building that now serves as a museum, art gallery, concert hall and offices for the government cultural council. The truly international first concert featured guitarists from Germany and Venezuela, with musical selections ranging from pieces by J.S. Bach through those of Giuliani, Albeniz and various South American composers.

The concerts are held in venues throughout the county area. We recentlyattended one in the Cafe Theater in our own village of Triana, Last night, (July 13) we saw an exceptional program at the Carmen Theater in Velez; music mostly by Spanish composers, with an excellent duo, piano and guitar, two brothers from Puente Genil in the Province of Cordoba.

We look forward to the conclusion of the festival and the final concert and presentation of awards. I recommend this highly if any of you are ever traveling in Spain this time of year. Forget the summer heat, nothing starts until 9:30 or 10 PM when things have cooled off a bit. After the concert everything is still open for food, drinks, ice cream, what have you. In fact, at that time the Spaniish evening has just begun.

If you would like more information about musical events in Andalusia, including, of course, flamenco, you may contact me, Charles Sutton, through SCBF, or at flamenco{at}cruzio{dot}com

-- Charles Sutton

Impressions of Boomeria

2010-06-24T12:10:00.000-07:00

The annual Boomeria Extravaganza is not just a fundraiser for the SCBF. By bringing people in "touch" with pipe organs in an informal and entertaining setting, we hope to make at least a miniscule contribution towards the instrument's continued livelihood. Will it survive another 2 billenia...?

Though the organ is not as popular on the general music spectrum as the violin, piano, or guitar, Boomeria does have the potential of converting a skeptic or two to organ fans (at least temporarily). Aside from the wealth of sounds this early synthesizer produces, the mechanics and physics alone are compelling.

But Boomeria is also special to the SCBF because of the long-standing support our concert series has received from its hosts extraordinaire, Preston and Sara Boomer, who, together with us, look forward to greeting you at this hidden yet so-very-Santa Cruz enclave.

Some clippings of Boomeria from various contributors follow:

* * *

"With that, [Preston Boomer] makes a sound that surely has to envelope his entire area code, a chord of such ominous, molar-rattling, Old-Testament menace, I feel myself buckle at the knees. This is music of elemental and ancient power and it's coming from a lovingly maintained instrument that has become famous in Santa Cruz classical-music circles. It's the Boomeria
pipe organ [...]"

-- Wallace Baine, Santa Cruz Sentinel (July 9, 2009)

* * *

"Great news, The Castle and Catacombs are now open again. Thanks to State Farm Insurance and Bret Smith the rebuild is done!

Well, fun stuff would be a link to 'Weird Homes Visits Boomeria':
http://home.comcast.net/~pqboom/videos/Weirdhomes.mov

And, of course, 'The Tour of Boomeria':
http://home.comcast.net/~pqboom/tour/tour.html

And then 'About the Pipe Organs of Boomeria':
http://home.comcast.net/~pqboom/tour/pipeorgn.html"

-- Boom (June 22, 2010)

* * *

"When I first discovered the Boomeria chapel, catacombs and organ, I almost couldn't believe that such a marvel could exist tucked away in the Santa Cruz hills. Its 40 ranks and 2,500 pipes offer every kind of organ sound"

-- Linda Burman Hall, Artistic Director and early keyboard specialist (July 2009)

"When you engage in the organ crawl, you actually enter the organ as organ builders and tuners have across the
centuries. You see the tracker mechanism over your head and, around it, you hear the pipes
opening up all around you, and see the air that sounds the pipes' lift ribbons. You are in the heart of a miracle." -- Linda Burman-Hall, Artistic Director and early keyboard specialist (July 2009)

* * *

The Baroque Festival's Boomeria Organ Extravaganza is coming up on July 11, 2010. It takes place at Boomeria, from 1-5, and offers an afternoon of organ music (with several organists performing), snack, and wine, all on the intriguing premises of Boomeria, and surrounded by the forest. More information at www.scbaroque.org/special.html, or buy tickets at www.santacruztickets.com (search for "boomeria"). We hope to see you there!

What's that Shape?

2010-04-14T12:28:00.000-07:00

Find out from Shelley Phillips:

Shape note singing is a uniquely American tradition, a proudly inclusive and democratic part of our shared cultural heritage. The noteheads are four different shapes matched up and sung with solfege (fa so la and mi), aiding sight-singing in four-part harmony. The tradition is a living, breathing, ongoing practice passed directly to us by generations of singers, many gone on before and many still living. In fact, the tradition was born from colonial “singing schools” whose purpose was to teach beginners to sing, and our methods continue to reflect this goal. Groups are usually very social and open to anyone. Fasola singing (another name for this style) is not affiliated with any denomination and in earlier times it was a place where, say, the Baptists and Methodists could sing together. Here today in Santa Cruz we like to say that here the Wiccans and the Buddhists can sing together! This style is also often called “Sacred Harp” singing because the book that most singers use today is called “The Sacred Harp", referring to the human voice — that is, the musical instrument one is born with.

-- Shelley Phillips, Community Music School & Shape Note Singing Society

The Santa Cruz Shape Note Singing Society's choir will be featured on our upcoming Season Concert V, Jefferson's Jigge, an event co-presented by the Community Music School and the UC Santa Cruz Music Department.

Date & Time: Saturday – May 1, 2010 – 7:30pm

Location: UCSC Music Center Recital Hall

Featured Artist(s): Bill Coulter (guitar)

Deby Benton Grosjean (fiddle),

Barry Philips (cello), Boyd Jarrell (baritone),

Linda Burman-Hall (early keyboards) and The Shape Note Singing Society.

Description: Join the Jefferson family for folk and Baroque dance tunes in the parlor of Monticello. Our consort’s mix of classic colonial melodies, fancy continental imports, songs after Robert Burns, and passionate hymnody will set toes tapping. Co-presented by the UCSC Music Department & Community Music School.

Imaginary Intersections this Saturday: MORE INFO!

2010-03-18T15:35:00.000-07:00

The SCBF is very much looking forward to this weekend's exciting and unusual concert production, "Imaginary Intersections: Raga & Raj." This premiere has resulted from over a year's worth of work and collaboration between Barry Phillips, Linda Burman-Hall and the Baroque Festival's resident ensemble Lux Musica. Here you can find various bits of information on the Raga & Raj project:

Event Poster
About the Program
Rehearsal Photos (Sunday, March 14)
Press Preview (SC Sentinal, March 18)
Press Info (more detail)

The performance will include the world premiere of Barry Phillips' imaginary musical exploration of Indian-Baroque crossovers, as well as selections of Indian and 18th-century European composers (inspired by Indian music), and finally a work by this and last century's Lou Harrison (d. 2003), known for his Southeast-Asian inspired compositions. Alone the sonic mix of Indian instruments with the softer and less-commonly heard, but timbrally instriguing historical Western instruments will be a journey worth engaging. We hope to see you there, and if you wish, do join us for a post-concert hangout at the Crepe Place (to be announced to the audience).

An Evening with Harps at Concert I

2010-03-13T12:27:00.000-08:00

Our opening 2010 Season Concert I with harpist Cheryl Ann Fulton and ensemble was very well received.

Here are some comments (send us yours, too!):

"Cheryl Ann Fulton and three of her students played a program of traditional music from Wales on Welsh traditional harps. These lovely instruments are difficult to play, because they have three sets of strings. The ensemble played familiar Welsh melodies with much virtuousity and beauty.

Cheryl Ann Fulton holds a Ph. D. in music from Indiana University and is a specialist in Welsh and Italian historical harps. She is both a scholar and a performer on these instruments."

-- Alexandra Romanoff (Board Member)

"We found it charming. I'd never heard of harps having any more than a single set of strings, much less 3 sets! Cheryl Ann Fulton was passionate about the Irish Harp and she told amusing and informative stories about the harps and the compositions."

-- Judy Foreman (Board Member)

"Today while cleaning, I unwrapped Cheryl Ann Fulton's CD. Listening to The Airs of Wales, my heart is filled with the joy only beautiful music provides. Thank you to the Baroque Festival for providing the opportunity to hear her play in concert."

-- Jeannie Logan (Subscriber and Donor)

And here are some photos: Click Here (Photo in this gallery, as well as the one used above in this post by Lars Johannesson)

Wondering what we have been up to?

2009-11-01T15:05:00.001-08:00

As you might have guessed, it is fall and we are in the middle of our fundraising efforts, accumulating the resources needed to present our upcoming 2010 Concert Season "Musical Voyages." Yes, that is correct, each year we generate these funds from scratch . . . through efforts made by real humans . . . and perhaps you have already heard from us in the mail. We would like to hear from you, too!

Indeed, we are old-fashioned enough to hand-address our letters to our supporters (yes, the dipping ink is for real, but no quills), and our board-members have been enjoying our mailing get-togethers over coffee and treats (bribes. . .). We hope to hear back from you, and if you would like to receive information about making a contribution, or simply be added to our events reminder email list, then please email me at scbaroque[a]baymoon.com.

As a non-profit our only goal is to get people in the door to hear early music, and to educate our community about these instruments and their performance practice. Meanwhile, fundraising is hard work . . . and sadly enough, ticket sales only cover the artist fees themselves (roughly speaking). But there is also hall rental, staff time for planning and publicity, printing, insurances, . . . and the list goes on. We really need your help each year, and we are happy to see you at our concerts!

Here are some things you can do:

● Read WHY we think our organization is worth contributing to.

● Make a PLEDGE (printable form, payment can follow later).

● Become a SUBSCRIBER or even a VOLUNTEER usher.

● Sign up for our Events (E)Mail List by sending us your contact information (whichever format you prefer, email or mail).

● Or just for starters: Come to our November 14, 2009 FALL ORGAN BENEFIT CONCERT and say HI.

● One last idea: BRING A FRIEND ALONG.

Summer Greetings

2009-09-05T09:24:00.000-07:00

Dear Baroque Festival Friends,

Summer is coming to a close and we are gearing up for our fall planning and fundraising work.

Our 2010 season plans are now in place and will be premiered at our September 12 Donor Thank-You Luncheon (for donors who contributed $100 or more last year - contact us to be included if you intend to become a donor next season). Not attending? Let us know if you wish to receive our new 2010 brochure or season info email announcement following the luncheon (you know, Mozart aka Trazom liked reading backwards): moc.noomyab\a\euqorabcs

Our most recent event was the well-attended Boomeria Extravaganza in mid-July. Here are some pictures from that afternoon.

Going back one month further, for those of you who have not seen them yet, here is the picture gallery for Lux Musica's voyage to Washington, D.C. (Photos courtesy of Lars Johannesson).

More about baroque voyages is coming up really soon. . . .

Garden Tour 2009 PHOTOS!

2009-06-26T20:50:00.000-07:00

Last month's 11th annual Music in the Gardens Tour was a great success. Here are some photos from Garden 3, in the Seabright area in Santa Cruz with mandolin and guitar music by Irene Herrmann and Paul Rangell (also known as The Seabright Serenaders. . .). Click on the photos below to view the complete gallery for this garden.

Lux Musica at the Smithsonian this week!

2009-06-06T14:59:00.000-07:00

SCBF's resident period-instrument ensemble, Lux Musica (Lars Johannesson, flute; David Wilson, violin; Linda Burman-Hall, harpsichord; Amy Brodo, viola da gamba) along with guitarist Mesut Özgen have been invited to perform a concert of their 2000 production "Cantemir: Music in Istanbul and Ottoman Europe around 1700" at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.

This performance was originally staged together with Turkish musician Ihsan Özgen (kemençe, tanbur, co-director) on November 12, 2000 under the auspices of the Santa Cruz Baroque Festival, in co-production with Arts & Lectures, and the released on CD through Golden Horn records in 2004. The program presents some of the finest works of the Prince Dimitrie Cantemir (1673-1723) in the varied contexts of his cultural world -- a world which arises in the crossroads of Western and Eastern thought, in the collision of Europe with the Ottoman Empire, and at the junction of Byzantine culture with Islamic theology.

Cantemir was a royal Moldavian linguist-encyclopaedist-composer who through curious fate spent 22 years as a diplomatic guest of the Ottoman Court. But Cantemir clearly preferred music to politics, and was sufficiently gifted to play his way to fame as the greatest of classical Turkish musicians. Lux Musica performs Cantemir's Classical Ottoman compositions preceded by taksim preludes, a new improvisational genre in his time; and where appropriate modal relationships are explored in collective taksim improvisations as well, a contemporary experiment in preluding pioneered by Ihsan Özgen. In addition to Cantemir's compositions, the concert also includes traditional Moldavian tunes such as he might have heard back home at his wedding, and European alla Turca reflections of Ottoman music played in Baroque style.

Finally, works by Yalçin Tura and Lou Harrison show Cantemir's continuing impact on Eurasian composition and performance in our time. Linda Burman-Hall and Lux Musica look forward to reviving this unique production in Washington, D.C.

An article about this unique collaboration and Lux Musica's upcoming travel to the nation's capitol has appeared on the UC Santa Cruz News website:
http://www.ucsc.edu/news_events/text.asp?pid=3011

Caterina Lichtenberg Interview at Mandolin Cafe

2009-05-20T13:47:00.000-07:00

For those of you that attended either our Season Concert II: "The Natural Mandolin" or the preceding artist dinner with virtuoso mandolinist Caterina Lichtenberg, you might enjoy reading this article that was recently published on the Mandolin Cafe website. It is an interview with Ms. Lichtenberg by Bill Graham:

http://www.mandolincafe.com/news/publish/mandolins_001066.shtml

A few quick news updates from SCBF

2009-04-22T13:20:00.000-07:00

(1) Dropping names. . . . An article has been published in the SC Sentinel on our recent Concert II fundraiser dinner. Follow this link to view it (and scroll down past the beauty pageant. . .):
http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/localnews/ci_12177966

(2) Our 11th annual Music in the Gardens Tour (fundraiser) is fast approaching, and our Garden Tour postcards have arrived. They are beautiful. If you would like to be on our mailing list, contact us, or if you would like to have some cards for distribution at choice locations, let us know as well. All of our ticket outlets sell GT tickets, and as of early May they will be available in select garden and music stores as well.

(Photo by Lars Johannesson, card design by Judy Foreman.)

(3) Our final season concert takes place on May 9. More information here:
http://www.scbaroque.org/concerts.html#concert5
A closing reception for donors and subscribers (Season & Flex Pass holders) follows the music.

Concert I photos!

2009-03-27T21:17:00.000-07:00

We opened our 2009 season with Concert I, 'Musical Ecology' and here are some pictures taken at the event.

Concert photos (by Lars Johannesson Photography)

Von SCBF 2009 - Season Concert I

Instrument Exhibit photos

Von SCBF 2009 - Instrument Exhibit

Yes, we are adding some extra features to our season concerts. This year's Concert I goers were offered an early instrument exhibit during intermission, curated by Board Member and luthier Charles Sutton. Viols, lutes, flutes, and more were on display with explanatory descriptions. We plan to repeat this feature annually at our opening concert with some seasonally-inspired surprises in store.

Artist dinner with Caterina Lichtenberg, March 13

2009-02-21T00:00:00.000-08:00

SCBF is hosting an exclusive artist dinner with Caterina Lichtenberg and her duet partner Mirko Schrader on Friday, March 13, 2009, preceding our Season Concert II (Saturday, March 14). Join us for dinner, desserts, and wine, as well as a musical interlude by our guests. Limited seating and advance reservations only ($50/person). This event is a fundraiser for the SCBF and a fabulous opportunity to get to know our international guest artist and mandolin virtuoso. For more information view the invitation and reservation form. RSVP by March 9.

HELP! Finances Update

2009-01-16T00:00:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to you! As several other arts organizations, SC Baroque Festival too is facing considerable funding shortages. Our annual budget has always been break-even, and we operate as cost-effectively as we can. But now we are facing a shortage of 10-15% of our budget with no equivalent amount of cuts that can be made without disrupting the season. WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT! Our private donors have been remarkable this year (thank you) and thus I can present the following good news on private donations (contributions made by individuals):

100% of our required (private) donation INCOME has been pledged/paid (Treasurer's favorite number :-)

80% of our desired NUMBER of donors have pledged/paid (Artistic Director's favorite number :-)

BUT we have considerable shortfalls in foundation and corporate sponsorship income, as well as season booklet advertisements. HERE IS HOW YOU CAN HELP:

Individuals: If you CAN, please pledge or make a donation of any amount (payments can be sent later).
Private, Foundation & Corporate Sponsors: We seek 2 more concert sponsors ($1,000-$2,000).
Businesses: We seek 10 more advertisers for our season booklet.

For contributions that are to be acknowledged in our season booklet, as well as any advertisements, we need to hear from you by Friday, 01/23/09. To pledge your support, email us or call at 831-457-9693.

Caterina Lichtenberg at Cayuga Vault

2008-12-25T00:00:00.000-08:00

12/25/08: Caterina Lichtenberg at Cayuga Vault

You can get a musical preview of Caterina Lichtenberg this Saturday, December 27, 2008, at the Cayuga Vault, performing with mandolinist Mike Marshall. Details here: http://www.fiddlingcricket.com/2008/1208.htm#122708. Then come back in MARCH and hear her perform with a period-instrument chamber ensemble at our Season Concert II (http://www.scbaroque.org/concerts.html#concert2).

Call for Competition Entries

2008-12-22T00:00:00.000-08:00

SC Baroque Festival announces its 7th annual Youth Chamber Music Competition. High school student musicians participating in chamber ensembles (groups of 2-6 players) are eligible to participate. 1st and 2nd place winning ensembles receive cash prizes. To obtain a competition entry form, click here. Deadline for entry form submissions is February 15, 2009. Auditions are held on February 28, 2009, and the awards ceremony takes place March 14, 2009. More information here: http://www.scbaroque.org/youth.html

Donation drive update

2008-12-01T00:00:00.000-08:00

12/01/08: Donation drive update

Yes, even in the festival's 36th year we still depend heavily on private donations! Each fall our administration and board membership works hard on (entirely) re-generating our annual operating funds. Private donations mirror the income we make from season concert ticket sales, which together amount to just under 50% of our budget. . . . Furthermore, of course we value our donors financially, but for moral support we also value our supporters numerically. Today's report on the status of our donation drive:

• 50% of our required donation INCOME has been pledged/paid (Treasurer's favorite number :-)

• 50% of our desired NUMBER of donors have pledged/paid (Artistic Director's favorite number :-)

As you can see, we are far from our goals and appreciate YOUR support at every level.

Here is our donation pledge form: Pledge Form (pledges only, no payment made or required on this form).

P.S.: To go ahead and make a payment, you can mail it to us as a check (P.O. Box 482; Santa Cruz, CA 95061) or call us to pay by credit card (831-457-9693)

P.P.S.: Donation drive report of 11/15: only 20% donation income and 35% donor responses. Please keep your support coming!

Fall newsletter

2008-10-30T00:00:00.000-07:00

Our fall newsletter for subscribers is in the mail. We send out 2 newsletters per year. To view our current issue, click here (PDF).

SCBF & Barry Phillips awarded Creative Work Fund grant

2008-09-30T00:00:00.000-07:00

SCBF & Barry Phillips awarded Creative Work Fund grant

Linda Burman-Hall, SCBF Artistic Director and Professor of Music at UCSC, has been awarded a Creative Work Fund collaborative grant for her work with Indian music composer Barry Phillips and Lux Musica, the Baroque Festival’s resident ensemble. Inspired by the largely unrealized potential of the numerous encounters of European and Indian musicians throughout the British Raj, this project seeks to create new music using early music instruments and Indian melodic concepts. The result will be presented as part of the Santa Cruz Baroque Festival’s 2010 concert season. Burman-Hall and Phillips will be honored on November 19th by Creative Work Fund at a reception in San Francisco at the offices of the Mimi and Peter Haas Fund. In addition to the Haas Fund, the Creative Work Fund is supported by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and the James Irvine Foundation. This is the first year the Creative Work Fund has been open to Santa Cruz County applicants.

Ticket Price Changes

2008-08-09T00:00:00.000-07:00

We have changed our ticket prices as follows:

• General Single Ticket: $22 (from $25)

• General Season Subscription: $90 (from $100)

•General Flex Pass Subscription: $55

• ALL College Students: $5 (from $2 UCSC students, and $16 other students)

• Youth K-12: $2 (as before)

• All Senior ticket prices remain the same

Our Board of Directors voted to approve these pricing changes not because our budget is sufficiently padded . . . but because we hope to increase the representation of young adults among our concert goers (our 2008 survey showed that this age group is under-represented in our audience demographic). Thus we have lowered the priced in the "General" and "Other Student" ticket categories (thus now offering the same discounted price of $5 to ALL college students, including Cabrillo College). As a result, General Season and Flex Pass Subscription prices are now significantly lower as well, whereas our discounted Senior prices have remained the same. We hope you consider becoming a Subscriber for 2009! Subscriptions benefit our concert goers with financial savings and extra concert passes, and by showing your loyalty and support, they benefit us as a long-standing community arts organization.

• Season Subscriptions: 5 Season Concert tickets for the price of 4 PLUS 2 extra concert passes and one bonus ticket (New Music Works, SC Chamber Players, SC Chorale).

• Flex Pass Subscriptions: 3 discounted and transferable Season Concert tickets (attend 3 out of 5 season concerts, attend 1 concert with a party of 3 . . . the choice is yours!). We send you 3 Flex Passes redeemable for concert tickets in advance or at the door.