This concert presents early Baroque era secular song by Barbara Strozzi, music of the French “High Baroque” by Elizabeth-Claude Jacquet de la Guerre, and the late Baroque chamber music of Anna Bon di Venezia. Strozzi (1619 – 1677), a renowned Venetian composer and singer, prolifically published music in her own name and was admired for her sensitivity in integrating words with music. The Parisian Jacquet de la Guerre (1665 – 1729) served as a composer and acclaimed solo harpsichordist in the court of Louis XIV, and produced fine keyboard, vocal, and chamber music. And Bon (c. 1738 – ?), after being educated at Vivaldi’s school in Venice, became a court composer employed at Bayreuth by Princess Wilhelmine of Prussia.
Musician Biographies
Soprano Christina Kay enjoys a versatile career that spans concert, opera, and choral repertoire. An avid performer of early music, she made her Carnegie Hall debut in 2019 as soprano soloist in Handel's Messiah with MasterWork Chorus and Orchestra. Her skill with Renaissance and Baroque-era repertoire has led her to notable summer festivals, including the Carmel Bach Festival's Virginia Best Adams Masterclass, the American Bach Soloists Academy, and the Baroque Opera Workshop at Queens College. In New York City, she performs with period ensembles ARTEK and The American Classical Orchestra, and has also appeared with Brooklyn Baroque, Ensemble Leonarda, and Gotham Early Music. Christina is particularly interested in ornamentation and improvisation of late Renaissance and early Baroque repertoire, and loves writing and performing her own ornamented arrangements of popular 16th and 17th century madrigals.
Carlene Stober, viola da gamba, is a member of Empire Viols and the Grenser Trio. In addition to performing with many other ensembles, she was continuo cellist for Bach Vespers at Holy Trinity for many years. She has appeared on “Prairie Home Companion" and has performed with the Utah Shakespeare Festival and Theatre for a New Audience (NYC). As a modern cellist, Carlene is a member of the Saratoga Opera Festival Orchestra and has performed at the Manitou Chamber Music Festival in Colorado. She served as principal cellist of the Tucson Symphony Orchestra and performed throughout the U.S. as a member of the Delphi String Quartet. She holds degrees from the Eastman School of Music and can be heard on the Deux Elles, MSR, Ravello, and Quill Classics labels. She is also a music librarian, and has held positions at Mannes School of Music, New York University and the Morgan Library. She also designs sound for theatrical productions.
Harpsichordist Rebecca Pechefsky has performed in such venues as Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, Merkin Hall, and the 18th-century Morris-Jumel Mansion, where she and her ensemble Brooklyn Baroque perform in a yearly series. Recent European engagements include recitals in Milan (Sforza Castle), Bologna, Amsterdam, Berlin, Basel, Tallinn, and London (Handel House). Among her recordings for Quill Classics are the complete harpsichord music of François d’Agincour; Bach and His Circle (JPF Music Award, Best Classical Solo Album); Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier, Books 1 and 2; and Johann Ludwig Krebs @ 300. As part of the Krebs 300th birthday celebrations in Germany, she was invited to perform in Zwickau and Altenburg in October 2013. She has premiered works by Mark Janello, Graham Lynch, Frank J. Oteri, and others. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her husband, Erik Ryding, with whom she coauthored Bruno Walter: A World Elsewhere. For more information, visit rpechefsky.com.
Gregory Bynum, recorder, has studied with Marion Verbruggen, Han Tol, and Mattias Weilenman. He has performed with members of the Mannes School of Music and SUNY New Paltz music faculties, and with Yale music faculty including Jaap Schroeder. Mr. Bynum has taught at the Bloomingdale House of Music in Manhattan and has performed at many venues including the Morris-Jumel Mansion, the Middletown Thrall Library, and the Old Stone House in Brooklyn. As a guest performer with Brooklyn Baroque, he can be heard on the ensemble’s recordings Northern Lights, The Pleasures of the French, and a recording of Beth Anderson’s music entitled The Praying Mantis and the Bluebird (MSR Classics). He has appeared on WKCR and appears on the Quill Classics YouTube channel with Ensemble Luini. Mr. Bynum the founder of the Music at Morris-Jumel chamber music series.
$8 General Admission
$5 Discounted Admission (For HHS members, seniors, students, active military members, veterans, and children under 13)
Free Admission for children under 6 years of age
All ticket sales are final and non-refundable!
Sponsored by Dawes Septic & Repair
Sponsored by Kvistad Foundation
Sponsored by Central Hudson
This program is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
This program is funded in part by a Humanities New York SHARP Grant with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the federal American Rescue Plan Act
Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.