Ruckus presents: By George! Music of Telemann and Ligeti

Grace’s St. Paul Episcopal Church in TUCSON, ARIZONA

Handel’s “Aminta e Fillide,” featuring soprano Nola Richardson and mezzo-soprano Xenia Puskarz Thomas

Rachell Ellen Wong and David Belkovski return to Tucson, this time with the full band of Twelfth Night and singers Nola Richardson and Xenia Puskarz Thomas, to perform Handel’s 1708 secular cantata Aminta e Fillide. Set in the hills and flower-spotted fields of mythical Arcadia, the cantata tells the story of Aminta, a brash, young shepherd, who is hopelessly in love with the nymph Fillide, whose extraordinary beauty is matched by the hardness of her heart.

“Thomas’s uncommonly dark, creamy mezzo was able to give her opulent voice free rein… projecting a thought behind each ornament…”—Opera News

“Nola Richardson was totally delightful, displaying nimble coloratura and a light voice of penetrating beauty.”—South Florida Classical Review

Nordstrom Recital Hall at Benaroya in SEATTLE, WASHINGTON

TWELFTH NIGHT ENSEMBLE†

Handel’s Aminta e Fillide
Nola Richardson, soprano and Xenia Puskarz Thomas, mezzo-soprano
7:30pm / Mar 21

Twelfth Night, the refreshingly new ensemble of young stars directed by violinist Rachell Ellen Wong and keyboardist David Belkovski, offers a scintillating program featuring Handel’s Aminta e Fillide, a pastoral cantata. Aminta and Fillide, the cantata’s shepherd and nymph, pursue each other through a mythological Greek landscape in arias both virtuosic and poignant. To round out a captivating program, the group performs Vivaldi’s electric sinfonia from his opera, Il Giustino.

† Twelfth Night Ensemble is the EMS 24-25 Ensemble-in-Residence

RUCKUS EARLY MUSIC

Emi Ferguson, baroque flute

Clay Zeller-Townson, bassoon

Caitlyn Koester, keyboards

Doug Balliett, baroque bass

Coleman Itzkoff, baroque cello

Paul Holmes Morton, baroque guitars

Adam Cockerham, baroque guitars

Tessa Lark, violin

Works by:

Johann Sebastian Bach, from the Goldberg Variations, BWV 1033, 1034, 1035, and others

G.P. Telemann, from Fantasias

Gyorgy Ligeti, from Musica Ricercata

Realized and reimagined by Emi Ferguson, Ruckus, and Tessa Lark.

RUCKUS EARLY MUSIC

Emi Ferguson, baroque flute

Clay Zeller-Townson, bassoon

Caitlyn Koester, keyboards

Doug Balliett, baroque bass

Coleman Itzkoff, baroque cello

Paul Holmes Morton, baroque guitars

Adam Cockerham, baroque guitars

Tessa Lark, violin

Works by:

Johann Sebastian Bach, from the Goldberg Variations, BWV 1033, 1034, 1035, and others

G.P. Telemann, from Fantasias

Gyorgy Ligeti, from Musica Ricercata

Realized and reimagined by Emi Ferguson, Ruckus, and Tessa Lark.

and we, each

a new opera in two acts

presented by Mind on Fire

composed by Michael Hersch
after texts by Shane McCrae

directed by James Matthew Daniel
conducted by Tito Muñoz

featuring Ah Young Hong and Jesse Blumberg
with musicians Emi Ferguson, Gleb Kanasevich, Adda Kridler, Leah Asher, and Coleman Itzkoff

February 6

Mind on Fire is proud to present the upcoming world premiere of Michael Hersch’s new opera, and we, each. The opera, built around the poetry of Shane McCrae, is an exploration of the treacherous territories of relationships – between individuals, within societies and, ultimately, the collapse of both.

AMOC* celebrates Latin American poets and the voices of women with its production of John Adams’s El Niño: Nativity Reconsidered, featuring a libretto by Peter Sellars and production conceived by AMOC* soprano Julia Bullock, with a return to The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine for a second year, capping off a tour of cities across the US.

El Niño: Nativity Reconsidered will be conducted by Christian Reif, who created the new arrangement and premiered the initial, distilled arrangement as part of Julia Bullock’s residency at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where The New York Times called it “intimate, affecting and quietly rich with activism.” A rarely performed work, El Niño “explores the central themes of the nativity – miracles, the unique relationship between birthparent and child, and gift giving,” said Bullock, whocurated the selections being performed.and whose ”voice and vision are forces to be reckoned with” (Opera News).

In collaboration with The Johns Hopkins Mood Disorders Center Psychiatry and the Arts Program, the music of Michael Hersch and words of Kay Redfield Jamison are paired with repertoire from the Renaissance to the 21st century.

On Tuesday, December 10 at 7:30 pm, in a program titled Night Falls Fast, close collaborators composer Michael Hersch and author/psychologist Kay Redfield Jamison join world-renowned performers including Ah Young Hong (soprano), Kevin Payne (lute and theorbo), Coleman Itzkoff (cello), and Conrad Harris (violin) in a program featuring music of Hersch, Gyorgy Kurtág, Rebecca Saunders, Claudio Monteverdi, John Dowland, and more. Woven into the performance are the words of acclaimed clinical psychologist Kay Redfield Jamison who reads from her book "Night Falls Fast: Understanding Suicide," a text in which Jamison illuminates historical, religious, and cultural responses to mental illness and suicide.

An Afternoon with Cellist Coleman Itzkoff

Holiday special concert featuring critically acclaimed cellist Coleman Itzkoff

“FLAWLESS TECHNIQUE AND KEEN MUSICALITY” -Alex Ross, The New Yorker

Vibe: Minimalist
Suggested dress code: Black & White

December 8th (Sun)
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
St Joseph Co-Cathedral
856 Pacific St. Brooklyn NY 11238

Their program, titled “Strawberry Fields” is described by Ruckus as “A joyous feast of rustic dances from the 18th century”, featuring Ignatius Sancho’s 12 Country Dances for the year 1779 alongside G.F. Handel’s trio sonatas.

“STRAWBERRY FIELDS”

Sancho: Lady Mary Montagu’s Reel – Culford Heath Camp -Ruffs and Rhees, From The 12 Country Dances for the Year 1779
Handel: Trio in G, op. 5 # 4
Sancho: Air – Bushy Park – Lord Dalkeith’s Reel
Handel: Trio in E Minor, op. 5
~ intermission ~
Sancho: Royal Bishop –  Lindrindod Lasses –  Strawberries and Cream
Handel: Trio in D major, op. 5
Sancho: Duchess of Devonshire’s Reel – Trip to Dillington
All of One Mind – Mungo’s Delight – Lady Mary Montagu’s Reel

details TBA

Time & Location

Nov 11, 2024, 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM

Rice University / Houston, TX, 6100 Main St, Houston, TX 77005, USA

lute, violin, bassoon, cello, Baroque guitars,

bass, harpsichord
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2024, 5 PM
First Presbyterian Church
A joyous feast of rustic dances from the 18th century

Experience French chamber music across three centuries in a captivating recital. The first half features harpsichord and baroque cello, with works by Marais, Couperin, and Rameau evoking the refined courts of the 18th century. After intermission, explore Romantic and Impressionist landscapes with Faure, Debussy, and Ravel on grand piano and modern cello, highlighting French musical styles’ evolution into the 20th century.

Musicians 
Emi Ferguson, flutes 
Doug Balliett, baroque bass + electric bass  
Adam Cockerham, theorbo + baroque guitar  
Elliot Figg, keyboards  
Paul Holmes Morton, baroque guitar  
Coleman Itzkoff, baroque cello  
Clay Zeller-Townson, baroque bassoon 

Celebrating the 160th birthday of our founding benefactor Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge, acclaimed flutist Emi Ferguson and Ruckus perform an intriguing concert reimagining the music of Georg Philipp Telemann and György Ligeti. Dubbed “the world’s only period-instrument rock band” (San Francisco Classical Voice), Ruckus is a rollicking, shapeshifting Baroque group with a visceral and playful approach to early music. “Fly the Coop!,” its “blindingly impressive” (New York Times) first project with Ferguson, earned the number two spot on Billboard’s 2023 Classical chart for a joyous album of sonatas and preludes by J.S. Bach. In “By George!,” the artists bring together composers writing more than two hundred years apart, creating revelatory new arrangements for Ligeti’s “Musica Ricercata,” a monument of intricate textures and quixotic moods—stark, jaunty and mysterious—and virtuosic flute fantasias by Telemann.  

Atonement Lutheran Church in KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI

“Love and Laurels”

Nola Richardson, soprano
Roderick Williams OBE, baritone

George Frideric HANDEL (1685-1759): Overture from Partenope, HWV 27
HANDEL: Rigaudon from Radamisto, HWV 12
Johann Friedrich FASCH (1688-1758): Sonata à 4 in D minor
—
George Frideric HANDEL (1685-1759): Cantata Apollo e Dafne, HWV 122

Twelfth Night presents a night of unforgettable music in a spectacular venue. Divided by an ocean and living more than a century apart, Pedro Ximenez and George Frideric Handel represent the two vibrant cultures of Peru and Italy. In spite of any differences, they eagerly drew on the artistic traditions buzzing around them. Ximenez’ music deftly weaves folk song around classical structures while Handel derived his inspiration from ancient Roman stories. Join Twelfth Night at the United Palace for this special night! 

Calvary Episcopal Church in PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA

“Love and Laurels”

Led by virtuoso violinist Rachell Ellen Wong and harpsichordist David Belkovski, the dynamic ensemble Twelfth Night returns to Pittsburgh with a program featuring British baritone Roderick Williams OBE and American soprano Nola Richardson centered around George Frideric Handel’s fabulous cantata Apollo e Dafne. Based on the mythological tale of vain, amorous pursuit, Apollo e Dafne showcases the operatic flair of a very young Handel, where we see his incredible talent for drama, orchestration, and heartrendingly beautiful melody.

NOVUS collaborates with acclaimed underground concert producers Death of Classical and the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine to present a series of thematic concerts in the crypt beneath the cathedral.  

The third night of music presents works ranging from the 11th century to the current day, including pieces by Hildegard von Bingen, Barbara Strozzi, Heinrich Biber, Caroline Shaw, and Gelsey Bell. The transcendent title work, Vis Aeternitatis, or “Power of Eternity,” was composed by Saint Hildegard, a medieval abbess, mystic, and composer known for her eloquent writing about the eternal divine.  

Madeline Apple Healey, soprano; Katie Hyun, violin; Kyle Miller, viola; Coleman Itzkoff, cello; Adam Cockerham, lute; Melissa Baker, flute 

and we, each

a new opera in two acts

presented by Mind on Fire

composed by Michael Hersch
after texts by Shane McCrae

directed by James Matthew Daniel
conducted by Tito Muñoz

featuring Ah Young Hong and Jesse Blumberg
with musicians Emi Ferguson, Gleb Kanasevich, Adda Kridler, Leah Asher, and Coleman Itzkoff

September 28 & 29

Mind on Fire is proud to present the upcoming world premiere of Michael Hersch’s new opera, and we, each. The opera, built around the poetry of Shane McCrae, is an exploration of the treacherous territories of relationships – between individuals, within societies and, ultimately, the collapse of both.

Musical Program

Béla Bartók | String Quartet No. 3
Shih Hui Chen | Returning Souls: Four Short Pieces on Three Formosan Amis Legends
László Weiner | Duo for Violin and Viola
Wei-Chieh Lin | Pasibutbut

Fleeting Melodies is an homage to the music that lives in memory, drawing inspiration from Hungarian and Taiwanese folklore, and celebrating cultural heritage through contemporary expression. The journey begins with Bartók’s rhythmically urgent and complex String Quartet No. 3, followed by Chen’s Returning Souls, presenting variations of an “ethnic style” reflecting her experiences returning to her native Taiwan as a Fulbright Scholar specifically to study its music. In the second half, discover the musical legacy of Hungarian composer László Weiner, whose life was tragically cut short by the Nazi’s during the Holocaust; followed by Wei-Chieh Lin’s Pasibutbut: a prayer song for a rich millet harvest from the Indigenous Bunun people of Taiwan, who believe that the successes of the harvest is dependent on how harmoniously the song is sung to praise God.

AFC invites you to join us for a free family concert in downtown Roslindale at the Substation. The first hour of the event, families with young kiddos are invited to enjoy a short, participatory, kid-focused musical presentation, after which the musicians will take a break and you’ll have a chance to socialize.
Snacks will be available for sale, and feel free to bring your own food/drink to enjoy during the show.
At 6:00pm we’ll transition to a quieter sit-down chamber music concert setup and perform selections from our season premiere FLEETING MELODIES on September 21st in Jamaica Plain!

Free! Pre-registration encouraged as space is limited.

5:00: Doors open
5:10-5:40 Little Criers! Kid-focused musical presentation
5:40-6:00 Short break (grab a snack, socialize, and settle in for the next segment)
6:00-6:40 Chamber music concert
6:40-7:00 More socializing (yay!) and final goodbyes

The culminating concert from our residency that brought together writers, artists, composers and instrumentalists, drawing from community-based stories to inspire the creation of new musical works. Writers will present their stories, followed with performances and presentations of the musical compositions and visual artworks inspired by them.

Join Cellist Coleman Itzkoff and Pianist Audrey Vardanega for a program of Shostakovich and Janacek.

Conceived & Composed by DOUG BALLIETT

August 10, 2024 | 4pm
The Clark Art Institute
Williamstown, MA

Rome was one of the greatest civilizations in the world; yet, like all empires, it fell. Why, and how? The story is a mixture of politics, betrayal, immigration, religion, climate, pandemic, natural disaster, xenophobia, and bad luck (in short, everything human, and everything we face today). Rome is Falling, an opera composed by American Modern Opera Company (AMOC*) member Doug Balliett, is a zany lesson on the absurdity of what can happen when powerful people lose power. In his ever-prescient, ever-joyful way, Balliett brings audiences of all ages on a musical journey through a world that includes lollipops, a ridiculous number of characters, and an emperor with a chicken fetish.

Tickets $10 ($8 members, $7 students,$5 children 15 and under).