The perplexities of love in songs from the London stage.

Music by Henry Purcell and John Eccles

Directed by Richard Kolb

Staging director: Paul Shipper

Performers:

Tracy Cowart, mezzo-soprano; Fiona Gillespie,soprano; Bradley King, tenor; Paul Shipper, bass

Theresa Salomon and Boel Gidholm, violins; Pricilla Herreid & Sian Ricketts, baroque oboe & recorder; Patricia Ann Neely, bass viol; Jonathan Luik, double bass; Dongsok Shin, harpsichord; Richard Kolb, theorbo & archlute

Video broadcast of live performance, Sept. 4, 2021

• Saturday, September 4, 2021

• 8:00 PM 9:30 PM

• Orpheum Performing Arts Center, 6050 Main St, Tannersville, NY

• Google Calendar ICS

Presented by the Catskill Mountain Foundation

Performers: Tracy Cowart (mezzo-soprano & stage director); Fiona Gillespie (soprano); Bradley King (tenor); Theresa Salomon and Boel Gidholm (violins); Sian Ricketts (baroque oboe & recorder); Patricia Ann Neely (violone); Christa Patton (triple harp); Richard Kolb (theorbo, archlute, & music director)

Advance Tickets only, must be purchased online: $25

Please note: All audience members will be asked to show proof of vaccination, and masks will be required in the theater.

Purchase Tickets: Catskill Mountain Foundation

Music from the London stage c. 1700: Songs and instrumental music by Henry Purcell and John Eccles.

While Italian opera was all the rage in most of Europe during the 17th-century, the English resisted the foreign invasion and instead developed peculiarly British forms of music theater. English audiences objected to the "unnatural" practice of having characters converse in continuous song, challenging playwrights and composers to find ingenious ways of inserting musical interludes within spoken plays, often to the point of overshadowing the dialog and plot. English theater music reached a highpoint around the turn of the 18th century, with leading composers producing some of the finest vocal music ever written in England.

Based on popular plays of the London stage, the Labyrinth Ensemble's The Double Distress unfolds a story of complicated relationships told through songs and instrumental numbers by Henry Purcell and John Eccles, two of the leading composers of theater music of the baroque era.

The G.E.M.S. Midtown Concerts series presents Richard Kolb, 10-course lute, performing music by Robert Ballard, Alessandro Piccinini, and Michelangelo Galilei.

The program can be downloaded or printed from the GEMS website before the concert broadcast. The concert video will be posted following the broadcast for future viewing.

Admission is free, and a Zoom chat session for questions and comments will follow the broadcast.

Link for the concert:

 https://gemsny.org/current-season/117-midtown-concerts/2020-2021-season/697-october-15-2020

Presented by the Catskill Mountain Foundation

Performers: Tracy Cowart (mezzo-soprano & stage director); Fiona Gillespie (soprano); Bradley King (tenor); Theresa Salomon and Rachel Evans (violin); Sian Ricketts (baroque oboe & recorder); Patricia Ann Neely (violone); Christa Patton (triple harp); Richard Kolb (theorbo, archlute, & music director)

Advance Tickets: $25; $20 seniors; $7 students
At the Door: $30; $25 seniors; $7 students

Purchase Tickets: Catskill Mountain Foundation

CANCELLED (Will take place Sept. 4, 2021)

Music from the London stage c. 1700: Songs and instrumental music by Henry Purcell and John Eccles.

While Italian opera was all the rage in most of Europe during the 17th-century, the English resisted the foreign invasion and instead developed peculiarly British forms of music theater. English audiences objected to the "unnatural" practice of having characters converse in continuous song, challenging playwrights and composers to find ingenious ways of inserting musical interludes within spoken plays, often to the point of overshadowing the dialog and plot. English theater music reached a highpoint around the turn of the 18th century, with leading composers producing some of the finest vocal music ever written in England.

Based on popular plays of the London stage, the Labyrinth Ensemble's The Double Distress unfolds a story of complicated relationships told through songs and instrumental numbers by Henry Purcell and John Eccles, two of the leading composers of theater music of the baroque era.

Presented by Concerts at Norwood
Performers: Elissa Edwards (soprano) & Richard Kolb (archlute & theorbo)

Tickets: Purchased at the Door

CANCELLED: Rescheduling date TBA

Barbara Strozzi and Francesca Caccini were two of the most remarkable women of the seventeenth century. Both established themselves among the leading musical voices of their respective generations, flaunting patriarchal restrictions through a combination of brilliant musical talent, irrepressible drive, and masterful networking skills.

Presented by Early Music Key West
Performers: Elissa Edwards (soprano) & Richard Kolb (archlute & theorbo)

Tickets: Purchased at the Door

CANCELLED: Rescheduling date TBA

Barbara Strozzi and Francesca Caccini were two of the most remarkable women of the seventeenth century. Both established themselves among the leading musical voices of their respective generations, flaunting patriarchal restrictions through a combination of brilliant musical talent, irrepressible drive, and masterful networking skills.

Presented by Music at St. Andrew’s

Performers: Tracy Cowart (mezzo-soprano); Elissa Edwards (soprano); Christa Patton (triple harp); and Richard Kolb (theorbo and archlute)

Celebrate the 400th birthday of composer Barbara Strozzi by joining the Canzonetta Ensemble for a concert of exquisite arias, cantatas, and duets. One of the most remarkable women of the seventeenth century, Strozzi established herself as one of the leading musical voices of her time, flaunting patriarchal restrictions through a combination of brilliant musical talent, irrepressible drive, and masterful networking skills.

Presented by the Chapel Restoration Concert Series

Performers: Tracy Cowart and Sian Ricketts (sopranos); Rachel Evans and Boel Gidholm (violins); Hsuan-Wen Chen (harpsichord); Richard Kolb (theorbo and archlute.)

Join the Labyrinth Ensemble for a concert of exquisite arias, cantatas, and duets by Barbara Strozzi, with instrumental works by her contemporary Maurizio Cazzati.

One of the most remarkable women of the seventeenth century, Barbara Strozzi established herself as one of the leading musical voices of her time, flaunting patriarchal restrictions through a combination of brilliant musical talent, irrepressible drive, and masterful networking skills. Her engaging melodies, spectacular virtuosity, and intense expressiveness are brought to life by lutenist Richard Kolb (editor of the first modern edition of Strozzi’s complete works), singers Tracy Cowart and Sian Ricketts, harpsichordist Hsuan Wen Chen, and violinists Rachel Evans and Leah Nelson.

Presented by: GEMS Concert Series
Performers: Elissa Edwards (soprano) & Richard Kolb (archlute & theorbo)

Free admission

Barbara Strozzi and Francesca Caccini were two of the most remarkable women of the seventeenth century. Both established themselves among the leading musical voices of their respective generations, flaunting patriarchal restrictions through a combination of brilliant musical talent, irrepressible drive, and masterful networking skills.

Presented by Kaaterskill United Methodist Church
Performers: Elissa Edwards (soprano) & Richard Kolb (archlute & theorbo)

Free admission

Barbara Strozzi and Francesca Caccini were two of the most remarkable women of the seventeenth century. Both established themselves among the leading musical voices of their respective generations, flaunting patriarchal restrictions through a combination of brilliant musical talent, irrepressible drive, and masterful networking skills.

Presented by: The Catskill Mountain Foundation

Tracy Cowart, Elena Mullins, and Sian Ricketts (sopranos); Rachel Evans, Leah Nelson, and David McCormick (violins); Hsuan-Wen Chen (harpsichord); and Richard Kolb (theorbo and archlute)

Advance Tickets: $25; $20 seniors; $7 students
At the Door: $30; $25 seniors; $7 students

Purchase Tickets: Catskill Mountain Foundation

Three celestial sopranos: Music by Luzzasco Luzzaschi, Luigi Rossi, and Barbara Strozzi, with sonatas for three violins by Dario Castello and G. B. dalla Fontana

During the 1570s Duke Alfonso II of Ferrara established an ensemble of women musicians called the Concerto delle donne that radically changed the soundscape of Western music. Heard only "in secret" by members of the Duke's inner circle and favored guests, their concerts were the first ever to present women singing with extreme virtuosity and powerful emotional expression. The performances became legendary, and inspired many imitations throughout the 17th century and beyond. Perhaps most importantly, they opened the way for talented women to have careers as professional musicians, revolutionizing for all time the role of women in music.

Presented by: The Catskill Mountain Foundation

Performers: Tracy Cowart (mezzo-soprano); Nathan Hodgson (tenor); Rachel Evans and Leah Nelson (violins); Hsuan-Wen Chen (harpsichord); Richard Kolb t(heorbo and archlute); Anne Trout (violone).

Advance Tickets: $25; $20 seniors; $7 students
At the Door: $30; $25 seniors; $7 students

Purchase Tickets: Catskill Mountain Foundation

Music ot Merula, Rovetta, Ferrari, and Laurenzi

Semi-staged musical entertainments flourished in the lavish evening gatherings, or serate, organized by leading patrons among 17th-century Venetian nobility. Adorned by the participation of the best singers and musicians from San Marco and other musical establishments around the city, these private affairs sparkled within the cultural scene. This evening's performance is a re-creation of a night that might have taken place in one of the Venetian palazzos during the 1630’s. Two lovers, Licori and Titiro, wind their way through a series of mishaps and reunions, told in arias and duets composed by some of the most famous Venetian composers of the day.

Presented by: The Catskill Mountain Foundation

Performers: Tracy Cowart and Sian Ricketts (sopranos); Rachel Evans and Jonathan Goya (violins); Tomoko sugawara (triple harp); Richard Kolb (theorbo, archlute, baroque guitar)

Advance Tickets: $25; $20 seniors; $7 students
At the Door: $30; $25 seniors; $7 students

Purchase Tickets: Catskill Mountain Foundation

Join the Labyrinth Ensemble for a concert of exquisite arias, cantatas, and duets by Barbara Strozzi, one of the most remarkable women of seventeenth-century Italy. Strozzi established herself as one of the leading musical voices of her time, flaunting patriarchal restrictions through a combination of brilliant musical talent, irrepressible drive, and masterful networking skills. 

With pre-concert lecture: “Virtuosic Vocal Chamber Music of Mid 17th-century Italy”