2238
Fairmount Avenue | Philadelphia, PA 19130
info@piffaro.com
| phone/fax (215) 235-8469
Artistic Directors:
Joan Kimball & Robert Wiemken
Administrative Director: Matthew
Smith-Soley
The Habsburg Hofkapelle of Munich & the Music of Orlande de Lassus
Piffaro, The Renaissance Band and Parthenia, Consort of Viols will present early music on a grand scale in Philadelphia and New York with a performance featuring music of one of the 16th century’s most celebrated composers, Orlande de Lassus.
Friday, March 23, 2007, 8:00 p.m.
St. Michael's Church, 99th Street and Amsterdam, New York City
Saturday, March 24, 2007, 8:00 p.m.
Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill, 8855 Germantown Ave, Philadelphia
Sunday, March 25, 2007, 4:00 p.m.
Lutheran Church of the Holy Communion, 2110 Chestnut St., Philadelphia
Tickets: $30 for preferred seating, $25 for general and $15 for seniors and students.
For ticket information and reservations call (215) 235-8469, or visit www.piffaro.com.
** Press Comps available. Please call for reservations. **
The Bavarian Hofkapelle (literally “court chapel” but referring to the group of instrumentalists and singers in service to the Duke) under the direction of Lassus during the latter half of the 16th century, was renowned for the quality and expansiveness of its musicmaking. When Wilhelm V, son of Albrecht V, duke of Bavaria, married Renata of Lorraine in 1568, the occasion was set for this musical establishment to shine in all of its accustomed splendor.
Piffaro’s program will seek to recreate some the grandeur of the festivities, performing both sacred and secular works of Lassus, some of which were specifically written for the occasion. To put together a project of this magnitude requires larger forces than Piffaro alone, so Piffaro will be joined by the viol consort Parthenia (last heard in Philadelphia for our 15th anniversary celebration, and guests on two occasions before that), and singers Laura Heimes, Philip Anderson, Tony Boutte, and Eric Schwartzentruber.
And for such an ambitious program, extra wind players are required as well. William Dongois, one of Europe’s foremost cornettists, plays with the ensemble, along with regular guest sackbut players Mack Ramsey and Erik Schmalz. This performance will be given in New York City on Parthenia’s concert series, as well as in Philadelphia.
Since 1980 Piffaro has been performing the music of the 15th, 16th and early 17th centuries to growing audiences throughout the Delaware Valley. Under the direction of Joan Kimball and Robert Wiemken, the ensemble not only presents its concert series in the Philadelphia area, but also tours throughout Europe, the U.S. and South America. In addition, the ensemble has recorded for Deutsche Grammophon and Dorian Recordings. Recordings are available for sale at Piffaro concerts, in area record stores, and at www.piffaro.com.
Photography by Wayne Duerfeldt.
Scroll over the photos to see captions. Use the +/- buttons to speed up or slow down the slideshow.
Sweet Pipes: The Art of the Recorder
Piffaro, The Renaissance Band places the Renaissance recorder front and center in its upcoming program Sweet Pipes: The Art of the Recorder, which will feature its large collection of copies of historical models in 16th and early 17th century music from the Low Countries (Belgium and Holland), Spain, Germany and Italy.
Friday, February 23, 2007, 8:00 p.m.
St. Mark’s Church, 1625 Locust Street, Philadelphia
Saturday, February 24, 2007, 8:00 p.m.
Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill, 8855 Germantown Ave, Philadelphia
Sunday, February 25, 2007, 4:00 p.m.
Sts. Andrew and Matthew Church, 8th and Shipley Street, Wilmington, DE
Tickets: $25 for preferred seating, $20 for general and $15 for seniors and students.
For ticket information and reservations call (215) 235-8469, or visit www.piffaro.com.
** Press Comps available. Please call for reservations. **
From virtuosic solos accompanied by lute and harp to double choral works in ten parts, the music reveals the varied sounds the instruments can produce, agile and flute-like at one moment, sonorous and organ-like the next.
The recorder, regarded by many as a poor cousin to the flute, and taught in schools as the “easy” instrument with which to introduce note reading, is in fact a highly sophisticated instrument built in multiple sizes from the soprano down to the contra-bass. Recorders were played throughout the medieval and Renaissance periods, the family, or consort as it was called, growing in number and size in the later 16th century until it included the contrabass standing over 6 feet tall.
Piffaro’s guests will include recorder virtuoso Daphna Mor from New York City, historical wind specialist Doug Milliken, currently a doctoral candidate in musicology at Florida State University, recorder and double reed player Priscilla Smith from Philadelphia, and Alexa Raine-Wright, an aspiring recorder talent who recently won Piffaro’s recorder competition for middle and high school students.
Since 1980 Piffaro has been performing the music of the 15th, 16th and early 17th centuries to growing audiences throughout the Delaware Valley. Under the direction of Joan Kimball and Robert Wiemken, the ensemble not only presents its concert series in the Philadelphia area, but also tours throughout Europe, the U.S. and South America. In addition, the ensemble has recorded for Deutsche Grammophon and Dorian Recordings. Recordings are available for sale at Piffaro concerts, in area record stores, and at www.piffaro.com.
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Piffaro Announces Winner of 2007 Young Recorder Competition
Piffaro, The Renaissance Band announces the winner of a national Recorder Competition for Middle and High School players.
Alexa Raine-Wright, a 17-year-old senior from St. Paul, MN, was the winner in Piffaro’s competition for young recorder players, held to spur interest in the instrument and to encourage young players to consider the field of early music as a career.
Five finalists were chosen to come to Philadelphia for a live competition/performance at the Germantown Branch of the Settlement Music School on Saturday, January 20th. Two other players were from the St. Paul/Minneapolis region, one from Washington, DC and one from Philadelphia. All were serious recorder players who have studied the instrument for at least six years.
Alexa began at a young age, and in addition to private lessons, attended recorder and early music workshops during the summer when she became a teenager. Last year her family moved to Montreal for eight months so that she could study with recorder virtuoso Matthias Maute, and currently she studies with Clea Galhano in St. Paul. Her plan is to attend McGill University so that she can continue her studies with Maute, and receive a degree in early music.
Runner-up in the competition was Olivia Sohlen, age 14, from Minneapolis, and a student of Mary Halverson Waldo. The other finalists were:
- Bryan Duerfeldt, age 14, from Bloomington MN, student of Mary Halverson Waldo
- Amalia Maletta, age 18, from Washington, DC, student of Carole Rogentine
- Daniel Wilhite, age 12, from Philadelphia, PA, student of Joan Kimball
The prize for winning the competition is to join Piffaro, The Renaissance Band, in a series of concerts at the end of February that feature 16th and early 17th century music on recorders. Sweet Pipes: The Art of the Recorder will take place on February 23-25.
Since 1980 Piffaro has been performing the music of the 15th, 16th and early 17th centuries to growing audiences throughout the Delaware Valley. Under the direction of Joan Kimball and Robert Wiemken, the ensemble not only presents its concert series in the Philadelphia area, but also tours throughout Europe, the U.S. and South America. In addition, the ensemble has recorded for Deutsche Grammophon and Dorian Recordings. Recordings are available for sale at Piffaro concerts, in area record stores, and at www.piffaro.com.
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