From Biber to Bach: A German Lenten Baroque Concert
$20 ($10 student; ages 18 & under free); cash/check at the door
- Emma Simmons, baroque violin
- Joyce Wei-Jo Chen, harpsichord & organ
- Annabeth Shirley, baroque cello
Johann Sebastian Bach — Violin Sonata No. 6 in G major, BWV 1019
Johann Sebastian Bach — Italienisches Konzert ("Italian Concerto"), BWV 971
Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber — Mystery (Rosary) Sonata No. 1 in D minor "The Annunciation"
Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber — Mystery (Rosary) Sonata No. 10 in G minor "The Crucifixion"
Johann Kuhnau — Biblical Sonata No. 1 in C major "The Combat Between David and Goliath"
Alessandro Stradella — Trio Sonata in D minor
This concert will include solo harpsichord, organ, and chamber works by J.S. Bach, Biber, and Kuhnau.
To register and reserve a seat, please email Br. Anselm Flores at [email protected].
About Emma Simmons, baroque violin
Emma Simmons is a modern and baroque violinist hailing from Portland, Oregon. She is an active performer and teacher throughout the Pacific Northwest, performing as a core member of the Collier Trio and the Oregon Bach Collegium. Emma has performed with the Oregon Bach Festival's Berwick Academy and Musicking Conference, the Microphilharmonic and Chamber Music Amici. She has studied internationally these last few summers, attending early music academies with Les Epopées, Les Boréades, Urbino Musica Antica, and the Tafelmusik Summer Baroque Institute in Toronto, Ontario, which she attended as a 2023 recipient of the Early Music America IDEA Workshop Scholarship. Emma performs regularly with the Eugene Symphony and has played with the Cascadia Chamber Opera, Willamette Master Chorus, Oregon Mozart Players, Eugene Opera, Rogue Valley Symphony Orchestra, and the Pacific Northwest Opera. Emma was Assistant Principal Second Violin for the Bellingham Symphony Orchestra from 2017 to 2020. As a soloist, she received third place at the 2021 Music International Grand Prix competition in the young adult strings category. Emma received her Master's from the University of Oregon and Bachelor's at Western Washington University. Her previous teachers include Hal Grossman, Grant Donnellan, Charles Castleman, and Carol Sindell.
About Joyce Wei-Jo Chen, harpsichord & organ
A native of Taiwan, Dr. Joyce Wei-Jo Chen 陳瑋若 is Assistant Professor of Historical Keyboards at the University of Oregon. As a solo harpsichordist, she has performed throughout the United States, Europe, and Taiwan. Dr. Chen received the 2018 Individual Artist Fellowship from the Delaware Division of the Arts and was a featured soloist in the 2019 Emerging Artist Showcase by Early Music America. She has performed as a soloist in the Musica Antica Festival in Belgium (2018), the International Normandy Baroque Competition in France (2018), and the Prix Annelie de Man in Amsterdam (2023). In addition, Dr. Chen is releasing her first solo harpsichord album featuring English virginalist music in 2025. Dr. Chen holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Harpsichord Performance from Stony Brook University and a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from UC Berkeley.
https://musicanddance.uoregon.edu/directory/profiles/all/jwchenAbout Annabeth Shirley, baroque cello
Cellist Annabeth Shirley performs regularly with ensembles throughout the Pacific Northwest, including Seattle Baroque Orchestra, Vancouver Early Music, the Oregon Bach Festival, Baroque Music Montana, and Portland Baroque Orchestra, where she is honored to hold the Ruth K. Poindexter Chair. Annabeth holds a bachelors and masters degree in Baroque Cello from the Royal Conservatory of The Hague and bachelors degrees in Cello Performance and Biology from the University of Michigan. She plays a cello of anonymous origin from approximately 1830, and she currently resides in Salem, Oregon.
http://annabethshirley.com/