Music Before 1800 presents Markus Passion: The Sebastians & Chatham Baroque
$30
- Joseph Marcell, actor (Evangelist)
- Pascale Beaudin, soprano
- Cody Bowers, countertenor
- James Reese, tenor
- Jonathan Woody, bass
- Emi Ferguson, flute
- Mei Yoshimura Stone, flute
- Priscilla Herreid, oboe d'amore
- Caroline Giassi, oboe d'amore
- Daniel S. Lee, violin
- Andrew Fouts, violin
- Shelby Yamin, viola
- Patricia Halverson, viola da gamba
- Caroline Nicolas, viola da gamba
- Ezra Seltzer, violoncello
- Nathaniel Chase, double bass
- Scott Pauley, theorbo
- Kevin Payne, theorbo
- Jeffrey Grossman, organ, harpsichord, & conductor
J.S. Bach wrote Passion settings for the gospels of Mark as well as for Matthew and John—two of the greatest artistic works of all time. Shortly after Bach's death in 1750, his Markus-Passion manuscript was hand-delivered by his son C.P.E. to his publisher, Johann Breitkopf, but was subsequently lost.
The new Markus edition by musicologist Malcolm Bruno is an ingenious reconstruction drawing on material from other works by Bach. Featuring four singers, 14 instrumentalists, and a unique role for an actor as Evangelist.
This first-ever staged version tours to the UK and the west coast, but not before giving the shared world premiere in Pittsburgh (April 11), then on Palm Sunday at MB1800 in a milestone for early music. Featuring the iconic actor Joseph Marcell (Royal Shakespeare Company, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air).
About Joseph Marcell, actor (Evangelist)
Joseph Marcell is a Saint Lucian-British actor and comedian. As a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, he appeared in productions of Othello and A Midsummer Night's Dream, and has also appeared in feature films and on television in Britain. He is best known for his role as Geoffrey Butler, the butler on the NBC sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0545186/About Pascale Beaudin, soprano
About Cody Bowers, countertenor
About James Reese, tenor
About Emi Ferguson, flute
Hailed by critics for her “tonal bloom” and “hauntingly beautiful performances,” English-American performer and composer Emi Ferguson stretches the boundaries of what is expected of modern-day musicians. Emi’s unique approach to the flute can be heard in performances that alternate between the Silver Flute, Historical Flutes, and Auxiliary Flutes, playing repertoire that stretches from the Renaissance to today.
Ms. Ferguson can be heard live in concerts and festivals around the world as a soloist and with groups including AMOC*, the New York New Music Ensemble, the Handel and Haydn Society, and the Manhattan Chamber Players. She has spoken and performed at several TEDX events and has been featured on media outlets including The Discovery Channel, Vox's "Explained" series on Netflix, Amazon's The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and Juilliard Digital's TouchPress apps talking about how music relates to our world today. Her debut album, Amour Cruel, an indie-pop song cycle inspired by the music of the 17th century French court was released by Arezzo Music in September 2017, spending 4 weeks on the Classical, Classical Crossover, and World Music Billboard Charts. Her 2019 album Fly the Coop: Bach Sonatas and Preludes, a collaboration with continuo band Ruckus debuted at #1 on the iTunes classical charts and #2 on the Billboard classical charts, and was called “blindingly impressive...a fizzing, daring display of personality and imagination” by The New York Times.
Emi Ferguson is passionate about developing new music and has premiered works by many of today's leading composers. She has been a featured performer at the Marlboro Music, Lake Champlain, and Lucerne Festivals, Portland Bach Festival, Bach Virtuosi Festival, June in Buffalo, Twickenham Fest, and Chamberfest Dubuque, and has performed and taught with Juilliard Global in Brazil, pianoSonoma in California, Juilliard Baroque in Germany, and Les Arts Florissants in France and has been featured as a soloist and ambassador for Elliott Carter’s music in China and Japan.
As a historical Flutist, in addition to her appointment as Principal Flute of the Handel and Haydn Society, Emi Ferguson is a frequent guest artist with period ensembles including Tafelmusik. She can also be heard with period instrument groups including Voices of Music, the American Classical Orchestra, and Trinity Baroque Orchestra. She was the only flutist accepted to Juilliard’s inaugural Historical Performance class, and has performed alongside William Christie and Les Arts Florrisants, and with Christophe Hammer, Massaki Suzuki, Christopher Hogwood, and Nicholas McGegan.
Emi Ferguson is currently on the faculty of the Juilliard School teaching Ear Training, the Bach Virtuosi Festival, and has taught on the faculty of the University of Buffalo. Emi was the first person to have graduated from Juilliard with Undergraduate and Graduate degrees with Scholastic Distinction in flute performance, as well as a second Graduate degree in Historical Performance as a Paul and Daisy Soros Fellow. Her principal teachers have been Carol Wincenc, Sandra Miller, Robert Langevin, and Judy Grant. Born in Japan and raised in London and Boston, she now resides in New York City.
https://www.emiferguson.com/About Mei Yoshimura Stone, flute
About Priscilla Herreid, oboe d'amore
About Caroline Giassi, oboe d'amore
About Daniel S. Lee, violin
Daniel S. Lee performs as a period violinist and conductor. In addition to the Baroque and Classical violins, he also plays the violino piccolo and violoncello da spalla.
http://www.danielslee.com/About Shelby Yamin, viola
Violinist Shelby Yamin brings signature vivacity to performances across the globe, from the historic state rooms of George Washington's Mount Vernon to the storied chapel at Versailles. Equally adept on modern and Baroque violin, Shelby has appeared as a soloist with Philharmonia Baroque Chamber Players, the San Francisco Academy Orchestra, Tafelmusik Winter Institute, and as guest concertmaster of the 2019 Berwick Academy of the Oregon Bach Festival.
https://www.shelby-yamin.com/About Patricia Halverson, viola da gamba
About Caroline Nicolas, viola da gamba
With an eclectic repertory that spans from the Middle Ages to the 21st Century, acclaimed cellist/gambist Caroline Nicolas enjoys an active and multifaceted career as one of the outstanding performers in her field. Noted for her "eloquent artistry and rich, vibrant sound" (Gainesville Times), she has been praised for her unique ability to combine emotionally rich interpretations with an historically inquisitive spirit. She regularly appears with leading ensembles as soloist, chamber musician, and music director.
https://www.carolinenicolas.com/About Ezra Seltzer, violoncello
About Nathaniel Chase, double bass
https://www.experientialorchestra.com/artists/nathaniel-chase
About Scott Pauley, theorbo
Scott Pauley, theorbo & baroque guitar, holds a doctoral degree in Early Music Performance Practice from Stanford University. Before settling in Pittsburgh in 1996 to join Chatham Baroque, he lived in London for five years, where he studied with Nigel North at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. There he performed with various early music ensembles, including the Brandenburg Consort, The Sixteen, and Florilegium. He won prizes at the 1996 Early Music Festival Van Vlaanderen in Brugge and at the 1994 Van Wassenaer Competition in Amsterdam. In North America Scott has performed with Tempesta di Mare, Musica Angelica, Opera Lafayette, The Folger Consort, The Four Nations Ensemble, The Toronto Consort, and Hesperus and has soloed with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. He has performed in numerous Baroque opera productions as a continuo player, both in the USA and abroad. He performed in Carnegie Hall in New York and at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC, with the acclaimed British ensemble, the English Concert. In 2016 Scott traveled to Argentina for the Festival Internacional de Música Barroca "Camino de las Estancias," in Córdoba.
About Kevin Payne, theorbo
About Jeffrey Grossman, organ, harpsichord, & conductor
Harpsichordist Jeffrey Grossman enjoys an active career as a leading harpsichordist in the country. He is Artistic Director of the Sebastians, and is currently on faculty at Yale University.
https://www.jeffreygrossman.com/