Music Before 1800: Les Délices – Winds of Change
$15-$55 ($10-$50 senior, $5 student)
- Emi Ferguson, baroque flute
- Debra Nagy, baroque oboe
Sydney Guillaume — A Journey to Freedom
Karl Bochsa — Oboe Quartet No. 2 in D minor
Luigi Boccherini — Quintet for Winds and Strings in C major, 443
Superb flutist Emi Ferguson joins oboist Debra Nagy and Les Délices in chamber works from the eve of the French and Haitian Revolutions. Inspired by ideals of liberty and equality from abolitionist writings, the program includes a sonata by Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, the late-18th-century Black composer and violinist, and pieces by Boccherini and Bochsa. The ensemble is excited to perform A Journey to Freedom by the Haitian composer Sydney Guillaume.
"One of the most delightful aspects of any performance by Les Délices is this exploration of the dramatic potential of pitch—how to curve, stretch or wilt a note in a way that's emotionally resonant." — The New York Times
This program will be presented in person, February 5 at Corpus Christi Catholic Church. It will also be released as an online broadcast – the virtual program becomes available on Sunday, February 12, 4pm Eastern, and remains viewable until February 26.
About Emi Ferguson, baroque 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/