Wayward Sisters
Friday, September 30, 2011, 8:00 PM

Wayward Sisters is period instrument ensemble specializing in music of the 17th century. Combining innovative programing with fiery execution, Wayward Sisters shares the passion and turbulence of the early Baroque with modern listeners. Members of Wayward Sisters studied historical performance at Oberlin Conservatory, Indiana University, and The Juilliard School, and perform with such ensembles as Baroque Band, the Newberry Consort, Apollo’s Fire, and Ensemble Galilei.

Not all composers are nice guys. Although some, like Henry Purcell, were sociable optimists, others, like Matthew Locke, acquired a menagerie of unflattering adjectives. Disagreeable. Vitriolic. Ill-tempered. Spiteful. Atrabilious.  Locke was called all of these things. And Locke was not alone.  As interpreted by Wayward Sisters, The Naughty List is a program of music penned by difficult men. Matthew Locke, Tarquinio Merula, William Brade, Nicola Matteis, Georg Friederich Handel, and even Dario Castello left evidence of both their challenging temperaments and their prodigious musicianship. Wayward Sisters explores this intersection, bringing centuries-old composers vividly to life.

Tickets: $20 General Admission, $17 Members and Seniors, $5 Students

Cambini Quintet with Penelope Crawford and Jaap Schröder
Friday, October 21, 2011, 8:00 PM
Pre-Concert Lecture, 7:00 PM (Doors open at 6:45 PM)

The Cambini Quintet comprises five of the country's premier exponents of Classical woodwinds. Formed in 2009, the group offers programs of the rich and entertaining repertoire for winds that was so much a part of the musical landscape of the Classical and early Romantic eras. Their appearance at the BEMF Fringe (under the name Philablaeser) was their inaugural performance. The ensemble, which takes its name from one of the earliest composers to write for the wind quintet, is dedicated to reviving the remarkably varied tonal colors that Mozart, Beethoven and their contemporaries had available to them with the use of period flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon and horn. A unique and delightful experience.

The Cambini Quintet is joined by violist Jaap Schröder and Ann Arbor's own Penelope Crawford in performing Mozart's Quintet for Fortepiano and Winds, K. 452; Mozart's Trio for Clarinet, Viola, and Fortepiano, K. 498 (Kegelstatt); and Beethoven's Quintet for Fortepiano and Winds, Op. 16.

Tickets: $20 General Admission, $17 Members and Seniors, $5 Students

Bach and Beethoven Ensemble
Saturday, January 21, 2012, 8:00 PM
Pre-Concert Lecture, 7:00 PM (Doors open at 6:45 PM)

Founded by Brandi Berry and Curtis Foster in 2009, the Bach & Beethoven Ensemble is a period ensemble dedicated to presenting music of the 17th century to the current day on historical instruments. The ensemble challenges the way listeners have traditionally heard music by the old masters and asks them to consider anew what music means to them in today's post-modern society. The BBE functions as an artistic collective that allows the performers to explore a vast amount of highly diverse music. In any given season they may perform programs of Monteverdi, Rameau, Schumann or contemporary composers (in addition, of course, to their mainstays and compass points, Bach and Beethoven), all led by different members of the ensemble.

Tickets: $20 General Admission, $17 Members and Seniors, $5 Students

Les Délices
Saturday, March 10, 2012, 8:00 PM

Les Délices' polished, expressive, and dynamic performances of masterpieces and little-known works from the French Baroque have been garnering critical
acclaim. Founded in Cleveland in 2006, Les Délices brings together artists with national reputations who share a passion for this exquisite yet seldom heard repertoire. Their performances on period instruments allows them to explore a rich tapestry of tone colors, and the group's name conveys their approach to the music of this era: a delight, a fine delicacy, sumptuous, and exciting. Les Délices' debut CD "The Tastes Reunited" was named one of the
"Top Ten Early Music Discoveries of 2009" (NPR's Harmonia), and their performances have been called "a beguiling experience" (Cleveland Plain Dealer), "astonishing" (ClevelandClassical.com), and "first class" (Early Music America Magazine).

In Les Délices' colorful and fantastic program, the Odyssey's hero, Ulysses, will confront storms at sea, shipwrecks, the tantalizing allure of siren songs, a deep and magical slumber, and encounters with the Cyclopes – all set to music. Myths & Allegories features Elisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre's dramatic cantata Le Sommeil d'Ulisse, and Thomas-Louis Bourgeois' Les Sirènes, plus instrumental music from Jean-Féry Rebel's 1703 opera, Ulysse. Jean-Philippe Rameau's wild harpsichord solo Les Cyclopes chronicles Ulysse's encounter with the monocular beast, while Ulysses' long-faithful wife Penelope pines from afar as symbolized by Rebel's violin sonata La Fidelle.

Tickets: $20 General Admission, $17 Members and Seniors, $5 Students

Ronn McFarlane and Mindy Rosenfeld
Friday, April 20, 2012, 8:00 PM

Grammy Award nominee Ronn McFarlane and Mindy Rosenfeld return to Ann Arbor with a new program of music for lute and flute duo. One of the most outstanding lutenists performing today, Ronn McFarlane strives to bring the transcendent charm and timeless quality of the lute into the musical mainstream. He has over 25 recordings on the Dorian label, including the critically acclaimed recording Indigo Road. Mindy Rosenfeld has appeared regularly in Lincoln Center's Mostly Mozart Festival, the Berkeley Early Music Festival, the BBC Proms, Carnegie Hall, and the Concertgebouw.

Their program features works by Handel, Hotteterre, Oswald, Blavet, and anonymous Scottish tunes from the 18th century.

Tickets: $20 General Admission, $17 Members and Seniors, $5 Students