Melodies of the Highlands
with scenes from Scotland's first opera, The Gentle Shepherd
Waldron Arts Center, Rose Firebay Theater, 122 S Walnut St, Bloomington, IN
November 12, 2016
7:30 PM
Alchymy Viols returns to Bloomington, IN after its successful premiere program, Alchymy at the Courthouse, to present a concert of Scottish music in collaboration with Chicago’s Bach and Beethoven Ensemble (BBE). Featured prominently in this program are staged scenes from Allan Ramsay’s The Gentle Shepherd, Scotland’s first opera (1725). Last seen in Philadelphia in 1798, the show was (re)premiered in North America in September 2016 by the BBE and members of Alchymy Viols. This is not your grandmother’s grandmother’s granny’s opera! The Gentle Shepherd is a charming comedy of shepherds and their lassies, featuring light-hearted folk tunes, wistful ballads, and foot-stomping pub-band music. This program in the 70-seat Firebay Theater is free to the public.
The selected scenes featured in this performance will highlight the following roles: Countertenor Thomas Aláan as Patie, the gentle shepherd; soprano Alexandra Olsavsky as Peggy, Patie’s sweetheart; and mezzo-soprano Lindsey Adams as Jenny, friend and “sister figure” of Patie and Peggy. Instrumentalists include Brandi Berry and Tim Macdonald (baroque violin), Leighann Daihl (traverso), Jeremy Ward (bass violin), Erica Rubis (lyra viol), and Phil Spray (viol, lute, baroque guitar).
Alchymy Viols’ members represent some of the country’s finest players of the viola da gamba. In just its first season, Alchymy is already attracting attention from local audiences, media, and major funders. Melodies of the Highlands pays tribute to the popularity of viol in Scotland in the 18th century and features the intimate qualities of the favored lyra-viol way of playing that is unique to the British Isles. For more information visit Alchymy Viols on Facebook.
The BBE, founded in 2009, has performed on series and festivals across the Midwest and Northeast including: the Chicago Early Music Festival, Classical Music Mondays at the Chicago Cultural Center, Byron Colby Early Music at the Barn, the Boston Early Music Festival Fringe series, Canterbury Music Society, and the Academy of Early Music in Ann Arbor. For more information about the BBE, visit bbensemble.org; find @bbensemble on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Soundcloud; or contact the BBE at bbe@bachandbeethoven.org
with scenes from Scotland's first opera, The Gentle Shepherd
Waldron Arts Center, Rose Firebay Theater, 122 S Walnut St, Bloomington, IN
November 12, 2016
7:30 PM
Alchymy Viols returns to Bloomington, IN after its successful premiere program, Alchymy at the Courthouse, to present a concert of Scottish music in collaboration with Chicago’s Bach and Beethoven Ensemble (BBE). Featured prominently in this program are staged scenes from Allan Ramsay’s The Gentle Shepherd, Scotland’s first opera (1725). Last seen in Philadelphia in 1798, the show was (re)premiered in North America in September 2016 by the BBE and members of Alchymy Viols. This is not your grandmother’s grandmother’s granny’s opera! The Gentle Shepherd is a charming comedy of shepherds and their lassies, featuring light-hearted folk tunes, wistful ballads, and foot-stomping pub-band music. This program in the 70-seat Firebay Theater is free to the public.
The selected scenes featured in this performance will highlight the following roles: Countertenor Thomas Aláan as Patie, the gentle shepherd; soprano Alexandra Olsavsky as Peggy, Patie’s sweetheart; and mezzo-soprano Lindsey Adams as Jenny, friend and “sister figure” of Patie and Peggy. Instrumentalists include Brandi Berry and Tim Macdonald (baroque violin), Leighann Daihl (traverso), Jeremy Ward (bass violin), Erica Rubis (lyra viol), and Phil Spray (viol, lute, baroque guitar).
Alchymy Viols’ members represent some of the country’s finest players of the viola da gamba. In just its first season, Alchymy is already attracting attention from local audiences, media, and major funders. Melodies of the Highlands pays tribute to the popularity of viol in Scotland in the 18th century and features the intimate qualities of the favored lyra-viol way of playing that is unique to the British Isles. For more information visit Alchymy Viols on Facebook.
The BBE, founded in 2009, has performed on series and festivals across the Midwest and Northeast including: the Chicago Early Music Festival, Classical Music Mondays at the Chicago Cultural Center, Byron Colby Early Music at the Barn, the Boston Early Music Festival Fringe series, Canterbury Music Society, and the Academy of Early Music in Ann Arbor. For more information about the BBE, visit bbensemble.org; find @bbensemble on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Soundcloud; or contact the BBE at bbe@bachandbeethoven.org
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