New England Bach Festival, Armidale NSW Australia

New England Bach Festival
Artistic Director: Benjamin Thorn

The New England Bach Festival is a biennial event in Armidale NSW Australia dedicated to the best in baroque music with a focus on that of Johann Sebastian Bach.

Armidale, in the northern tablelands of New South Wales, is a city of 24,000 inhabitants, a university (The University of New England), two cathedrals, the New England Regional Art Museum which houses the renowned Howard Hinton Collection and The Museum of Printing and a lively musical life. It was the third City of the Arts in NSW.

The Fifth New England Bach Festival - Bach and Beyond
Three days of the best of Baroque Music
30 April – 2 May 2010
Armidale, NSW

Tickets available from all New England Credit Union Branches
The New England Bach Festival - Benjamin Phone (02) 6772 5889 or email nebf@aapt.net.au
The Armidale Visitor Information Centre (Credit cards accepted), Phone 6770 3888 or tourism@armidale.nsw.gov.au

Season Tickets: $150, $100 concession
Early bird season tickets (before 1 April): $130, $80 concession.

Friday 30 April 2010
Event 1
7:30pm Uniting Church, 112 Rusden Street, Armidale
Grand Opening Concert
Australian Baroque Brass
Director John Foster
Australia’s leading baroque brass group.
“Fabulous! You’ve got to have them back!”

Event 2
10:30pm Uniting Church, 112 Rusden Street, Armidale
Bach Jazz Jam
Bach’s music used as the basis for improvisation by local and visiting musicians. Where will it end up?

Saturday 1 May
Event 3
10:30am, Hanna’s Arcade, 126 Beardy Street, Armidale
The Coffee Cantata
A free staged performance.

Event 4
12:30pm New England Regional Art Museum, 106-114 Kentucky Street, Armidale
Bach Odyssey
Louise King presenting Bach solo cello works with readings and poetry.

Event 5
4:30pm St Peter’s Anglican Cathedral, 140 Dangar Street, Armidale
Hommage à J.S.
German organist Berthold Wicke
Bach, Liszt and Bolling

Event 6
7:30 pm Uniting Church, 112 Rusden Street, Armidale
Black and White
Duelling and Dueting Harpsichords
Monika Kornel and Diana Weston with Stan Kornel.
Bach, Vivaldi and Handel.

Event 7
10pm Uniting Church, 112 Rusden Street, Armidale
Ground basses and a dance
An improvised concert on ground basses and learning a baroque dance!

Sunday 2 May
Event 8
10 am St Mary and Joseph’s Catholic Cathedral, 132 Dangar Street, Armidale
Mass with music by Fiori Musicale

Event 9
12:30 Ursuline Chapel, Jessie Street (Behind St Mary and Joseph's Cathedral)
Lipman Harp Duo
J S and CPE Bach, Britten, Thomas and Salzedo.

Event 10
2:30pm Uniting Church, 112 Rusden Street, Armidale
New England Bach Players
Peta Blyth (soprano), Sofia Debus (violin), Warwick Dunham (organ), Eleanor Streatfield (cello)
Arias, A minor Concerto, Prelude and Fugue in G and more.

Event 11
5pm St Peter’s Anglican Cathedral, 140 Dangar Street, Armidale
Festival Evensong including chorales and cantata Ich habe genug

Information on Performers

Australian Baroque Brass is one of Australia's finest early music ensembles. Founded in 2003, the ensemble is dedicated to the pursuit of musical excellence on authentic or period instruments.

Based in Sydney under the artistic directorship of baroque trumpeter John Foster, Australian Baroque Brass gives numerous performances each year to audiences throughout New South Wales and Australia. Australian Baroque Brass has pioneered the use of period brass instruments in Australia and has been responsible for giving Australian premiere performances (on period instruments) of works by such composers as Biber, Altenburg, Vejvanovsky, Caldara and many others.

The ensemble boasts some of the finest musicians Australia has to offer, with its members also holding positions in such ensembles as the Sydney Symphony, Adelaide Symphony, Tasmanian Symphony, West Australian Symphony and the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestras. This dynamic ensemble performs a vast repertoire of European music from the Seventeenth, Eighteenth and Nineteenth centuries, with the ensemble varying in size from solo recitals with continuo through to full orchestral performances. Typically, the ensemble performs with Natural Trumpets, Cornetts, Sackbuts, Natural Horns, Timpani, Soprano and Organ/Continuo. Australian Baroque Brass also regularly features guest performances by well known international and Australian artists as well as collaborations with other professional ensembles and choirs.

Australian Baroque Brass has made several recordings which include the critically acclaimed CD "Music of a Golden Age", as well as live recordings for broadcast on ABC Classic FM. In 2006 Australian Baroque Brass will perform at festivals such as the Canberra International Chamber Music Festival and the New England Bach Festival and also give concerts throughout Australia.

Louise King is widely regarded as one of the best baroque cellists in Australia. She is an award- winning graduate of the Royal Colleges of Music in Manchester and London and has worked with the BBC Philharmonic, Northern Chamber Orchestra, Manchester Camerata, Halle Orchestra and Hong Kong Philharmonic. She performs professionally on both modern and baroque cello and since migrating to Queensland in 2003, has worked with the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Sirius Baroque Ensemble, Southern Cross Soloists, New Holland Baroque, Topology, The Queensland Orchestra, Deep Blue Concept Orchestra and is Principal Cello for The Queensland Pops Orchestra. She directs the Baroque Ensemble at the Queensland Conservatorium.

The Lipman Harp Duo is composed of two eminent harpists – Sebastien Lipman (Former Solo Harpist of The Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra) & Sayo Lipman (Prize winner of Japan International Harp Competition)- with outstanding international credentials who have performed widely and globally, presenting well known and well loved repertoire for an always delighted audience. The angelic sound of two harps is unique, and so is this Duo, being the only such ensemble in Australia. During each performance, the Lipman Harp Duo charms audiences with world class playing, while simultaneously presenting rare and beautiful instruments, loved by all. The works performed include transcriptions and original works. The husband and wife duo have performed 75 concerts since 2006 in various venues in NSW, WA and QLD in Australia, ranging from churches and Art Galleries to Brisbane City's Main Auditorium and ABC studio for live National Radio Broadcasts. In 2007, they have toured internationally. (Japan, USA and Canada.)

Their first CD - "Harp Fusion", released in 2006, consisting of popular classics and their second CD - "Scenes of Childhood", consisting of solos and duos by John Thomas, released internationally for the Naxos label in late 2007 have been featured on Australian radio stations as well as on 53 major radio station networks in 15 countries (USA,Europe,etc.). Qantas Inflight Entertaiment also featured the Lipman Harp Duo in "Concert Hall Program" in May 2008.

They have performed in the USA on three separate occasions in 2007, while continuing to perform extensively within Australia and undertook a North Queensland tour from Brisbane to Cairns in April 2008. In March of 2009, they emarked on thier first world tour, performing to great acclain, in Tokyo, Paris, Cairo, Washington DC, Toronto, and Salt Lake City. In early 2009, they released their third CD entitled "Arpeggio" for the "Harmonious Resonance" label.

Black and White

Monika Kornel studied piano in Torun and Lodz in Poland and performed widely in Europe before coming to Australia and taking up the harpsichord.
In 1995 she participated in master classes with Robert Wooley in London and Bob van Asperen in Amsterdam. In December of that year Monika was invited to perform the harpsichord concertos of J.S.Bach with the Torun Chamber Orchestra in Poland. In 1999 she completed her Master of Music in Performance degree with Paul Dyer at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.

Monika performs regularly as both soloist and continuo player with a number of well known ensembles and orchestras including the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Willoughby Orchestra, SBS Orchestra, the St Laurence Baroque Orchestra, Marais Project, Salut!Baroque. In 1998, she also appeared in the Sydney Bach Festival and regularly participating in major music festivals and concerts in Australia.

Diana Weston is a graduate in Music with Honours from the University of New England, majoring in accompaniment. Originally studying as a pianist with such eminent musicians as Igor Hmelnitsky, Winifred Burston and Tessa Birnie, Diana has spent many years as an accompanist and ensemble player, performing for music societies such as the Australian Society of Keyboard Music and the Classical Guitar Society. More recently, she has undertaken studies in harpsichord and continuo accompaniment with harpsichordist Monika Kornel, and has recently completing a Masters (Hons) thesis on styles in harpsichord continuo accompaniment.
She has performed with her own group Thoroughbass, the Tall Poppeas, and with Monika Kornel as a harpsichord duo among others.

New England Bach Players

Peta Blyth (soprano) has studied at the Royal College of Music and performed with Opera Australia. She is also organises the popular local event 'Opera in the Paddock', and is the director of the NECOM Inverell branch.

Warwick Dunham (organ) was winner of the 1992 Sydney International Organ Competition. He has performed with the Israel Philharmonic under Zubin Mehta and has toured with major theatrical productions such as Mamma Mia. He currently performs regularly with the Sydney and Melbourne Symphonies.

Sofia Debus (violin) was winner of the 1990 National Youth Concerto Competition and completed undergraduate studies in Switzerland and at The Guildhall School of Music in London. She has performed with numerous ensembles in Europe and Australia including the Orchestra of the Welsh National Opera.

Eleanor Streatfield (cello) is a graduate of Newcastle University. She has held the position of Principal Cellist with the Melbourne Opera, and has participated in numerous orchestras and chamber ensembles. She performed for six years with the Intermezzo String Quartet and particpated in two AYO National Music Camps.

Previous New England Bach Festivals

2008
Hans-Georg Wimmer (Baritone)
Sydney Conservatorium Baroque Ensemble (Director Neal Peres da Costa)
The Tall Poppeas (Vocal Ensemble)
David Drury
Australian Baroque Brass (Natural Trumpets and Timpani)
Ephen Stephen (Guitar Duo)
Stringybark

2006
New Holland Baroque (Orchestra)
Sirius Ensemble (Chamber group)
Fiona Campbell (Mezzo soprano)
Danny Yeadon ('Cello)
Neal Peres da Costa (Harpsichord, Organ)
Australian Baroque Brass (Natural Trumpets and Timpani)
Christopher Wrench (Organ)
Ephen Stephen (Guitar Duo)

2003
Chacona (Ensemble)
Rosalind Halton (Harpsichord)
Rosasolis
Terry Norman (Harpsihord, Organ)
Fiori Musicali (Chamber Choir)
Sergio de Pieri (Organ)
Margaret Caley (Baroque Violin)
Badinerie Players (Ensemble)