The Scen3

Preview by Ruth L. Carver A piece nicknamed the “Earthquake Mass” would hardly seem capable of transporting a listener to a peaceful, transcendent place…yet that is just what Ars Nova Singers hope to do in their upcoming concerts. This rarely performed piece by Renaissance master Antoine Brumel will gently yet insistently tug the audience from […]

A Preview by Gwen Gray Love and passion, in their most intense and concentrated expressions, are the ties that bind the eight works to be presented in Boulder Bach Festival’s upcoming “With Love from London,” set to debut on Valentine’s Day. The program is brimming with tantalizing Purcell, Vivaldi and Händel selections, and a little-known […]

A preview article by Ruth Carver The Baroque Chamber Orchestra of Colorado brings a unique mélange of tastes and flavors to audiences in the bleak midwinter this February. With pieces voted on by listeners at their recent December concerts, and a mix of other classics, this “A Taste for Baroque” program is sure to have […]

A preview by Betsy Schwarm In tumultuous times, music can be the ideal antidote to anxiety. The beauty of the music itself may serve as a soothing balm. Moreover, reflecting upon how that music came to be written and what its composer was seeking to express likely adds depth of meaning to the listening experience, […]

Preview article by Betsy Schwarm When it comes to Christmas choral music, one can count on references to the Christ Child, the manger, the shepherds, the star, and likely the Three Kings. There’s also Mary, and she’s the inspiration for this year’s Christmas programs by the St. Martin’s Chamber Choir. A smaller ensemble focusing on […]

A preview article – by Betsy Schwarm Is there such a thing as a single “authentic” Messiah? Even the composer himself might suggest not; after all, in the seventeen years between the work’s premiere in 1742 and Handel’s passing, he presented the work again and again, often reshaping it for particular singers and/or venues. So […]

A preview by Marc Shulgold Every organization must eventually come to terms with a transfer of leadership. That applies to political bodies, corporations, sports teams and performing arts groups. So it is with the Baroque chamber choir Seicento (pronounced Say-CHEN-toe). This past May, founding artistic director Evanne Browne (now emeritus) moved out of state and […]

Preview article by Betsy Schwarm   The viola d’amore may be the white tiger of the fine music world: remarkably beautiful, but startlingly rare. Even those who are well familiar with the standard variety may have never seen and heard one in person – let alone two of them at once. That one of those […]

A preview by Mare Trevathan Oh, wow. Did you see Twitter? Here, sit down. We don’t have to talk. In fact, let’s just be quiet for a bit and listen to something elevating. Or funny! How about funny? Have a cookie. It’s homemade. If the fever and furor of our era has you fevery and […]

A preview by Betsy Schwarm At first glance, still-life imagery and dance might seem contradictory ideas. After all, the essence of dance is motion, not stillness. However, a still-life image is essentially a moment in time: what about the next moment? What colors and textures might emerge from further consideration of that bowl of fruit, […]