A415

New blog posts on our new blog...

2010-08-27T12:10:00.000-07:00

Check them out: We've been Fall Arts Previewed! September Program Notes Videos: Levin on Mozart What I did on my summer vacation, pt. 1 Thank you for following this blog. Please keep up with us on facebook and our new website.

New website coming next week!

2010-08-06T16:51:00.000-07:00

It is only fitting for our 100th blog entry that we announce a new, redesigned website. Starting Monday, our homepage will look a bit more like this: Loyal blog readers: Please be aware that our blog will also be shifting to this new site. Updates to this blog will cease at the end of August.

What I did on my summer vacation: Pt. 1

2010-08-06T16:43:00.000-07:00

'What have your musicians and singers have been up to all summer?' you ask? Well, let's find out! In June, Music Librarian and violist David Daniel Bowes (left) went on vacation with his partner Brian to the Pacific Northwest, where Brian was sick with flu the entire time! When David started to get sick too, “we paid the piper and came home early.” However, after all that, “bliss!” They planted

Meet Courtney

2010-08-02T17:31:00.000-07:00

This past July, we were lucky to be joined by Courtney Stredder, who interned for us through Career Explorations. Soon to be a senior at Nampa High School in Idaho, Courtney helped us prepare for the upcoming 30th Anniversary Season. While with us, she wrote press releases, dove into the archives to research our history, helped with the season ticket mailing, and attended the Association of

Many thanks!

2010-07-27T13:59:00.000-07:00

We would like to thank all the volunteers who offered their time last week to help with the ticket mailings. Because of them, we were able to send out all the subscription orders by the end of the week! Many thanks to the following volunteers, we couldn't have done it without them: Al and Natalie Davis Luce Denney Jubillee Gee Ellen Thiel Marcia Wire Pat Wolf

A needed change of perspective

2010-07-21T18:22:00.000-07:00

Most of our staff will be attending the Association of California Symphony Orchestras 42nd Annual Conference this Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Much like the League of American Orchestras earlier this summer, ACSO is sounding notes of a minor key: "Orchestras and choruses are struggling. Slashed funding, declining attendance, and increased costs are just a few of the problems we have to wrestle

In 66 days...

2010-07-21T16:59:00.000-07:00

... we'll get to see our Nic conduct Mozart here in the Bay Area. For now, we'll just have to read about him conducting Mozart elsewhere. For you impatient fans out there, subscribers will begin to receive their tickets this week(!) and single tickets go on sale in 15 days on August 5.

Japanese Handel?

2010-07-20T17:06:00.000-07:00

Is of course courtesy of our Music Director! Who else did you expect! Read more.

FREE-harmonia Baroque Orchestra...

2010-07-15T13:32:00.000-07:00

Don't miss a FREE performance by a small ensemble of musicians from the orchestra. On Sunday, September 26, at 5 p.m. the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra Ensemble performs at Hertz Hall on the UC Berkeley Campus. Part of the Cal Performances Open House "Free For All," the ensemble performs Haydn's Quartet for Oboe and Strings in C major and String Quartet in E-flat major, Op. 64, No. 6, as well

Gonzalo in the Wall Street Journal

2010-07-15T13:00:00.000-07:00

One of the volunteers who is helping us with our season ticket mailing mentioned this morning that Gonzalo Ruiz is featured in today's Wall Street Journal. He talks about transcribing Bach's "Orchestral Suite No. 2," with it's famous flute solos, for oboe. We played this back in October 2008 to rave reviews. Hear for yourself:

Speaking of jokes...

2010-07-12T17:36:00.000-07:00

Alex Ross posted (and Scott thankfully forwarded) this hilarious spoof radio commercial from 1977 that ever so gently jibes the more contemporary compositions that you will probably never hear our orchestra perform, not even on period instruments.

Fun — and fart jokes — in classical music

2010-07-12T17:30:00.000-07:00

That was the sub-headline of the great feature in The Aspen Times this weekend on our Music Director. That's right, so soon back from Oregon and Nic's off in Aspen (and we wish we could go see him conduct, but we'll have to wait until September when our 30th Season kicks off). Here's a bit of our favorite part from the article: "McGegan believes that injecting that sort of jollity into

You Like Us, You Really, Really Like Us!

2010-07-07T16:59:00.000-07:00

Become of fan of Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra on Facebook! Thank you for your support!

Kick off the year with Intrada

2010-07-07T15:10:00.000-07:00

We are pleased to announce “Intrada,” the our 30th Anniversary Opening Night Celebration, which takes place on Friday, September 24, 2010, in the Green Room at the War Memorial Veterans Building (401 Van Ness Avenue), across from City Hall. The Opening Night Celebration begins at 6:00 p.m. with a delicious strolling supper and concludes with the first concert of our 2010/11 Season, an evening of

Nic in Oregon this weekend!

2010-07-02T16:57:00.000-07:00

Nic flew up to Eugene, Oregon, this morning just in time for rehearsal for tomorrows’s 40th Anniversary Gala Concert at the Oregon Bach Festival. He probably thought he'd be having a nice, quiet long weekend in Berkeley, however pianist and conductor Jeffrey Kahane just had to cancel his appearances at the festival because of illness.Learn more about this concert.

John Prescott leads SFEMS summer adult course

2010-06-28T16:29:00.000-07:00

On August 2-6, our pre-concert lecturer John Prescott (right) will once again lead a series of morning classes for adults in Berkeley at the Crowden Center for Music in the Community. The theme this year will be the music of one of the most prolific and influential of Baroque composers (he's also one of our favorites): G. F. Handel. Presented by the San Francisco Early Music Society, this

Historically-informed summer camp!

2010-06-28T16:12:00.000-07:00

Our friends at the San Francisco Early Music Society just let us know that there is still space in their summer youth day camp program. At this year's "Music Discovery Workshop," youths ages 7-15 can "swashbuckle their way through life and music in 17th century France and England," learning recorder, harpsichord, strings, chamber music and musicianship, while also participating in other

Soccer: Baroque? Classical? Romantic?

2010-06-25T10:15:00.000-07:00

Do you have soccer (ahem... football) fever like many of us in the office? Maybe you can answer this bit of trivia: Which piece of orchestral or operatic music was published the year that the first official rules of soccer were agreed upon and first "Football Association" was founded in a tavern in London?A: John Blow's Venus and Adonis (1683)B: Joseph Haydn's Symphonies No. 12 and 13 (1763)C:

Meet Scott!

2010-06-22T15:59:00.000-07:00

Scott broke the news last week and now it's our turn: We have engaged Scott Foglesong to write all of our program notes for our 30th Anniversary Season, as well as give three of the eight sets of pre-concert lectures. Chair of the Department of Musicianship and Music Theory at the San Francisco Conservatory and one of the San Francisco Symphony's program annotators and pre-concert lecturers,

More Nic News

2010-06-22T15:29:00.000-07:00

Last week, Juilliard's Historical Performance program announced that Nic will conduct Juilliard415 on Saturday, November 20 at 8 PM in Alice Tully Hall. The program includes a rare Handel cantata, Clori, Tirsi, e Fileno, and Vivaldi's Concerto for Two Flutes in C Major. Having only just debuted in December of last year, Juilliard415, the music school's new period-instrument group, will perform a

Congratulations Nic!

2010-06-15T10:54:00.000-07:00

What does Graham William Nash, co-founder of Crosby, Stills and Nash, and our Music Director Nicholas McGegan have in common? Both were named Officers of the British Empire in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list published this weekend. Congratulations Nic!

Thank you to our BFX volunteers!

2010-06-15T10:33:00.000-07:00

Thank you to our board members Kit Leland, Adam Arthur Bier, and Marie Bertillion Collins, who helped out this weekend at our table at the Berkeley Early Music Festival and Exhibition. Our Marketing Director was particularly thankful he could escape for two hours on Saturday to watch the USA/England game. We enjoyed meeting our neighbor baroque string instrument maker Gabriela Guadalajara and, of

Congratulations Hanneke!

2010-06-09T13:50:00.000-07:00

We are pleased to announce a recent appointment to the membership of Philharmonia Baroque. Effective next season, Hanneke van Proosdij has been named First-Call Member of the Laurette Goldberg Keyboard Chair, endowed by Anne and David Oliver. Our long time fans will surely recognize Hanneke, who has often played harpsichord, organ, and recorder in the orchestra for the last 13 years.Hanneke

Our new favorite blogger...

2010-06-08T15:17:00.000-07:00

Judge Marie! Our board member The Hon. Marie Bertillion Collins has your "Survival Guide" for all you BFX10 bound Early Music lovers. Read Tip 1 and Tip 7... We hope the BFX blog fills us in as to what 2 through 6 are (how else will we survive)!Our Marketing Director, who lived in Berkeley until just two months ago, can tell you how he'll survive the long days at the Philharmonia Baroque

An inspiring model?

2010-06-07T11:09:00.000-07:00

Annalisa Pappano, a viol player in town for BFX10 from Cincinnati, wrote on her group's blog today:What I find especially intriguing [in San Francisco] is the culture for early music here. This city boasts the [San Francisco Early Music Society] series, the Berkeley Early Music Festival, an astonishing number of professional viol players (last count was 16!), a full-time professional baroque

Frederica von Stade interview from Houston PBS

2010-06-04T12:39:00.000-07:00

Tired of reading some pretty gloomy posts on "Orchestra R/Evolution," we decided to cheer ourselves up. And Flicka can certainly do that! Here's a clip from Ernie Manouse's interview with her for Houston PBS's InnerVIEWS from this past December:

Closing out 20 years: Nic and the Göttingen International Handel Festival

2010-05-25T16:25:00.000-07:00

Today, our Music Director Nic (left) conducted the final performance of the Göttingen International Handel Festival – the dark opera Tamerlano (HWV 18). Nic has led the Festival as its Music Director for the last 20 years. In 1991, he was passed the baton (figuratively of course, Nic doesn't use a baton as you may remember) by Sir John Eliot Gardiner. Next year, Nic will pass the honors of

Dudamel on education

2010-05-19T16:07:00.000-07:00

It's been a week since he swept through town, but we have Dudamel fever too! We were truly inspired when we watched him talk about helping to bring Venezuela's El Sistema music education program to the United States in this 60 Minutes segment. Thank you Janos Gereben at SFCV for keeping us in the know.

Musicianship, sensitivity, dramatic flair... grace, elegance, personal warmth

2010-05-19T16:01:00.000-07:00

Joining us in March of 2011, Flicka has begun touring the country to say farewell to her adoring audiences before retirement. In case you missed it, here is the article about her Carnegie Hall farewell.

Congratulations SFRV!

2010-05-19T15:39:00.000-07:00

Have you picked up your issue SF Weekly's "Your San Francisco?" We just wanted to take a minute to congratulate our early music colleagues San Francisco Renaissance Voices for winning "Best Classical Music – 2010." A few of our Chorale singers sing with SFRV, including Jeff Fields, Raymond Martinez, Kathy McKee (who is also the Assistant Music Director of SFRV - pictured) and Helene Zindarsian.

Glorious sounds of centuries past

2010-05-19T15:23:00.000-07:00

On June 10-12, come say hello to us at our table at "BFX TEN" – the 10th bi-annual early music festival, conference and exhibition in Berkeley.Presented by San Francisco Early Music Society and Early Music America, there will be beautiful performances both as a part of the festival and on "The Fringe" in conjunction with the main stage events. Don't miss members of the orchestra perform

Great photos from our March Concert with Jordi Savall!

2010-04-28T12:02:00.000-07:00

Until last week, we didn't know that our friend Frank Wing stopped by in March to snap photos of Jordi working with the orchestra during rehearsal. Check them out.

An influential afterlife: Exploring Orlando Furioso Part 3

2010-04-28T11:14:00.000-07:00

Michael Wyatt joins us for the final post on Orlando furioso (read Parts 1 & 2):A mere summary does little justice to the dazzling linguistic and conceptual texture of Ariosto’s great poem, elaborated in almost 40,000 lines through a complex network of narrative threads and a cast of thousands."The Sorcerer Altante Abducting Pinabello's Lady" by Nicolas Poussin (French, 1594–1665)Orlando furioso

Seven Centuries of Tradition: Exploring Orlando Furioso Part 2

2010-04-19T10:46:00.000-07:00

While our April concerts are over (read the reviews), we are not done with Orlando just yet. Michael Wyatt joins us again:Orlando furioso is the continuation of an earlier, unfinished, epic poem, Orlando innamorato (Orlando in Love), written in the late fifteenth century by another Ferrarese courtier, Matteo Maria Boiardo, both texts drawn from a wild mix of popular tales

Meet Goldilocks

2010-04-08T16:47:00.000-07:00

Today, in the San Francisco Chronicle's "Props" column, Joshua Kosman profiled the harpsichord with a stage presence that can only rival its owner – our Music Director Nic! Here "Goldilocks" is in a photo taken shortly after she was built in 1996:

Written in his spare time: Exploring Orlando Furioso Part 1

2010-04-08T15:54:00.000-07:00

In our last blog post, we mentioned Stanford University's symposium "Mad Orlando's Legacy," which will explore the immense impact of the epic poem Orlando furioso by Ludovico Ariosto, which also happens to be the source material for our April concerts featuring Handel's Orlando. To help us explore the connection between the Renaissance poem and the baroque opera, Michael

Forever mad: The Legacy of Orlando Furioso

2010-03-30T16:25:00.000-07:00

38,736 lines of poetry collected into 46 cantos make up one of Western culture's most influential works of literature – Ludovico Ariosto's epic poem Orlando Furioso. Written and rewritten over the course of 26 years, this masterpiece once inspired operas, plays, poems, novels, art work and, of course, plenty of copy cats. Ariosta's work "of loves and ladies, knights and arms... of courtesies,

Into the crazy world of Orlando: From our Handel expert (and Music Director) Nic McGegan

2010-03-19T09:57:00.000-07:00

Nicholas McGegan joins us again to let us know what's so special about George Frideric Handel's opera Orlando, which the orchestra and chorale will perform in April:Pictured above is the autographed score of Orlando, one of a series of so-called magic operas by Handel. While the sources of many of his plots are derived from classical history or mythology, the 1733 opera

Size matters: About the length of natural horns

2010-03-11T13:03:00.000-08:00

Recently, we've been asked more than once about our natural horns. So we have asked David Wilson to answer the below. (He adds the caveat: "I will answer the question as best I can, but I'm a violinist, not a brass player"):My wife and I greatly enjoyed the early French-Handel-Telemann concert last night. We were intrigued by the two-foot-long trumpets and the extra curly horns. I opined that

"Scintillating" and "spectacular"

2010-03-09T16:23:00.000-08:00

This past weekend, the orchestra played the first three concerts of our March concert set "The French Suite in Europe" with guest conductor Jordi Savall. While one string player confessed at intermission on opening night that the musicians had not been so nervous about performing a concert in a very long time – the spectacular results were best described by San Francisco Classical Voice reviewer

Like the human voice...

2010-03-02T11:06:00.000-08:00

Though Toronto indie rocker Charles Spearin's Happiness Project is one the most touching explorations of humanity through sound in recent memory, he is not exploring a new idea – musicians and composers have long tried to replicate the beauty of the human voice and patterns of speech instrumentally. In particular, bowed stringed instruments have always been admired for their ability to mimic the

How's your Catalan?

2010-02-23T14:51:00.000-08:00

TV3 (Televisió de Catalunya) has posted its full documentary about Jordi Savall and the Borgia Dynasty. Jordi will conduct the orchestra and perform viola da gamba next week!As staffer David Challinor wrote when he alerted us to the documentary:"My Catalan is non-existent, but this is fascinating. It shows rehearsals in the castle he records in and him working on the Borja family project that

What did you think about our Brahms concert?

2010-02-17T16:35:00.000-08:00

The reviews are in and boy are they mixed.Joshua Kosman wrote:Music director Nicholas McGegan prefaced the concert with a few words about the attempts at the historical accuracy on display... All very interesting, but the real test came in performance. And nothing affirmed the power of this approach like the splendid performance of the Serenade No. 1 in D that occupied the first half of the

Nic on performing Brahms: Pt. 5

2010-02-10T15:59:00.000-08:00

Nic is back for his final post! Want to learn more about performing Brahms on period instruments? Listen to our audio preview, featuring Nic, string player Maria Caswell and host Teddy Wing. Now, here is Nic on orchestra arrangement – you may be surprised to see where your favorite musicians are sitting at our upcoming concerts:Orchestra size and arrangement – In Brahms’ time, as in earlier

Announcing 2010-11 – Our 30th Anniversary Season

2010-02-09T15:10:00.001-08:00

Today, we announced our 30th Anniversary Season!Current subscribers can renew their subscriptions now! General public subscriptions go on sale March 15th! Single tickets go on sale August 5th. Keep checking our website, more information will be up in the coming weeks. If you can't wait... you can always join us this weekend for Brahms (just in time for Valentine's)!

Tomorrow's the day...

2010-02-08T15:56:00.000-08:00

Keep an eye on the blog tomorrow... we'll be announcing our programming for 2010-11, our 30th Season!!!Our staff was busy all Friday getting subscription renewals into the mail...Want another hint? The orchestra and chorale will be performing a work that Nic is well known internationally for, but he has not conducted it in the Bay Area for 11 years... What is it?

Nic on performing Brahms: Pt. 4

2010-02-08T14:32:00.000-08:00

Nic continues his post about the style that the orchestra will perform Brahms in this week:Tempo – Brahms was notoriously metronome-averse, so neither of the pieces that we will be playing are provided with metronome markings. Joachim, however, had no such qualms, and his edition of the Violin Concerto (1910) does have them. In the German edition of Joachim’s Violinschule (1905), which contains

Nic on performing Brahms: Pt. 3

2010-02-03T15:25:00.000-08:00

So we now know about how Nic researched contemporary performances of Brahms' work and we also know a little about the instruments that were likely used to play his works around the time they were composed. Let's find out about some of the smaller details about the style that Philharmonia Baroque musicians might be playing in in February:Here are the first of a few thoughts I

Can't contain our excitement anymore...

2010-02-03T12:28:00.000-08:00

What are we so excited about? These:You're probably thinking: "What, the boxes?" Well, of course the boxes! Why? Because they contain all of the materials for our 30th Anniversary Season subscription renewal mailing. Keep an eye out, we're just six days away from announcing next season's programming!Would you like a hint about what the orchestra and chorale might be performing? Here it is: Our

Nic on performing Brahms: Pt. 2

2010-01-28T13:48:00.000-08:00

We don't know if you saw it, but Jonathan Rhodes Lee wrote a great preview of February's concert on San Francisco Classical Voice. In the article, he posed the question: "Will we hear the concerto as Joachim played it? As Brahms would have wanted it heard? As we want him to have wanted it heard? Or as we want it heard following our own standards?" Well, here is Nic's second post to answer that

Congrats Jordi and Viktoria!

2010-01-28T13:34:00.000-08:00

This just in: Viktoria Mullova, who plays with us in February, and Jordi Savall, who plays with us in March, both won awards for recent recordings on Tuesday at the MIDEM Classical Awards in Cannes, France.

Nic on performing Brahms: Part 1

2010-01-25T13:09:00.000-08:00

We are excited to post Music Director Nic McGegan's first blog entry for A415 today! This is the first of a series of posts about our February concerts.As we all know, Philharmonia Baroque is starting the New Year with a voyage into what, for our orchestra, will be uncharted waters: performing the music of Johannes Brahms (pictured left). It promises to be a fascinating and

Meet Mr. Brahms

2010-01-22T10:44:00.001-08:00

In yesterday's post, we said that we going to address why Philharmonia Baroque is expanding it's repertoire to play works from 1858 and 1878, some of the newest music we've ever played, but not quite. First, however, let's talk about the beloved Romantic composer of these works: Johannes Brahms. Violinist and Philharmonia Baroque staffer David Wilson joins us again:When Johannes Brahms (pictured

Why Brahms?

2010-01-21T17:06:00.000-08:00

As we approach our next concert, many of our fans are asking, "Why Brahms?" So, what is a period-instrument orchestra that specializes in Baroque and Early-Classical music doing playing the works of Johannes Brahms? Well, our Music Director Nic will tell you why in the coming weeks with a five-part blog post. For now, enjoy this caricature of the composer that could not be any less accurate:

Happy Birthday, Nic!

2010-01-14T12:15:00.001-08:00

While we won't get to celebrate Nic's birthday until February, the staff, musicians and singers of Philharmonia Baroque wish Nic a very Happy Birthday!And now, for a slightly embarrassing photograph (from just a few years ago):

The Story of "A:" More about Baroque pitch

2010-01-07T16:26:00.001-08:00

Since the title of our blog is A-415, we felt that one of our first blog posts of the new year should again address the issue of pitch, especially since this will be a major part of Nic's upcoming posts about our February concerts. David Wilson joins us once more to explain (he also warns that your geek alarms may sound...):Baroque oboe legend Bruce Haynes has researched the issue of historical

Decade in Review/Year in Review

2010-01-04T13:25:00.000-08:00

And so ends the aughts with a year that few would like to remember... except maybe us. Our last year was critically acclaimed, artistically exciting and first one in some time that we have experienced growth in attendance (thank you!). Others noticed too and we were happy to see the orchestra and chorale appear on a few year end and decade end lists. There is so much to look forward to: we will

Jordi Savall's Jerusalem Best Album of the Year?

2010-01-04T12:30:00.000-08:00

Steve Hochman, rock critic for Los Angeles Times, Rolling Stone, Spin and then some, declared Jordi Savall's Jerusalem the best album of the year (and maybe the decade) in his global music column "Around the World" on AOL's music blog Spinner.com. Jordi will be conducting and playing viola da gamba with the orchestra in March.

See you next year!

2009-12-18T10:58:00.001-08:00

... and Happy New Year!

How Nic communicates

2009-12-14T17:32:00.000-08:00

Here at Philharmonia Baroque, we often talk about our musicians' instruments, but what about Nic and his conducting?Since Nic is "the sort of conductor who just gets music thoroughly into his own system," he's been called many things – the sunniest conductor in classical music, an Energizer Bunny, the jolly elf of the period performance scene, and even a wriggling puppy – because he's often seen

Learning French... Baroque String Techniques

2009-12-07T17:16:00.000-08:00

Remember when David Wilson wrote about a how baroque violins were different from modern violins generally. Well, one of the fascinating things about Baroque music (to us anyways) is not just how different instrument construction, playing technique and musical styles were from then to now (or even just when compared to the Classical era), but also the variations from region to region during the

Composer Warbucks: Vivaldi and the Ospedale della Pietà

2009-12-04T16:44:00.000-08:00

Pio Ospedale della Pietà? Again and again the name of this Italian girls' orphanage and school comes up when reading about the composer Antonio Vivaldi, why? The obvious reason is because Vivaldi worked there for over two decades! Another reason is because the Piéta had one of the finest orchestras in Europe and Vivaldi wrote much of his music for the orphans. David Wilson tells us more: As you read our program notes and listen to our audio concert preview for November’s all-Purcell program that features the composer's Dido and Aeneas, have you been wondering what an “all-sung masque” is? Well, a few of us in the office were wondering that very same thing, so we did a little research to find out just what a masque is…A turn of the century masque in the home

Susan and Nic interviewed for the LA Times

2009-11-04T15:05:00.000-08:00

This past Sunday before our first rehearsal of Henry Purcell's Dido and Aeneas, Susan Graham and Nic sat down with L.A. Times writer Chloe Veltman at the Claremont Hotel. (You can read Chloe's post about the interview here.) This was the first time these two hams sat down together for an interview and let's just say that we can't wait to see it in print! The orchestra and chorale will be

Learn more about our November concerts

2009-11-02T13:21:00.000-08:00

"The Passion of Dido," Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra's third concert of its 2009-10 "Season of the Stars," is THIS WEEK! Music Director Nic McGegan (pictured left) leads our orchestra and chorale in a program that honors the life of the English composer and songwriter Henry Purcell. Featured on the second half of the program is Dido and Aeneas with renowned mezzo-soprano Susan Graham singing the

What are you DOing next week?

2009-10-30T13:56:00.000-07:00

We know where we'll be next Thursday through Sunday, what about you?(No, not at Shonen Knife! Well, maybe our Marketing Director Sasha will be, but he's weird.)

One of these people is not like the others... Comparing period and modern violin[ist]s (Part 3)

2009-10-20T12:40:00.000-07:00

During the last concert set, David Wilson asked his colleagues in the violin and viola sections of Philharmonia Baroque the most important question about the difference between the baroque violin and modern violin: not about construction, nor about how the instruments are held or played, but what makes a period violinist:"As far as I know, no one has yet begun their violinistic career as a

Libby visits the Fromm

2009-10-20T11:46:00.000-07:00

Last Tuesday, period violinist Libby Wallfisch, who was in town to lead our October concerts, journeyed out into the rain to the Fromm Institute with David Wilson to speak at the weekly "Brown Bags" speaker series. Thank you Command Performances Representative Bob Morgan for having us! Here are a few photos from the day:Libby talks about how her baroque violin is built differently than the

Classical 101: From completely bamboozled to comfortably, enthusiastically, ignorant in Seven Steps

2009-10-12T10:59:00.000-07:00

You might be surprised to hear that not everyone in the PBO office is an accomplished musician or lettered musicologist. So those of us who are bit more clueless than many of our work mates were happy to run into this article this weekend in the Irish Times (oh, how small the world is these days): Seven simple steps to a classical education. Enjoy!

One of these things is not played like the other... Comparing period and modern violins (Part 2)

2009-10-09T10:52:00.000-07:00

Now that we have some idea how a baroque violin is built differently than a modern one, we've asked David Wilson to explain the differences between playing period violins and modern violins:"What makes a baroque violinist? Having period-appropriate equipment (violin and bow) is the beginning, but playing the baroque violin also calls for very different techniques than the

One of these things is not like the other... Comparing period and modern violins (Part 1)

2009-10-08T15:56:00.000-07:00

Our October concert features period violinist Libby Wallfisch and, of course, the baroque violin. We asked violinist and PBO staff member David Wilson to help clue us in about the differences between the period violins you see played in our orchestra and the modern ones by our friends at the Symphony: "The way that violins are made today are very different than when the instruments were made in

Beer and Baroque a success!

2009-10-02T11:15:00.000-07:00

Our first Beer and Baroque Series event featuring the Universal Piston Horn Quartet (PBO horn players R.J. Kelley, Paul Avril, John Boden, Alexandra Cook) and special guest Fred Holmgren was a sell out! Thank you organizers Michael Colbruno and Brian Gould, as well as sponsor Pyramid Alehouse, Brewery and Restaurant in Berkeley.Check out photos on flickr or watch the video below!

PBO a "Silver Lining?"

2009-10-02T10:40:00.000-07:00

According to San Francisco Chronicle's Jesse Hamlin in a special feature with San Francisco Classical Voice, PBO is a "Silver Lining" amidst Bay Area orchestras who are "Weathering the Financial Meltdown." Of course, we couldn't do it without our loyal audiences and generous donors – so thank you for helping us continue to make the music we all love!There are many ways to support PBO:

Learn more about our October concerts

2009-09-29T08:36:00.000-07:00

"The Concerto — An Adversarial Friendship," Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra's second concert of its 2009-10 "Season of the Stars," is less than two weeks away! Period violinist Elizabeth Wallfisch (pictured left) will be leading our orchestra in a program of Baroque pieces both familiar and "new." San Francisco Classical Voice previewed the concert in today's enewsletter:"Amid the glamour and

Behind the scenes of "Apotheosis of the Dance:" Open Rehearsal

2009-09-17T16:33:00.001-07:00

Did you see our 29th Season Premier concerts this week or last? Did you wonder "how DO they DO that?" Well, the orchestra studied and practiced of course! Now have a look for yourself – here are pictures from our recent open rehearsal. Photos by Zoe Cohen.Steven Isserlis rehearses Haydn's Violoncello Concerto in C.Nicholas McGegan conducts.Rehearsing Haydn's Violoncello Concerto.Sometimes, it's

"We raised the roof:" Nic talks about conducting Messiah at BBC Proms

2009-09-17T14:26:00.000-07:00

Nicholas McGegan just returned from England in time to conduct PBO's 29th Season premier last week. What was he doing in his home country? We'll let him explain:"I’m just back from a month of conducting in Europe, which ended with a performance of Messiah at London’s Promenade Concerts, featuring a large chorus comprising several youth choirs from across the United Kingdom. "Conducting in the

Things we are thankful for: Haydn's string quartets

2009-09-14T10:42:00.000-07:00

David Wilson joins us again to explain why Haydn is so important to so many of our musicians:Musicians have been known to describe playing chamber music as “The most fun you can have with your clothes on.” Read on to find out why.Chamber music is a collaborative effort. A collaborative approach isn’t terribly practical when there are even as few as 25 or 30 players involved.

More about the composer known for his wit

2009-09-09T18:22:00.000-07:00

Joseph Haydn's death has oft been commemorated in the past, you may remember the old Goons skit:Peter Sellers: "...Where are you?"Spike Milligan: "Here. In the piano"PS "What the devil are you doing in there?"SM: "I'm hidin'"PS: "Don't be silly, Haydn's been dead for years."SM: "Silence! I don't wish to know that!"PS: "Neither do I."David Wilson joins us again with a short

Gone but not forgotten: Commemorating Haydn

2009-09-09T17:45:00.000-07:00

PBO staffer and musician David Wilson guest blogs this week. Here is the first installment of three blogs about Franz Joseph Haydn:The year 2009 marks the 200th anniversary of the death of Joseph Haydn (1732-1809). A much-loved and highly influential composer, Haydn was born in the Baroque period, wrote primarily in a Classical style, and ultimately helped point the way to Romanticism. Haydn

Hear McGegan conduct Messiah at the BBC Proms live!

2009-09-03T13:39:00.000-07:00

The commemoration of the 250th anniversary of Handel’s death reaches its climax at the Proms with a large-scale performance of Messiah. Nicholas McGegan conducts the Northern Sinfonia and a unique massed chorus of over 200 young voices from around the UK. Hear this performance live on Sunday, September 6, and again on demand for the next 7 days. Click here to stream the broadcast on BBC 3.

Go behind the curtain and in the orchestra pit with David Tayler for a sneak peak at Orlando

2009-09-03T10:00:00.000-07:00

David Tayler, lute, archlute, theorbo and guitar player, just sent these photographs to us from London. He and many of our musicians have been traveling through Europe with Nic and the FestspielOrchester Göttingen performing the Handel's Orlando in Sweden and Handel's Admeto, re di Tessaglia in Scotland. PBO will perform Orlando in concert with the Göttingen cast in April 2010! Enjoy these photos

Learn more about our September concerts

2009-08-28T17:34:00.000-07:00

"Apotheosis of the Dance," PBO's first concert of the 2009-10 "Season of the Stars," is less than two weeks away! To help you while the hours away until then, we present below a few resources for you to learn more about the pieces you will hear on September 10-15, as well about their composers, our orchestra and early music.Listen to the audio preview with Music Director Nicholas McGegan and

Thank you to our volunteers!

2009-08-28T16:46:00.000-07:00

PBO subscribers are receiving their tickets in the mail thanks to the valiant effort of a number of folks from our community:Anna Fu searches for the right sheath of tickets.c.d. evans divides a perforated sheet of tickets.Michaela Neville stuffs envelopes.Patron Services Manager David Challinor (top center) leads volunteers Claudine Torfs, Michele Stone, Harry Howe, Anne-Marie Schmoeckel, and

Breaking news: Mozart not murdered

2009-08-18T10:00:00.000-07:00

Researchers have changed their mind... again! Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart certainly had his vices and enemies, but these causes of death no longer seem to be in favor with this never-ending controversy. So forget what you learned from 1985's Best Picture Oscar-winner, Mozart died at the age of 35 from the same genus of bacteria that helped get you out of class for a few days when you were a

Preview our 2008-09 Season Highlights

2009-08-07T13:13:00.000-07:00

What were some your most memorable moments of last season? One of the staff's favorites was hearing how wonderfully different Bach's Orchestral Suite No. 2 in A minor sounded when played by oboe, not flute. Hear it for yourself:Read more about why Gonzalo reconstructed the piece for oboe.What were your favorite moments from our 28th Season?*These clips are from our 2008-09 Season Highlights CD,

Part 2: What I did on my summer vacation...

2009-08-06T13:40:00.000-07:00

Wonder what else your favorite musicians have done this summer while PBO is on hiatus? Keep reading...David Daniel Bowes, violist and PBO's Music Librarian, and his partner Brian Haley took a road trip through California and Oregon to visit with friends and "explore the wilds of second-hand shopping without sales tax." Highlights from the belated honeymoon (they were married last November)

Tune in - Baroque tuning (and the title of this blog) explained

2009-07-31T17:56:00.000-07:00

If you are not a musicologist, you might be wondering what A415 is as you read this blog. It's a little complicated, but we promise it won't hertz. Jeff Phillips, our Artistic Administrator, explains:Readers of this blog may wonder to what our name refers. "A=415 Hz" is one of the first declarations any musician must endorse before performing with Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra. "A" refers to

Passionate, not pretentious

2009-07-22T10:13:00.000-07:00

Why a conductor? This was the question that a recent psychological study posed, the findings of which were published in the Psychology of Music journal this week. The study found that "the motives most strongly evoked were the ones linked with emotions and emotional needs."And who was one of the 101 orchestral conductors surveyed, none other than PBO's Music Director Nicholas McGegan. Nic is

PBO goes to boot camp

2009-07-21T14:01:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Peter and Sasha attended the National Arts Marketing Project's Boot Camp at the offices of the San Francisco Foundation. The goal of the two summer sessions is to help 25 Bay Area arts groups develop strong marketing plans that may be eligible for multi-year grant financing. Julie Peeler (above right), Vice President of Arts and Business Programs with

"Sex, drugs and baroque and roll"

2009-07-15T12:17:00.000-07:00

Greg Mitchell wrote a piece today for The Huffington Post inspired by his experience listening to what he has dubbed "Ludwigstock" – the New York Philharmonic performing Beethoven's Symphony No.7 last night for free in Central Park to a rapt crowd of 100,000 people.He muses about the future of classical music audiences through anecdotes from his own life:"In fact, if you had told me two years ago

Jordi Savall interviewed by The Guardian

2009-07-14T10:30:00.000-07:00

Jordi Savall, who will be joining PBO in March to conduct the orchestra and play the viola da gamba, was featured by The Guardian last month for his new project The Celtic Viol, a collection of Scottish and Irish folk tunes.Read the article here.

Nic signs on through 2016

2009-07-08T15:23:00.001-07:00

Last month, PBO announced the renewal of Music Director Nicholas McGegan’s contract. He signed the document, which extends his tenure through the orchestra’s 2015-16 season, with Board President Paul Sugarman and Executive Director Peter Pastreich on June 16 before the Annual Meeting (pictured below). Nic has artistically led PBO for its last 23 seasons.When PBO founder Laurette Goldberg

"What I did on my summer vacation..."

2009-07-07T14:18:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder what your favorite musicians do during the summer while PBO is on hiatus? Keep reading...In June, PBO musicians William Skeen (pictured left, photo from the Orange County Register), Elizabeth Blumenstock, John Thiessen, Ondine Young, Jolianne von Einem and Rob Diggins performed at the Corona del Mar Baroque Music Festival in Southern California. Read more about the festival here, here