CWU Musica Antiqua Series Begins Sept. 26

The first concert in the Central Washington University's Musica Antiqua Early Music Series will kick-off Sunday, Sept. 26 at 4 p.m. in the Music Building Recital Hall.

Each concert of this year's series will feature examples from three of the most popular 17th & 18th-century genres: toccatas, sonatas, and cantatas.

The first concert begins with a toccata (a work for keyboard featuring various kinds of "touch" used on the keyboard) by the Italian 17th-century composer, Michelangelo Rossi. Margret Gries will perform on the Recital Hall's Coulter tracker organ, and will follow it with a sonata by G.F. Händel.

Baroque sonatas can involve from two to five instruments; this one features two violins and continuo (harpsichord and cello). Melissa Scheil will sing a cantata for contralto and small orchestra by Telemann. Cantatas were usually intended for performance during a church service as a kind of sung sermon, and often included a choir and soloist singing recitatives, arias, choruses, and chorales.

Both cantatas performed at this concert will be solos. A sonata by Roberto Valentini for traverso (Baroque flute) and harpsichord will follow, performed by Hal Ott and Margret Gries.

Performing on period instruments will be Heather Netz and Margret Gries, violins, Nik Caoile, continuo, Dan Lipori, bassoon, Jim Rich, oboe, Tim Betts, viola, and Jen Yonge Moultine, cello. The program will conclude with Cantata No. 170 for contralto and small orchestra by J.S. Bach. Scheil will again be the featured singer.

Persons of disability may make arrangements for reasonable accommodation by calling 509-963-1103 or (for hearing impaired) TDD 509-963-2143.