Baroque Music Workshop
June 30 - July 6, 2013

Welcome Baroque Enthusiasts!

Dates: June 30 - July 6, 2013
Place: the peaceful campus of Sonoma State University in the heart of California's premier wine country

Music from the Habsburg Court

Daily master classes offer each participant the opportunity to hone skills both technical and musical and to explore new modes of expression in prepared pieces. Instrumental and vocal techniques will be addressed by each instructor. We offer classes for recorder, Baroque oboe, Baroque flute, bassoon, violin/viola, cello, Baroque trombone, viola da gamba, harpsichord/organ, and voice.

Elective classes include Orchestra, Chorus, Oboe Band, Performance Practice in Action, Continuo. Each participant will have the opportunity to work in a small ensemble with a coach, exploring repertoire and interpretation with the goal of performance at the end of the week. Faculty performances, lecture-demonstrations, and Concerto Evening (in which participants perform a concerto movement with orchestra) round out a week of inspiring music making and learning.

Please see the links near the top of this page for more detail about the faculty, classes, schedules, registration, and much, much more.

Our workshop provides a friendly and supportive atmosphere for both the dedicated amateur and the professional musician. Our faculty of specialists in the field of early music is internationally known performers as well as gifted teachers.

A Day in the Life of a Baroque Workshop Participant

Breakfast is bright and early, affording time for a bit of sight reading or personal practice before morning master classes begin. Mornings at the Baroque Workshop are spent in master classes with our supportive and virtuoso faculty members. Each instructor will guide students through his or her own unique combination of repertoire, technique work, and performance practice. Students will have the opportunity to play a prepared piece for the class, receiving individual attention from the instructor. Check the Master Classes tab after March 1st for information on specific master classes and for repertoire lists, so that you will know what to prepare.

Afternoons are spent in a combination of rehearsals for the Orchestra or Special Performance Project (please check the tabs above for details of these offerings) and in elective classes, including Oboe Band (with bassoons), and Performance Practice. Afternoon classes conclude with coached ensembles.

After class, participants are free to join the faculty for "happy hour" lecture/demonstrations, put their feet up in the comfortable dorm suites, practice on their own, or get together with other participants for some Baroque sight reading.

Each evening features a unique after-dinner event, including, among other things, faculty performances and Concerto Evening, in which participants may sign up to play a movement of a Baroque concerto or sing an aria accompanied by the Baroque Workshop orchestra.

Our week of concentrated playing and learning will be filled with the beautiful works of the Habsburgs and interspersed with social gatherings with like-minded players from all around the country. These activities culminate in a night and a morning of very high-level student performances. Participants leave the workshop replete with new musical ideas, with new repertoire under their belts and new friends for future music making.

Faculty

Sand Dalton, Baroque oboe
Adam Knight Gilbert, recorder
Kathleen Kraft, Baroque flute
Kati Kyme, Baroque violin (and orchestra)
Rita Lilly, voice
Anna Marsh, Baroque bassoon
Linda Pearse, Baroque trombone
William Skeen, Baroque cello
Mary Springfels, viola da gamba
Peter Sykes, harpsichord

Workshop Fees and Online Enrollment

The fee for the Baroque Workshop is $545 until April 30, $595 for enrollment received May 1 or later. Discounts are available for SFEMS members and for enrollment in more than one workshop. Room and board at Sonoma State is $625, room without board, $545 (this choice is limited in number). Rooms at Sonoma State are single occupancy only. All details appear on the online enrollment page. Mark your calendars now for the SFEMS Baroque Workshop. Enroll by April 30 and save!

Contact Us

Please continue to check the web site for developments. If you have any questions, please contact Linda Pearse, baroqueworkshop@sfems.org, (506) 364-2585.

Last updated 03/02/2013.