SFEMS’s presenting partnership with the California Jazz Conservatory (formerly The JazzSchool) explores the common threads that link early music and jazz in an intimate, informal setting. The concert series continues this Sunday, November 9, with the Laudami Ensemble.
This concert will highlight the lavish ornaments and spirited variations of the French chaconne, one of the most refined and stately dances from the period. This dance–originally semi-improvised and anchored by a repeated bass line–is a veritable listeners’ tutorial in baroque-era musical elaboration. Also featured will be preludes and a variety of dance movements, joining to form charming suites by composers including Couperin, Leclair, Corelli, and Dornel.
The Laudami Ensemble, a period instrument ensemble based in the San Francisco Bay Area, “impressed listeners with a careful use of dynamics and variety of bowing techniques” (Early Music America). Its core members–violinist Laura Rubinstein-Salzedo, flautist David Ross, and harpsichordist Michael Peterson–met during their studies at the Hague in the Netherlands and the Juilliard School in New York City. The ensemble’s name was formed by taking the first letters of each artist’s name, Lau-da-mi. In January 2014, Laudami presented a program of solo and trio sonatas by the Bach family, and in June they gave a Fringe concert of French and Italian works at the Berkeley Early Music Festival. For more information, please visit www.laudami.com.
The concert takes place at 4:30 p.m. Sunday, November 9th, at the California Jazz Conservatory, 2087 Addison Street, Berkeley. Tickets are $15 general admission, $12 for seniors and students, and can be purchased at the door or online.
