Registration now is open for the SFEMS 2015 Summer Workshops—six weeks to immerse yourself in six centuries of great music!
Running from June 14 through July 25, the SFEMS workshops are one of the most comprehensive summer early music programs in the United States, led by a faculty of international artists in residence. The Medieval and Renaissance, Baroque, Recorder, and Classical Workshops offer instrumental and vocal master classes, lectures, coached ensembles, and recitals and provide opportunities for musicians and dancers at a variety of levels to improve their ensemble skills, performance techniques, and teaching abilities. Full days of classes are followed by optional evening events, including faculty concerts and lecture-demonstrations, plus more light-hearted activities, from sherry hour to jam sessions and dancing to outrageous spoofs of early music.
The Music Discovery Workshop and Youth Collegium are a special, week-long workshop for children and youth with all levels of musical experience, ages 7–18.
There will be a number of changes this year, most notably in our venues. Because of ongoing construction at Sonoma State University, both the Baroque and Medieval-Renaissance workshops are moving, at least for this summer. Baroque will return to Dominican University, fondly remembered by many who have attended our summer workshops in the past. Med-Ren will join our Classical and Recorder Workshops at St. Albert’s Priory in Oakland. Both of these venues are significantly closer to the central Bay Area than Sonoma, and St. Albert’s is easily accessible by public transportation—a short walk from the Rockridge BART station.
The Music Discovery Workshop and Youth Collegium will remain at the School of the Madeleine in north Berkeley, but popular faculty members Shulamit Kleinerman and Yuko Tanaka will be the new co-directors, succeeding our retiring Tish Berlin. Also new this year is a Youth Collegium, a parallel program for middle- and high-school singers and musicians who want to explore early music in greater depth.
Brochures for the 2015 Summer Workshops will be mailed soon. Meanwhile, please check the extended descriptions of each workshop on our website, including faculty biographies. Following are capsule summaries:
Medieval and Renaissance Workshop
June 28–July 4
St. Albert’s Priory, Oakland
“Councils and Heretics”
This year our theme explores music inspired by the schisms, heresies and Church councils of the Middle Ages and Renaissance. The Great Schism in the 14th century and the Council of Constance inspired and reformed music of the ars subtilior. The Councils of Basel and Florence invoked Guillaume Dufay to compose some of his greatest music. The followers of Savonarola sang devotional songs as they lit the Bonfire of the Vanities. The Humanist movement, the Reformation and the Council of Trent set their indelible stamp of sacred music and on how we set text to music.
But wait! Lest you think we will spend all our time on sacred music, we will pay special attention to the rustic and erotic songs that filled the tongues of the followers of the Devotio moderna and the Protestant Reformation. From the lowest and bawdiest to the highest devotional song, all will be fair game. So dust off your Books of Hours, bring out your torches, and help us set fire to some exciting music, both sacred and secular!
FACULTY: Anne Azéma, voice and collegium; Vicente Chavarria, voice and guitar; Adam Gilbert, recorder and double reeds; Bianca Hall, voice; Shira Kammen, vielle; Vicente La Camera Mariño, harps; Mary Springfels, viola da gamba; Wouter Verschuren, double reeds and recorder
Questions? Contract director Adam Knight Gilbert at [email protected].
Baroque Workshop
June 21–27
Dominican University of California, San Rafael
“Fertile Ground—Lutheran Music from Michael Praetorius to J.S. Bach”
Lutheran music composition during the baroque period embraced the Italian influences introduced by composers such as Claudio Monteverdi and Alessandro Grandi. It blended the Italianate style with German texts and the structure inherent in the language and saw the creation of a plethora of stunning works. The sacred concertos of Johann Hermann Schein and Heinrich Schütz are choice examples of music that provides fertile ground for later Lutheran composers, for example, G.P. Telemann and J.S. Bach. Sacred concertos and cantatas, as well as instrumental works for small chamber ensemble, will figure prominently throughout the week of music–making.
This year’s workshop traces a path through these musical pastures, exploring well-known and lesser-known gems of the baroque period by composers such as Michael Praetorius, Johann Hermann Schein, Samuel Scheidt, Heinrich Schütz, Georg Philipp Telemann, and J.S. Bach.
FACULTY: Sand Dalton, baroque oboe; Cheryl Ann Fulton, harp; Mara Galassi, harp; Clea Galhano, recorder; Kati Kyme, baroque violin and orchestra; Elisabeth Le Guin, baroque cello; Rita Lilly, voice; Anna Marsh, baroque bassoon; Sandra Miller, baroque flute; Linda Pearse, Workshop Director, baroque trombone; Mary Springfels, viola da gamba; Peter Sykes, harpsichord.
Questions? Contact director Linda Pearse at [email protected].
Classical Workshop
July 5–11
St. Albert’s Priory, Oakland
“Quartets and More”
The Classical Workshop is America’s only workshop dedicated to late 18th-century performance practice. We meet for one week in June to explore string chamber music of the Classical era. Morning and afternoon coaching sessions by the New Esterházy Quartet are followed each evening by informal performances of the day’s repertoire. Private instruction and colloquia on bowing and fingering complement our program. The workshop invites string players of all ages and abilities. Pre-formed ensembles are welcome too.
FACULTY: The New Esterházy Quartet – Kati Kyme, violin; Lisa Weiss, violin; Anthony Martin, violin and viola; William Skeen, cello
Questions? Contact co-directors Kati Kyme and William Skeen at [email protected].
Recorder Workshops
July 12–18 and 19–25, 2015
St. Albert’s Priory, Oakland
Week I (July 12–18): “Vilain et Courtois: Music for Kings, Queens, and Peasants”
Week II (July 19–25): “Metamorphoses”
Directed by recorder players Rotem Gilbert and Hanneke van Proosdij, the SFEMS Recorder Workshops are located in the intimate setting of St. Albert’s Priory on the border of Oakland and Berkeley, California. These workshops feature every aspect of music making for the recorder, including technique classes, Renaissance recorder consort, medieval to contemporary music and consort music. Featuring small class sizes and an international faculty, they invite intermediate to advanced recorder players to sign up for one or both weeks. Each week concludes with a spectacular performance of all workshop participants in the Recorder Orchestra at St. Albert’s beautiful chapel. Evening events include faculty concerts, lecture demonstrations and a focused Wednesday mini-workshop.
Enjoy daily Feldenkrais® movement classes, recorder master classes and a supportive and social environment in the inspiring setting of St. Albert’s Priory.
Both weeks of the Recorder Workshop typically fill up before April 30, so to be able to enroll, please register as early as possible.
Week I FACULTY: Louise Carslake, Rotem Gilbert, Lisette Kielson, Paul Leenhouts, Peter Maund, Hanneke van Proosdij
Week II FACULTY: Saskia Coolen, Rotem Gilbert, Joan Kimball, Laura Kuhlman, Daphna Mor, Hanneke van Proosdij
Questions? Contact co-directors Rotem Gilbert and Hanneke van Proosdij, [email protected].
Music Discovery Workshop and Youth Collegium
June 14–19
School of the Madeleine, St. Mary Magdalen Parish, Berkeley
“Galileo’s Dreams” and “Corelli’s Concerti Grossi”
Music Discovery Workshop: For younger kids looking for a fun, artistic introduction to the Renaissance, we again present the Music Discovery Workshop—no prior musical training needed. Anyone ages 7–13 with an interest in arts and music of the past is welcome as we bring the Italian Renaissance to life in song, instrumental music, art, dance, and drama. This year, we will explore the life of Galileo Galilei, the famous scientist . . . did you know he played the lute and was the son of a renowned music theorist? Come join us as we reenact the lively happenings in the Galilei household, from performances of Renaissance music to dreams about the stars above—and the drama of being at the center of a scientific inquisition. Activities include singing, dancing, drama, and crafts; instrumental group classes for harpsichord (pianists welcome), recorder, and strings; early music chamber ensembles, for those with one or more years of experience; and a final concert featuring dancing, and chamber music from the 15th and 16th centuries, plus a play.
New this year is a Youth Collegium, a parallel program for middle- and high-school singers and musicians (rising 7th graders and up) who want to know early music in greater depth. Enjoy a week exploring the vibrant Italian baroque style. We’ll immerse ourselves in Corelli’s spirited concerti grossi, characterized by their energy and virtuosity. Come find out why they are still so popular after over 300 years! Course offerings include master classes, instrumental and vocal ensembles, theory and musicianship classes, and an all-Collegium band, with elective options in dance, drama, and art.
FACULTY: Tish Berlin, recorder; Jonathon Hampton, voice; Jamia Hansen-Murray, dance; Shulamit Kleinerman, dance/theater project; Amy Luper, crafts; Carla Moore, violin/viola, musicianship; Farley Pearce, cello/viola da gamba; Yuko Tanaka, harpsichord.
Questions? Contact co-directors Yuko Tanaka and Shulamit Kleinerman at [email protected].
This Summer’s Venues
Dominican University of California, located in San Rafael along the northeast coast of San Francisco Bay, hosts the Baroque Workshop. This lush campus is an ideal retreat and also an easy commute for local participants from San Francisco and the East Bay. The dorms feature comfortable rooms with twin beds, arranged in two-room suites with private baths and gorgeous views of rolling hills and sunny skies. There are hiking trails into the oak studded hills, and the campus is within an hour’s drive of the coast redwood parks, Point Reyes National Seashore, and the famous wineries of Napa and Sonoma Counties.
St. Albert’s Priory in Oakland, just two blocks from rapid transit access to the San Francisco Bay Area, hosts the Medieval & Renaissance, Classical, and Recorder Workshops. Single dorm rooms overlook a serene courtyard garden. The beautiful chapel is used for performances and orchestra rehearsals. The Rockridge neighborhood of Oakland boasts a great diversity of fine restaurants and shopping, all within convenient walking distance.
School of the Madeleine, a private elementary school located in a quiet residential neighborhood in north Berkeley, hosts the Music Discovery Workshop and Youth Collegium. The school has large classrooms, an inviting, well-secured playground, and ideal performance space.
Dates, Deadlines, and Fees
Register early, as some workshops and classes fill up quickly; tuition also increases after April 30. There are discounts for SFEMS, EMA, and ARS members, so if you are not a member, now is a great time to join. Both academic and continuing education credits are available through Sonoma State University. To register, find instructions on the Registration info page. Please contact the SFEMS Office ([email protected] or 510-528-1725) to register if you are an EMA or ARS member and not also a SFEMS member. Tuition assistance is available. Visit the Scholarships page for more information.
Additional questions regarding fees, logistics, or other matters? Contact Katie Hagen, Workshop Administrator, at [email protected].
