Towards Telemann

Saturday, May 15, 2021
7:30 p.m.
streaming link will be emailed to ticket holders one week before event

Wherever he went, George Philip Telemann was a musical force to be reckoned with. In Leipzig he was the upstart law student whose talents created as much musical activity for the city as he did conflict with the music director at the Thomaskirche. In Hamburg he became the celebrated composer known throughout Europe for his synthesis of international styles and inexhaustible ability to write new music. For our final concert of the season we present chamber music by Telemann, those who influenced him and those influenced by him.

Elizabeth York & Conor O’Brien, violin
Julie Elhard, viola da gamba & basse de violon
Tulio Rondón, cello
Joseph Jones, bassoon
Tami Morse, harpsichord

REPERTOIRE

Johann Heinrich Schmelzer (1623-1680)
Sonata XII

Dietrich Buxtehude (1637-1707)
Sonata in B-flat op.1, no. IV

Georg Phillip Telemann (1681–1767)
Sonata Polonese
Sonata a Violino, Fagotto e Cembalo

Johann Friedrich Fasch (1688-1758)
Sonata for 2 Violins, Bassoon and B.C. 

Artists

ELIZABETH YORK, originally from Greensboro, North Carolina, is a member of Lyra Baroque Orchestra and has performed with the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra and as guest concertmaster of Kenwood Symphony Orchestra. She is the concertmaster of Minnehaha Music Repertory Orchestra, and she served as guest concertmaster of Rochester Symphony Orchestra in March and May of 2015. A versatile and dynamic musician, Elizabeth has performed as a concerto soloist with the Raleigh Symphony Orchestra, as a baroque violinist for St. Mark’s Episcopal Early Music series in Islip, NY, and in contemporary music performances at New York City’s Merkin Hall and Symphony Space. Elizabeth was a featured guest for the Four Seasons Chamber Music Festival “Next Generation” concert series and has also performed with members of the Emerson String Quartet as part of the Stony Brook Chamber Music Festival. Recent chamber music performances have included appearances at Steinway Hall in New York City and at Southampton Cultural Center. More information at elizabeth-york.com

Since moving to the United States from his native Ireland in 2004, CONOR O’BRIEN has built up an eclectic professional portfolio. A member of the Minnesota Opera Orchestra, Conor has also played with the Minnesota Orchestra and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. He enjoys playing chamber music and has performed with various ensembles throughout the Twin Cities. In addition to his private violin teaching, Conor is also an Assistant Professor of Violin at Gustavus Adolphus College. He coaches youth an adult chamber music, and has also worked with a couple of community orchestras. In November 2008, he performed throughout South Korea as part of the inaugural tour of the World Symphony Orchestra. Conor has recorded for television in both Ireland and the US, and recently collaborated on various different projects with local musicians Dessa, Chan Poling (The New Standards), Adam Levy (The Honey Dogs), and Scottie Miller. Alongside his wife, Adrianna (cellist), he manages and performs in the Loring String Quartet. He also works as a music contractor. Conor holds a Bachelor’s degree from the Royal Irish Academy of Music, and earned his Master’s and Doctorate degrees from the University of Minnesota where he studied under the renowned violinist and pedagogue Sally O’Reilly. Conor enjoys playing football (soccer) and loves being dad to Úna.

JULIE ELHARD appears regularly as a soloist and chamber musician throughout the United States. She has made several appearances with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, including J.S. Bach”s St. Matthew Passion under the direction of Nicholas McGegan. She has been a guest artist with Apollo’s Fire in Cleveland and is a founding member of Violes Egales and Glorious Revolution Baroque. Julie has been the recipient of an Artist’s Initiative grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, as well as a Jerome Foundation grant to study vielle and early string playing with Margriet Tindemans. She also received a Performing Artist Certificate from the Royal Conservatory of Music in The Hague, Netherlands. She has taught at workshops in North America and at the Viola da Gamba Society of America’s national Conclaves. She currently teaches viola da gamba at Macalester College and also at the St. Paul Conservatory of Music, where she has developed a Suzuki-style approach for children to learn the viola da gamba. Julie has played cello and viola da gamba with Lyra for over 15 years. More information at www.julieelhard.com

Cellist and gambist TULIO RONDÓN  performs throughout the United States, Europe, Middle East, and North and South America as a soloist and chamber musician. Known for his vivid depth, passionate performances and strong leadership, he started his professional life early, as principal cellist of the Aragua Symphony Orchestra in Venezuela. Tulio”s performance career has taken him all over the world, and he has shared the stage with internationally celebrated artists such as Gil Shaham, Paul Katz, James Tocco, the Hagen String Quartet, Pacifica String Quartet, and the Miro String Quartet. In demand as a chamber musician and early music specialist, Tulio has been on faculty as the viola da gamba instructor at the Whitewater Early Music Festival in Wisconsin since 2010. In 2012 he joined the Vancouver Early Music Festival as faculty on viola da gamba and baroque cello alongside Jaap ter Linden. Born in La Victoria, Venezuela, Tulio began his cello studies through El Sistema, quickly moving up to the highest orchestra by age fifteen. He received his Bachelor of Music from the Simon Bolivar Conservatory, his Master of Music from Miami University in Ohio, and his Doctorate in Performance at the University of Arizona. Pursuing his strong interest in historic performance practice, he continued his studies in The Netherlands, doing post-graduate studies on baroque cello and viola da gamba with Jaap ter Linden and Rainer Zipperling at The Royal Conservatory in The Hague. Tulio is currently cello professor at the University of Wisconsin in Eau Claire. More information at www.trcello.com

JOSEPH JONES is a graduate of The Juilliard School where he studied historical bassoon and dulcian.  His playing has been praised for its “warm singing tone” and “Jones proved he could easily break the four-minute mile without missing a note” (Star Tribune). Ensembles he has worked with include ACRONYM, Boston Early Music Festival, Early Music New York, American Bach Soloists, Bermuda Philharmonic, Lyra Baroque Orchestra, and Les Arts Florissants at their festival in Thiré, France. Joe is also an American Fellow of the English Concert and a past recipient of a McKnight Foundation “Next-Step” grant.