Submitted by Jeffrey Cohan
The sixth annual 2016 Salish Sea Early Music Festival presents six diverse programs of early chamber music on period instruments in Eastsound, on Orcas Island, with leading early music specialists from Europe, the Pacific Northwest and around the United States at the Orcas Adventist Fellowship Church from January through June.
Performers include harpsichordist Hans-Jürgen Schnoor, who is organist at St. Mary’s church in Lübeck, Germany to which Bach walked for days to hear Dietrich Buxtehude, violinist Ingrid Matthews who founded and directed the Seattle Baroque Orchestra, harpsichordist Bernward Lohr and violinist Anne Röhrig who teach at German music conservatories in Hannover and Nuremburg, guitarist Oleg Timofeyev who is one of the world’s leading exponents of the Russian 7-string guitar of Beethoven’s time, and flutist and artistic director Jeffrey Cohan.
Each program is repeated in nine cities around the Salish Sea from Tacoma to Vancouver, BC in a total of 54 performances.
Tuesday, January 5 at 7 p.m., Trios For Russian Guitar, 8-Keyed Flute and Viola features an instrumental ensemble that was very popular in the early 19th century. Flutist Jeffrey Cohan, guitarist Oleg Timofeyev and violist Stephen Creswell perform works from Beethoven’s time by Gaspard Kummer, Antonio Diabelli , Francois Devienne and Wenzeslaus Matiegka on an 8-keyed flute made in 1820 with the Russian 7-string guitar and viola.
Wednesday, March 2 at 7 p.m., Baroque Trio Sonatas features harpsichordist Bernward Lohr and baroque violinist Anne Röhrig, both of whom are coming from Hannover, Germany for this performance of 18th-century solos and trio sonatas with baroque flutist Jeffrey Cohan.
Thursday, April 7 at 7 p.m., 1800: Fortepiano and Flute features repertoire for flute and piano from 1770 through 1830, performed on original instruments made during this period with fortepianist Henry Lebedinsky and flutist Jeffrey Cohan.
Tuesday, April 19 at 7 p.m., The Musical Offering presents Bach’s masterwork of the same name written in 1747 for flutist Frederick the Great, King of Prussia, with harpsichordist Hans-Jürgen Schnoor who comes from Lübeck Germany for this performance, along with baroque violinist Ingrid Matthews and Jeffrey Cohan playing a copy of a flute made by one of Louis XIV’s court musicians.
Tuesday, May 10 at 7 p.m., Versailles features the music and musicians from the early 18th-century court of Louis XIV with John Lenti on theorbo & baroque guitar , Joanna Blendulf on viola da gamba and Jeffrey Cohan on baroque flute .
Tuesday, June 7 at 7 p.m., Virtuoso Guitar and Flute presents a sampling of music by the outstanding guitar and flute virtuosos of the early 19th century with guitarist John Schneiderman, and Jeffrey Cohan performing on an 8-keyed flute made in London in 1820.
ADMISSION: Suggested donation for adults: $15, $20 or $25 (a free will offering), series pass $75, $100 or $125 for 6 concerts, 18 & under free
MORE INFO: www.salishseafestival.org/orcas, or call the church at (360) 376-6683
