The Well-Tempered Ear

Classical music: Madison Bach Musicians offers two Holiday Baroque Concerts — one especially for children — with vocal and chamber music by Bach, Handel, Vivaldi, Corelli, Schutz and Lassus this Friday night and Saturday afternoon.

By Jacob Stockinger

Music – and especially baroque music — is such an integral part of holiday celebrations, and you would be hard put to find a better sampler than the one being offered this coming weekend.

The Madison Bach Musicians (below) will offer two Baroque Holiday Concerts on this Friday night, Dec. 14, and Saturday afternoon, Dec. 15, in Madison’s First Congregational Church United Church of Christ, 1609 University Ave.

MBM will play the same program twice, but with somewhat differing formats.

Friday night will be the usual sequence of a 7:15 p.m. pre-concert lecture followed by an 8 p.m. concert.

On Saturday, the program will start at 3 p.m. in the afternoon and have lecture and demo interludes between the pieces. The Saturday concert will be geared particularly toward children and young adults and promises to be very fun and informative.

MBM founder and artistic director, keyboardist Trevor Stephenson (below) will talk about the featured composers lives — Bach, Handel, Corelli, Vivaldi, Schütz and Lassus.

The Madison Bach Musicians players will talk about their 18th-century instruments — such as the baroque violin, viola, and cello. The singers will discuss their approach to singing baroque music. And the audience will be invited onto the stage after the program to speak with the players. For the Family Concert, ticket prices for ages 6-18 are half-price.

The program includes J.S. Bach’s Cantata BWV 122, “Das Neugeborne Kindelein”; 
Schütz’ “Allein Gott in der Höh
”; Lassus’ “Ave Regina Coelorum
”; Vivaldi’s Concerto for Strings in D major, RV 12; 
Corelli’s Concerto Grosso in C minor, Op. 6, No. 3 (middle movement is at bottom); 
selections from Handel’s “Messiah
” including “Every Valley” (tenor), “Thus saith the Lord” (bass), “But who may abide” (countertenor), “If God is for us” (soprano) and “
His yoke is easy” (vocal quartet).

Performers include Chelsea Morris, soprano; 
Joseph Schlesinger, countertenor
; Peter Gruett, tenor; 
Joshua Copeland, bass
; Kangwon Kim (below), Edith Hines, Lauren Basney, Mary Perkinson on baroque violins; Marika Fischer Hoyt and Micah Behr on baroque violas; Martha Vallon and Anna Steinhoff on baroque cellos; and 
Trevor Stephenson on harpsichord.

Tickets
 are $20 general admission and $15 for students and seniors over 65 if purchased in advance; $25 and $20, respectively, at the door

The Dec. 15 Family Concert tickets are half-price for children and young adults 
ages 6-18 ($7.50 in advance, $10 at the door)

Advance-price discount tickets are on sale at: A Room of One’s Own, Farley’s House of Pianos, 
Willy St. Co-op (east and west), Orange Tree Imports & Ward Brodt.
Tickets also available at the door. Call (608) 238-6092 or visit www.madisonbachmusicians.org for more information.