Coastal Concerts brings Musica Pacifica and David Greenberg to Lewes Jan. 19
On Saturday, Jan. 19, at 2 p.m., Musica Pacifica and David Greenberg will bring to the Coastal Concerts Bethel UMC Hall stage in Lewes their unique mix of Cape Breton Island folk traditions and European Baroque virtuosity. Musica Pacifica is returning to Lewes having first performed for a Coastal Concerts audience in January 2003 and again in March 2010 with the audience practically dancing in the aisles in response. This time these Baroque music specialists will be joined by violinist David Greenberg, a master of the Cape Breton fiddling style, who entranced the audience when he performed with the Red Priest Baroque Band at Coastal Concerts in April 2017.
Their lighthearted, multicultural program will feature Caledonian airs and Scottish dances, soulful tunes and merry jigs heard alongside the more studied compositions of Henry Purcell, Nicola Matteis and Francesco Barsanti. In addition, the audience will be treated to the music of Scottish composers such as James Oswald, "Red Rob" Mackintosh, and Niel Gow whose work delightfully defies classification as either classical or folk music. Many of the compositions on the program are arranged by Greenberg.
Since its founding in 1990, Musica Pacifica has become widely recognized as one of America’s premier early music ensembles, having been described by the press as “some of the finest Baroque musicians in America” (American Record Guide) and “among the best in the world” (Alte Musik Aktuell). Home-based in the San Francisco Bay area, they have performed on some of the most prestigious concert series in the U.S., including the Boston and Berkeley Early Music Festivals, Music Before 1800 and the Frick Collection, the Getty Museum, the Cleveland Art Museum, Dumbarton Oaks, Pittsburgh Renaissance and Baroque, Seattle Early Music Guild, Early Music Society of the Islands and Houston Early Music Society, among many others. They have performed at festivals in Germany and Austria and have been heard on German National radio as well as on National Public Radio’s “Performance Today” and “Harmonia” and on Minnesota Public Radio.
Musica Pacifica’s nine CD releases on the Virgin Classics, Dorian, Solimar, and Navona labels have won national and international awards, including the highest ratings in several CD magazines and being chosen as CD of the Month by the early music journal Alte Musik Aktuell (Regensburg). Their most recent release, Mi palpita il cor: Baroque Passions, with soprano Dominique Labelle, was awarded four out of four stars and touted as “a stellar effort all around… yet another of the many fine recordings from this ensemble. Highly recommended!” by Cinemusical.
The ensemble is comprised of Judith Linsenberg, recorder; Ingrid Matthews, violin; William Skeen, cello and viola da gamba; and Charles Sherman, harpsichord.
Canadian-American Greenberg enjoys a busy career as soloist, chamber musician, orchestral musician and is recognized as a master Cape Breton fiddler, a Baroque and Scottish folk virtuoso in demand for performances and recording dates with many of the best North American early music ensembles. He grew up in Maryland, learning violin from age 4 and exploring various fiddling styles early on. He studied baroque violin with Stanley Ritchie at Indiana University in the 1980s and joined Tafelmusik for 10 years, 1988-1998. He co-authored The DunGreen Collection (1996), an influential treatise on Cape Breton fiddling. Greenberg co-founded several music ensembles, recorded over 80 CDs, composed dozens of folk tunes, and has performed internationally for 30 years.
Tickets to the Jan. 19 concert are $35, with free admission to each youngster 18 and under and an accompanying adult. Discounted tickets are available at $10 for students 19 and older, and for active duty and retired career military personnel. Valid IDs are required for student and military discounts. For additional information about Coastal Concerts, this season’s concerts, volunteer opportunities, and to purchase tickets, visit www.coastalconcerts.org or call 1-888-212-6458.
Coastal Concerts is a non-profit organization committed to promoting classical music appreciation through live concerts, outreach and educational activities by presenting word-class musicians in public concerts. Coastal Concerts’ programs are made possible, in part, by a grant from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency committed to promoting and supporting the arts in Delaware, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts. The Division promotes arts events on www.delawarescene.com .
