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WILDCAT VIOLS
Joanna Blendulf, Julie Jeffrey, and Elisabeth Reed, with guest artists Farley Pearce, David Morris, and William Skeen
The Great Set—English Music for Six Viols: Brade, Byrd, Gibbons, Jenkins, Lawes
8 PM, HERTZ HALL, $28
The six-part viol consort, 17th-century England's most perfect chamber ensemble, inspired the most ambitious and imaginative music from the best composers of the age. This program explores this richly varied repertoire, from William Brade's lively dances to the elegant fantasies of William Byrd, Orlando Gibbons, and John Jenkins to the uniquely sublime and quirky fantasy-suites of William Lawes.

THE CONCORD ENSEMBLE
Paul Flight, countertenor; Daniel Carberg, Pablo Corá, N. Lincoln Hanks, tenors; Matthew Leese, baritone; &
Scott Graff, bass-baritone
El Despertar del Alma: The Silver Lining of Spanish Secular Music during the Golden Age
8 PM, HERTZ HALL, $32
The period in Spanish history known as the Golden Age boasted the highest and most important cultural achievements of the country's history and included the crowning achievement of Cervantes' literary masterpiece, Don Quixote, and Garcilaso de la Vega's poetry. An independent movement arose to contrast the somber and austere quality of church music with the sentimental and rhythmically animated works of Juan Vásquez and Cristóbal de Morales. This program features prominently the vocal music of these two masters and intersperses glimpses of poetic genius from the era.

LE POÈME HARMONIQUE
VENEZIA DELLE STRADE AI PALAZZI
Vincent Dumestre, artistic director, theorbo, & baroque guitar
Claire Lefilliâtre, soprano; Jan van Elsacker, tenor; Serge Goubioud, tenor; Arnaud Marzorati, bass
Mira Glodeanu, violin; Lucas Guimaraes, treble & bass viol; Françoise Enock, violone
Joël Grare, percussion; Jean-Luc Tamby, colascione & guitar
Benjamin Lazar, director
8 PM, ZELLERBACH PLAYHOUSE, $56
Cal Performances presents the world premiere of Le Poème Harmonique's Venezia delle strade ai Palazzi, featuring the music of Claudio Monteverdi and Francesco Manelli. Founded by Vincent Dumestre to promote the authenticity and eloquence of the works of innovative 17th-century composers, the French ensemble made its critically acclaimed West Coast debut at the 2006 Berkeley Festival and Exhibition in Baroque Carnival, a piece that was—like this year's contribution—part concert, part theater and "inventive and charming to witness" (San Francisco Chronicle). The company of superb musicians, led by Dumestre on theorbo and baroque guitar, return to perform this new theatrical event that includes special lighting, and Baroque gestures to evoke the spirit of Venice at a time when art music and popular forms mixed, creating artistic freedom of a new order. The program includes Claire Lefilliâtre's much-admired rendition of Monteverdi's Lamento della Ninfa; music by Manelli, who introduced Venice to opera; canzonettes, bergamasques; and the many facets of an art that was constantly evolving. Produced by Cal Performances.

AMERICAN BACH SOLOISTS & HENRY I. GOLDBERG INTERNATIONAL YOUNG ARTISTS
COMPETITION FOR BAROQUE VIOLIN: SEMI-FINALS
5 PM, HERTZ HALL, $16
Experience the excitement of hearing talented young musicians on the verge of major careers in early music. Six semi-finalists from around the globe perform works by J.S. Bach to secure a chance to win the Laurette Goldberg First Prize.

This year's six Semi-Finalists (all Baroque violinists) have been chosen:

Brandi Berry — Bloomington, Illinois

Andrew Fouts — San Rafael, California

Diana Lee-Planès — Bayonne, France

Marc Levine — Islip, New York

Aisslinn Nosky — Toronto, Canada

Johanna Novom — Cleveland Heights, Ohio

L'ESTRO ARMONICO
Cynthia Miller Freivogel, baroque violin; Daniel Zuluaga, theorbo; Elisabeth Reed, viola da gamba
Mystery Sonatas—Biber's Exploration of the 17th Century Violin
5 PM, HERTZ HALL, $22
The Mystery Sonatas of Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber, composed in the 1670s, stand at the pinnacle of music for the virtuoso violinist. Commemorating key events in the Christian calendar, they evoke a powerful range of emotion, from sorrowful to sublime, and display a rich polyphony and spiritual tone color unique to the baroque violin. This selection will highlight a distinctive feature of the sonatas, the use of scordatura, in which the violin is tuned differently for each piece.

PIFFARO, THE RENAISSANCE BAND &
THE CONCORD ENSEMBLE
Intrumentalists: Grant Herreid, Greg Ingles, Joan Kimball, Christa Patton, Robert Wiemken, Priscilla Smith, and Tom Zajac
Vocalists: Paul Flight, countertenor; Pablo Corá, N. Lincoln Hanks and Daniel Carberg, tenors; Matthew Leese, baritone; Scott Graff, bass-baritone
Trionfo d'Amore e della Morte: Florentine Music for a Medici Procession
8 PM, HERTZ HALL, $38
The humanist Marsilio Ficino mirrored a common belief that Florence, under the reign of the notable and notorious Medici family and its dominant figure, Lorenzo the Magnificent, was the "New Jerusalem" when he wrote, "This is an age of gold, which has brought back to life the almost extinguished liberal disciplines of poetry, eloquence, painting, architecture, sculpture, music, and singing to the Orphic lyre. And all this at Florence!" Piffaro, The Renaissance Band, and The Concord Ensemble combine forces for a concert featuring the music of carnival time during this Golden Age, complete with lascivious songs mocking the lanzi, songs of the penitents, motets, and lively dances.

PHILHARMONIA CHAMBER PLAYERS
Jolianne von Einem, violin; Lisa Grodin, violin; Katherine Kyme, violin; Carla Moore, violin; David Daniel Bowes, viola; William Skeen, violoncello; Tanya Tomkins, violoncello; Kristin Zoernig, double-bass; David Tayler, archlute & baroque guitar; Katherine Heater, harpsichord & organ
Corelli by Candlelight
10:30 PM, FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH, $20/$30/$42
Amidst the glow of candlelight, hear principal players of Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra perform three of Corelli's beloved Opus 6 concerti grossi — described by the prominent 17th-century English writer and music lover Roger North as "to musicians like the bread of life." The program also features Geminiani's hugely popular arrangement of Corelli's "La Folia" variations, plus the lesser known but equally delightful variations "L'arte del arco" by Tartini, based on the gavotte from Corelli's sonata Op. 5, No. 10.

PIFFARO, THE RENAISSANCE BAND
Grant Herreid, lute, guitar; Greg Ingles, sackbut, percussion; Joan Kimball, shawm, recorder, bagpipe; Christa Patton, shawm, harp, bagpipe; Priscilla Smith, shawm, recorder; Robert Wiemken, shawm, dulcian, recorder, percussion; Tom Zajac, sackbut, recorder, bagpipe, percussion
Pied-Pipers of the Renaissance: A Colorful Tour of Instruments and Music
11 AM, HERTZ HALL, $18 (half price for ages 16 and under)
Join us for an enchanting journey into the musical world of the 15th and 16th centuries presented on a vast and varied collection of Renaissance instruments. Hear and see shawms, sackbuts, slide trumpets, dulcians, krumhorns, recorders, bagpipes, harp, lutes, guitars, and all manner of percussion in this program that will delight children of all ages.

ALESSANDRO STRIGGIO'S MISSA SOPRA ECCO SÌ BEATO GIORNO IN 40 AND 60 PARTS

Davitt Moroney, conductor
Featuring
Magnificat (Warren Stewart, artistic director)
Philharmonia Chorale (Bruce Lamott, director)
American Bach Soloists (Jeffrey Thomas, artistic director)
Schola Cantorum San Francisco (Paul Flight, director)
Perfect Fifth (Mark Sumner, artistic director)
Instrumental group including His Majestys Sagbutts and Cornetts,
with Wim Becu, contrabass sackbut
8 PM, FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH, $24/$38/$56

Watch our newest Video Program Note as musicologist Davitt Moroney talks about Striggio's Missa sopra Ecco sì beato giorno for 40 and 60 voices

Read the SF Chronicle and Contra Costa Times articles on the re-discovery of Alessandro Striggio's Missa sopra Ecco sì beato giorno for 40 and 60 voices

Cal Performances and the UC Berkeley Department of Music present the American premiere of Alessandro Striggio's Missa sopra Ecco sì beato giorno in 40 and 60 parts, the largest known contrapuntal choral work in Western music. Written under the auspices of the 16th-century Medici court and recently discovered in the Bibliotèque Nationale de France by UC Berkeley musicologist and renowned harpsichordist Davitt Moroney, this example of Florentine art at its most spectacular is "a masterpiece...not just the choral event of the year but possibly of the decade," said London's The Guardian of the work's modern day premiere at the BBC Proms in 2007. Moroney himself conducts the musical performance force that will include the American debut of United Kingdom's His Majestys Sagbutts and Cornetts, Wim Becu (contrabass sackbut), and five different choirs. Produced by Cal Performances in association with the UC Berkeley Department of Music.

SOLD OUT

AMERICAN BACH SOLOISTS & HENRY I. GOLDBERG INTERNATIONAL YOUNG ARTISTS
COMPETITION FOR BAROQUE VIOLIN: FINALS
3 PM, HERTZ HALL, $16
The finalists from Thursday's semi-finals perform works for violin by J.S. Bach with the American Bach Soloists in competition for the Laurette Goldberg First Prize and a featured appearance on a future American Bach Soloists subscription series program.

This year's thee Finalists are:

Andrew Fouts — San Rafael, California

Marc Levine — Islip, New York

Johanna Novom — Cleveland Heights, Ohio

SOLD OUT

KEY:

Presented by the San Francisco Early Music Society (SFEMS)
Produced in association with the UC Berkeley Department of Music.
Presented by American Bach Soloists
Presented by Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra

Produced by Cal Performances in association with the Department of Music, University of California, Berkeley, the San Francisco Early Music Society, and Early Music America