baroqueer
Branded Saloon (603 Vanderbilt Ave, Brooklyn)
March 7, 2023 | 7:30 PM
Admission by donation
Jules Biber, baroque cello
Danielle Buonaiuto, soprano
Kebra-Seyoun Charles, double bass
Kevin Devine, harpsichord
Jessica Meyer, baroque viola
Brian Mummert, baritone
Rafa Prendergast, baroque violin
Program
Arrival of the Queen of Sheba (Solomon): 1749 . . . . . . . . Georg Friedrich Händel
Vos mépris chaque jour: 1689 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Michel Lambert
Poses: 2001 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rufus Wainwright
La Rejouissance (Royal Fireworks Music): 1749 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Händel
Io son ferito (with diminutions): 1620 . . . . . . . . . Francesco Rognoni on Palestrina
Bourrée (Water Music): 1717 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Händel
Chorale: 2023 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kebra-Seyoun Charles
Joy Boy: 1974 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Julius Eastman
Chorale: 2023 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kebra-Seyoun Charles
Canzon Seconda à 4: 1630 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Claudia Rusca
Morir non puo’l mio cuore: 1566 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . Maddalena Casulana
Benedetto Re: 1615? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Caterina Assandra
La Follia Op.5, No 12: 1700 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Arcangelo Corelli
Translations
Vos mépris chaque jour (Anonymous)
Your daily contempt causes me a thousand alarms,
Yet I cherish my fate, though it is severe:
Alas! if in these ills I were to find as much charm,
I would die of pleasure were I more fortunate.
Morir non puo’il mio cuore (by Jacopo Sannazaro)
My heart cannot die:
to please you, I want to kill it,
but it can’t be ripped from your breast
where it has lived so long;
if I were to kill it—as I want to,
I know my death would be your death too.
About the Artists
Jules Biber is a cellist, educator and musical curator based in Brooklyn, NY. An accomplished chamber musician and soloist, Jules’ versatility in early, standard and modern repertoire, as well as non-classical styles, makes her sought-after for a variety of high-profile concerts and recording projects, and her deep commitment to inclusive community has made her one of the city’s progressive curators of classical music spaces. julesbiber.com
Danielle Buonaiuto (they/she) is driven by community, compassion, and access, whether she is singing or running the show. A co-founder of ChamberQUEER, she is also the manager of TENET Vocal Artists’ Mentorship Program, a Teaching Artist with the Met Guild, and a PhD candidate at CUNY Graduate Center. They can be seen on stages all over NYC from the Met to a porch in Ditmas Park, and as one half of cello/soprano project Duo Calisto. Danielle’s album “Marfa Songs” is out on Starkland. daniellebuonaiuto.com
Kebra-Seyoun Charles has performed alongside esteemed improvisers and composers such as Jon Batiste, at Carnegie Hall, and Tyshawn Sorey, at the New England Conservatory. They were also featured in “Slugs’ Saloon” at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston. Kebra-Seyoun is a passionate chamber musician. Playing with groups like East Coast Chamber Orchestra, A Far Cry, Palaver Strings, and the Sphinx Virtuosi afford Kebra the opportunity to showcase their musicianship while still playing within an ensemble. As if this weren’t enough, they also have 32 piercings. kscharles.com
Dedicated to presenting audiences with innovative programs, Kevin C. Devine seeks to expand the early music canon and bring fresh repertoire to the harpsichord. Dr. Devine holds degrees from Boston University, Stony Brook University, and the Juilliard School. He is currently interested in bringing Berlin‘s Classic meets Fetish festival to NYC and adopting a koala with his boyfriend.
With playing that is “fierce and lyrical” and works that are “other-worldly” (The Strad) and “evocative” (New York Times), Jessica Meyer is an award-winning composer and violist whose passionate musicianship radiates accessibility and emotional clarity. Highlights this season include the premiere of her own viola concerto, “GAEA”, with the League of Composers Orchestra, solo and chamber performances at the Moab Music Festival, works for HUB New Music and the Dorian Wind Quintet, and a new work written for herself alongside the Hausmann Quartet in San Francisco. jessicameyermusic.com
Brian Mummert’s artistic endeavors are driven by his abiding belief in the centrality of stories: he sings, conducts, composes, and arranges music spanning many eras and genres, all in the service of harnessing narrative as a mode for understanding. He is the founding artistic director of The New Consort, a nationally-acclaimed vocal ensemble dedicated to exploring the roles musical ritual and community play in our lives; and a co-founder The Red Ribbon Revue, a World AIDS Day concert featuring HIV+ performers celebrating the legacy of artists lost to AIDS. brianmummert.com
Brooklyn-based baroque violinist Rafa Prendergast is a member of Nuova Pratica and La forza delle stelle Baroque Orchestra, and performs frequently with Trinity Baroque Orchestra, ARTEK, and Kollective366, among others. Rafa holds a BMus from Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music, and an MM from The Juilliard School where they were a recipient of the full tuition Historical Performance Scholarship. rafaprendergast.com
