ARTEK 2023–2024 Season
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ARTEK
Gwendolyn Toth, director
“Deeply considered, beautifully sung...consistently polished, finely balanced performances.”
— Allan Kozinn, The New York Times
All concerts will be both in person and released on video at a later date
In person seating: Masks required. See our full Covid Protocols here
All concerts and programs subject to change
Sat, Oct 28 at 7pm & Sun, Oct 29 at 4pm
Saturday, October 28 at 7:00 PM
Sunday, October 29 at 4:00 PM
Byrd 1589: Songs of Sundrie Natures I
As its name suggests, Byrd’s 1589 volume of songs varies widely in scoring, style, and mood. Byrd’s preface says that he is “desirous to delight thee with varietie, whereof (in my opinion) no Science is more plentifully adorned then Musicke,” and he offers the book as a musical compilation “to serve for all companies and voyces,” signing himself “The most affectionate freend to all that love or learne Musick.” ARTEK singers Laura Heimes ~ soprano, Eric Brenner ~ countertenor, Richard Pittsinger ~ tenor, Andrew Fuchs ~ tenor, Elijah Blaisdell ~ baritone, and Peter Becker ~ bass perform a selection of both sacred and secular masterpieces for 3, 4, 5 and 6 voices with keyboard and lute accompaniment, including the 7 Penitential Songs and the beautiful partsong If In Thine Heart.
Tickets (General Seating by Section):
$50 Preferred
$25 Regular
$15 Rear
Saint Ignatius of Antioch Episcopal Church
87th Street at West End Ave (Upper West Side), Manhattan
Sat, Nov 11 at 7pm & Sun, Nov 12 at 4pm
Saturday, November 11 at 7:00 PM
Sunday, November 12 at 4:00 PM
Byrd 1589: Songs of Sundrie Natures II
As its name suggests, Byrd’s 1589 volume of songs varies widely in scoring, style, and mood. Byrd’s preface says that he is “desirous to delight thee with varietie, whereof (in my opinion) no Science is more plentifully adorned then Musicke,” and he offers the book as a musical compilation “to serve for all companies and voyces,” signing himself “The most affectionate freend to all that love or learne Musick.” ARTEK singers Sarah Chalfy ~ soprano, Kim Leeds ~ mezzo-soprano, Richard Pittsinger ~ tenor, Andrew Fuchs ~ tenor, Elijah Blaisdell ~ baritone, and Peter Becker ~ bass perform a selection of both sacred and secular masterpieces for 3, 4, 5 and 6 voices with keyboard and lute accompaniment including the partsong I thought that Love had been a boy and the anthem Unto the Hills Mine Eyes I Lift, a setting of Psalm121.
Tickets (General Seating by Section):
$50 Preferred
$25 Regular
$15 Rear
Saint Ignatius of Antioch Episcopal Church
87th Street at West End Ave (Upper West Side), Manhattan
Fri, Dec 15 at 7pm
Friday, December 15 at 7:00 PM
Gwendolyn Toth and Dongsok Shin ~ Keyboards
Byrd, Battles and Bells
Partners in life and in music, Gwendolyn Toth and Dongsok Shin perform music from the Fitzwilliam Virginal Book and My Lady Nevell’s Book. Music includes artful arrangements for two keyboards of The Battell and The Bells as well as pieces for solo keyboard. The concert will be performed on two chamber organs, harpsichord, muselar, and virginals, all in a candlelight setting in the beautiful sanctuary of Saint Ignatius of Antioch Church. A triumph of nimble fingers — and tuning!
Tickets (General Seating by Section):
$50 Preferred
$25 Regular
$15 Rear
Saint Ignatius of Antioch Episcopal Church
87th Street at West End Ave (Upper West Side), Manhattan
Sun, Dec 31 at 4pm
Sunday, December 31 at 4:00 PM
Pre-concert lecture at 3:15 PM
Holiday Concert: Handel Messiah and Bach Gloria
The highlight of the season: ARTEK’s performance of Handel’s Messiah, Part 1 and Bach’s Cantata 191, Gloria in excelsis Deo (Bach’s Christmas reimagining of portions of the Gloria from the B minor Mass).
Led by the brilliant violinist Cynthia Freivogel, with singers from ARTEK and the Choir of Saint Ignatius of Antioch, and the ARTEK orchestra. Soloists: sopranos Sarah Chalfy, Audrey Fernandez-Fraser, Christina Kay, and Clara Rottsolk; countertenor Clifton Massey; tenors Andrew Fuchs and Jacob Perry Jr; and basses Peter Becker and Steven Hrycelak.
The Messiah will feature several rarely heard versions of our favorite arias! Don’t miss ARTEK’s take on this familiar masterpiece in a performance informed by the best of historical practices, conducted by Gwendolyn Toth, professor of Historical Performance at The Graduate Center, CUNY as well as the director of both ARTEK and the Saint Ignatius of Antioch choir. Fredric Fehleisen, lecturer, is a noted expert on Handel and the Messiah; he is a professor of music history at Juilliard.
Tickets (General Seating by Section):
$75 VIP Seating
$50 Preferred
$25 Regular
$15 Rear
Saint Ignatius of Antioch Episcopal Church
87th Street at West End Ave (Upper West Side), Manhattan
Sat, January 20 at 7pm
Saturday, January 20 at 7:00 PM
Réunion des Goûts: Apotheoses of Corelli & Lully
Enrico Gatti, violin, brings his artistry and superior understanding of the French Baroque style to a concert of music by François Couperin, featuring the Apotheose of Corelli (1724) and the Apotheose of Lully (1725) in which Couperin portrays the differences between the Italian and French Baroque styles — as seen through the eyes of a Frenchman, of course! Mr. Gatti is joined by Swiss violinist Chiara Fasani Stauffer and award-winning gambist Arnie Tanimoto as well as Daniel Swenberg on theorbo and Gwendolyn Toth on harpsichord. As an added bonus, the brilliant young haute-contre tenor Richard Pittsinger will perform a French Baroque chamber cantata.
Tickets (General Seating by Section):
$50 Preferred
$25 Regular
$15 Rear
Saint Ignatius of Antioch Episcopal Church
87th Street at West End Ave (Upper West Side), Manhattan
Sat, Jan 27 at 7pm & Sun, Jan 28 at 4pm
Saturday, January 27 at 7:00 PM
Sunday, January 28 at 4:00 PM
French Frenzy: Music of Lully and Muffat
Jean-Baptiste Lully (1632–1687) is known as the composer who brought the French opera style to greatness under the Sun King, Louis XIV. But performances of his music in modern times are rare indeed. For these performances members of the ARTEK orchestra, together with six young artist Fellows, will perform under the leadership of international violin star Enrico Gatti, an expert in the stylistic interpretation of French Baroque music. The program will include music of Lully together with music of Georg Muffat (1653–1704), who described the performance of the French Style in his Florilegium Primum and Secundum.
Tickets (General Seating by Section):
$50 Preferred
$25 Regular
$15 Rear
Saint Ignatius of Antioch Episcopal Church
87th Street at West End Ave (Upper West Side), Manhattan
Sat, Mar 2 at 7 pm
Saturday, March 2 at 7:00 PM
After the Fire: Music of Erlebach
Philipp Heinrich Erlebach (1657–1714) was Kapellmeister of the court of Thuringia for most of his life. He was known to be a prolific and renowned composer of over 1000 works including operas, cantatas, masses, and chamber music. Sadly, most of his music was destroyed in a fire in 1785 leaving us just a few compositions to get a glimpse of his genius. Cynthia Frievogel, violin; Arnie Tanimoto, viola da gamba; Daniel Swenberg, theorbo; and Gwendolyn Toth, harpsichord will perform selections from Erlebach’s beautifully expressive trios for strings. Soprano Laurie Heimes will sing some of the lovely sacred songs Erlebach wrote for the court in Harmonische Freude musicalischer Freunde (1697). Join ARTEK for an evening of intimate chamber music by candlelight.
Tickets (General Seating by Section):
$50 Preferred
$25 Regular
$15 Rear
Saint Ignatius of Antioch Episcopal Church
87th Street at West End Ave (Upper West Side), Manhattan