September, 2008 Newsletter
Celebrate! 2008-2009 Season
WGBH Broadcast
New HIP Fellow
Online Ticketing
Musicians Spotlight
Celebrate! 2008-2009 Season
The Handel and Haydn Society marks this upcoming musical anniversary year with Celebration 2009, observing anniversaries in the lives of Handel, Haydn, Purcell and Mendelssohn. The Society devotes its 2008-2009 season to celebrating the lives and works of these composers. Highlights include:
A series of special “Celebration” events will also be offered throughout the year, including masterclasses with conductor Harry Christophers, symposiums with Sir Roger Norrington and Haydn scholars along with chamber music performances, a concert at the Boston Athenaeum, and musical lectures at the Boston Public Library.
Don’t miss a note of this season’s celebration! ORDER your tickets today!
Handel and Haydn on WGBH 89.7 FM
On Sunday, October 5 at 3pm, you can hear the LIVE broadcast of "Celebrate Handel!," conducted by the charismatic Harry Christophers. The Society's Period-Instrument Orchestra and Chorus, alongside dazzling soprano Gillian Keith, perform a program of regal music fit for a king, featuring Handel's Coronation Anthems. Go to www.wgbh.org/classical to listen online.
Michael Ruhling, NEW HIP Fellow
We are pleased to introduce you to Dr. Michael E. Ruhling, the new HIP Fellow for the 2008-2009 season. The HIP Fellowship was created in 2000 in recognition of Conductor Laureate Christopher Hogwood. Dr. Ruhling will advise the Society on musicological issues and scholarship, as well as provide program notes and pre-concert lectures.
Dr. Ruhling is the President of the Haydn Society of North America and teaches music history and appreciation at the Rochester Institute of Technology. A musician as well as a scholar, he is an accomplished trumpet player and conducts regularly with the Brighton Symphony Orchestra. He lives in Rochester with his wife and three young sons.
Don't miss the pre-concert lecture for "Celebrate Handel!" where Dr. Ruhling will discuss what makes 2009 such an important year in the musical world, as well as give insight into the all-Handel program that opens the Handel and Haydn Society's 2008-2009 season. Be sure to stay after the concert as Dr. Ruhling will host a special Q&A forum with conductor Harry Christophers.
New Way to Order Tickets!
The Handel and Haydn Society is proud to announce our brand new ticketing website at tickets.handelandhaydn.org. Log in today to select your own seats when you order single tickets!
Musician Spotlight (Web Exclusive)
Meet Wendy Rolfe, flute! Learn more about her background in music and her favorite things about Boston. Only at www.handelandhaydn.org.
How long have you performed with Handel and Haydn? For about 20 years.
Who is your favorite composer to perform? Honestly, whichever composer we are playing at the moment! From Rameau, to Bach, to Mozart, to Haydn, to Mendelssohn and Brahms (and Vignieri!).
What do you like about playing with the Handel and Haydn Society? The commitment to excellence and the dedication of the musicians and the organization.
What are you looking forward to most in the 2008-2009 Season? The Bach Magnificat and Brahms Symphony No. 1.
When did you begin to study music? I began flute lessons when I was 8, but wanted to start on piccolo. Since then, I have enjoyed playing both.
How did you get started playing period instruments? I played in a chamber ensemble in high school coached by Robert Koff, one of the founders of the Juilliard String Quartet. He introduced us to "historical performance." It really inspired me. When I went to Oberlin Conservatory for my Bachelor's degree in, I took a course in Baroque flute and I've been playing period-instruments ever since.
What do you enjoy about playing period performance? What these instruments teach us about the music. And, of course, gaining new perspectives on the music from colleagues, conductors, and research.
How many instruments do you own? One season, I realized I was playing seven different flutes and piccolos, because we try to play instruments appropriate for the period of music we are playing. I own Baroque flutes and piccolo, Classical flutes, and a modern flute. This can all get a bit pricey!
Do you teach music? I have been a professor at the Berklee College of Music for 21 years and I teach both private students and classes.
What kind of music do you listen to? Aside from what I'm studying for current performances, a lot of Brazilian music!
What are your hobbies? Gardening, travel, reading.
Where do you like to travel? Oh, many places. Switzerland, Brazil, England, even a cabin in Huntington, Massachusetts, and Canada.
What’s your favorite place in Boston? The Public Garden
Are you from Boston? I was born in England, but I grew up in Lincoln Massachusetts and still live in the area with my husband, Ben Dunham, the Editor of Early Music America Magazine. My son Sam plays violin in the NEC Youth Philharmonic Orchestra.
May, 2008 Newsletter
July, 2007 Newsletter
April, 2007 Newsletter
December, 2006 Newsletter
February, 2006 Newsletter
October, 2005 Newsletter
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