Early Music Missouri opens its 2025–2026 Season with an intimate recital of 17th- and 18th-century solo music for Baroque lute. Boston-based lutenist Brian Bartling has built a program inspired by an anthology of music collected by Phillip Franz LeSage de Richée, a lutenist active in the late 17th century. The concert features compositions by LeSage de Richée, as well as works by several of his mentors and contemporaries. Developed and promoted by French players through the 17th century, the Baroque lute boasts a large repertoire of French and French-influenced music, including gracious court dances and witty character pieces. Brian’s program highlights this repertoire in suites by French masters Ennemond Gautier and Charles Mouton and the Bohemian lutenist Jan Antonín Losy.
The concert will take place on September 14 at 3:00 PM at Second Presbyterian Church, 4501 Westminster Avenue in St. Louis’s Central West End. Free off-street and street parking is available immediately adjacent to the church. Admission to the concert is $20 (cash, card, or check) with special discounts for students.
A native of the Kansas City area, Brian came to the lute following studies of the classical guitar and bass. He studied Renaissance lute with Doug Freundlich and Baroque lute with Anton Birula and has performed in masterclasses with Paul Odette, Nigel North, Robert Barto, Ronn McFarlane and Hopkinson Smith. Brian performs across New England as a soloist and in a variety of ensembles. He recently appeared in England as a featured soloist at the first Overstrand Music Festival Lute Competition. Brian holds undergraduate degrees in Music and Mathematics from William Jewell College as well as a graduate degree in Music Theory from the New England Conservatory of Music.
Early Music Missouri is the region’s foremost promoter and presenter of Early Music concerts. Its performances feature Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque repertoire performed on period instruments by expert performers from the region and nation.
