EMAg Features

Few performers have spent as much time exploring the galant as Baroque cellist Elinor Frey, who has made the style the subject of numerous concert projects, critical editions, seminars, and a fast-growing discography.

No one is born knowing how to sight-sing, but throughout history it's been a necessary skill for good musicianship. 'I find it extremely annoying to work with singers who can’t sight-read. It’s essential — right up there with being a good colleague and being easy to work with.'

New and Different: the rise of amateur Baroque community orchestras with no direct links to academia or instrumental societies. These musicians play with period instruments and are just as committed to historical performance as their professional counterparts. Yet 'we do not reject anybody because they are either too good or too bad.'

'We’re all keenly aware of the stigma in classical music about people with hearing loss,' writes tenor Thomas Cooley. 'The doctor asked why I was crying. I responded: I just don't know other singers who use hearing aids.'

'I suppose it would be easier for EMA to cater to just professional musicians or only arts administrators,' writes EMA Executive Director David McCormick. 'But there’s a vitality to the rich tapestry of our membership that allows for a collaborative spirit between professional performers, amateur players, scholars, luthiers, and listeners, to name a few. Thanks to our free and low-cost membership options for students, we have more young members than ever before...'

As a composer, teacher, and America's leading Baroque bassist, Doug Balliett is devoted to radically authentic music-making. He and his all-star circle of collaborators question the notion that ‘historically informed’ ensembles should only perform historical music. This article was first published in the January 2024 issue of EMAg.

After 25 years of building and re-building, the Atlanta Baroque Orchestra has found stability and high artistic success.

The modern historical-performance movement now has its own traditions, habits, standard repertoire, and ancestors. For Early Music Month we look into EMA's online series 'Trailblazers in Historical Performance.' As Thomas Forrest Kelly writes, 'to hear their various stories and learn of their attitudes and experiences was revelatory.'

For Early Music Month, we look into the core of the Baroque. An auction of books from an old chateau in the Champagne countryside led to a big discovery: unknown flute music by Marin Marais, written in an elegant hand. It's a find of huge importance to the Baroque flute repertoire. This article was first published in the January 2024 issue of EMAg.

Celebrating Early Music Month, we look into a new trend seen from coast to coast: a Pay-What-You-Can ticketing model. This scheme comes with high hopes for attendance and diversity but inconclusive results. This article first appeared in the January 2024 issue of EMAg.