Upcoming Concerts:

The Oregon Bach Collegium 2023-2024 Season 

 

‘Il Genio Inglese’:  

Music of the Early English Baroque

Sunday, March 17, 2024  3 pm

 

 

When the Italian violin virtuoso Nicola Matteis arrived in London in the 1670s, he found there an eccentric national musical idiom that he dubbed ‘il genio Inglese’ (the English genius). Beginning in the 1620s, a new style of music began to emerge in the Court of King Charles I. Protestant England being ever-wary of Catholic influences – especially those from Italy – English composers began to develop this burgeoning style of music, perhaps as a way of setting themselves apart from their continental counterparts. However, with the ascendancy to the throne of King Charles II, and his propensity for continental forms of music, a flood of foreign influences entered the musical culture of England. Join us as we explore this uniquely-English Baroque style and its evolution over time – from the esoteric Fantasia-suites of William Lawes and Mathew Locke, to the transparent Italian sensibilities of Matteis, and the marriage of the two styles in the Sonatas of Henry Purcell.

 

Church of the Resurrection
3925 Hilyard, Eugene
(Despite construction on Hilyard, the road to the church entrance will be open.)

 

This season we have revised our ticket policy, changing from fixed admission fees to a choice of suggested “pay as you are able” options ($20, $15, $10, $5). By making this change we hope to make our programs available to more early music lovers in the community. We welcome cash, checks or credit cards at the door or PayPal on line.

 

 

Past Concerts

2023-2024 Season

 

All in a Garden Green: Music from 17th century England

September 10, 2023, 2pm

 

September’s “Music to Die For,” at the Eugene Masonic Cemetery, features ballad tunes in arrangements for voice, baroque violin, recorder, viola da gamba and lute. From familiar songs like Greensleeves to the lesser-known but comically delightful “Go from my window,” this program presents tunes that were commonly heard in both court and country in seventeenth-century England. Well-known composers Dowland and Purcell are represented here, but we also celebrate the contributions of Hume, Bartlett, Mell and the great “anonymous.”  Our delightful soprano soloist Naomi Castro is featured in songs about musical instruments (“Strike the Viol”), songs about nature (All in a Garden Green”), songs about love lost (“The Country Lass”) and love desired (“John, come kiss me now”).

Eugene Masonic Cemetery, the oldest chartered cemetery in Eugene, Oregon,
University St & E 25th Ave, Eugene, OR 97405

 


 

L’Ospedale della Pietà: Teaching a Legacy

November 19, 2023, 3pm

 

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Join us at the Episcopal Church of the Resurrection in South Eugene to celebrate over a century of teachers and students of the Ospedale della Pietà in Venice. Our program, led by violinist Emma Simmons, features solo sonatas and chamber works of Rosenmüller, Vandini, Anna Bon, and Vivaldi, spanning several generations of pedagogy shifts. Rosenmüller, Vandini, and Vivaldi each had tenures of varying length at the Ospedale della Pietà between 1678 and 1749, and display three types of the archetypal music master. The Ospedale della Pietà was created as a convent and orphanage in the fourteenth century, and by the time of our program was a thriving music school for orphaned girls, raised there often from infancy. Anna Bon, however, was an exception, having been admitted to the school at the age of four specifically for a musical education. The program will feature harpsichord, baroque violin, viola da gamba, baroque cello and singer soloist Naomi Castro. 


Episcopal Church of the Resurrection, 3925 Hilyard Street, Eugene

 


 

18th Century Keyboard Trios

Sunday, February 18, 2024, 3pm

 

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The Oregon Bach Collegium presents the Collier Trio (violinist Emma Simmons, cellist Titus Young and pianist Tung Nguyen) in a unique program of eighteenth century keyboard trios, performed side by side on the fortepiano and modern piano. Featuring works of Joseph Haydn, Ignaz Pleyel, and a young Ludwig van Beethoven, this concert explores the changing landscape of keyboard repertoire as the struck, more dynamic clavier models overtook plucked harpsichord throughout western Europe. In the late 1700s, composers (and their publishers) knew that keyboard music was being enjoyed on a variety of instruments, but also of the different expressive possibilities each variety possessed. This abundance in experiments of expression is the musical petri dish from which we create our program: two Haydn keyboard trios, one from his 30s and the second his 60s, a work of Haydn’s student and future piano manufacturer, Ignaz Pleyel, and Beethoven’s C minor trio from his first Opus, which had been heavily criticized by his teacher…Haydn.

 

United Lutheran Church, 22nd and Washington, Eugene

 


 

 

 

2022-2023 Season

 

Music at the Court of Modena in the Seventeenth Century

October 9, 2022, 3pm

 

4. Mar 29

 

Join us as we travel to the Este court in 17th-century Modena and immerse ourselves in the instrumental music of Marco Uccellini and his contemporaries. Featuring sinfonias, dances and early sonatas published between 1639 and 1690, our musicians explore the expressive power of the unique instrumental style found in and around the court in Modena.

United Lutheran Church, 22nd and Washington, Eugene, Map/Directions

 


 

Bach’s Own Collegium Musicum

November 13, 2022, 3pm

 

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During his lifetime, German composer J. S. Bach was criticized for being old-fashioned, but in fact he embraced recent trends and the newest styles when programming music for his Leipzig Collegium. Beginning in 1729, he direct
ed this large ensemble in public programs given twice a week for ten years, presenting a wide variety of styles and genre. We’ve searched the archives and discovered some gems that would have appealed to the sophisticated musical taste of J. S. Bach. On Sunday please join us for orchestral music by Dall’Abaco and Brescianello as well as chamber music by Telemann, Graun and Porpora.

United Lutheran Church, 22nd and Washington, Eugene, Map/Directions

 


 

“To drive the cold winter away…”  Music for Voices & Viols

December 11, 2022, 3pm

 

To drive the cold winter away

 

Join us in this delightful program of music for voices and viols  that will warm your heart during the dark season of the year. We will present a variety of sacred and secular holiday-themed tunes, including carols, madrigals and dances. The core of the program will feature vocal and instrumental music from Elizabethan England, including works by John Weelkes, William Byrd, and Anthony Holborne. Join us as our “Voices and Viols” drive the cold winter away!


United Lutheran Church, 22nd and Washington, Eugene, Map/Directions

 


 

Alternative String Quartet

February 12, 2023, 3pm at United Lutheran Church

 

 

Featuring music for two guitars, violin and cello, the Alternative String Quartet introduces us to lesser known early Classical repertoire in an unusual format.  With the sonority of plucked and bowed strings blending together, in this program the ASQ explores the delightful music of Francois Fossa and Luigi Boccherini.  Performers include Cameron O’Connor, guitar,  James Bishop-Edwards, guitar, Andrew Ehrlich, violin, and Eric Alterman, cello.

United Lutheran Church, 22nd and Washington, Eugene, Map/Directions

 


 

Musical Power & the Court of the Sun King

March 12, 2023, 3pm

 

 

Known as the “Sun King,” Louis XIV was the longest reigning verified sovereign in history. During his rule (1638-1715), Louis XIV was an extravagant supporter of the arts who used music as a powerful political tool. Consequently, he exerted strong control over musical publishing and performance during and beyond his lifetime—profoundly shaping the landscape of French music. This concert will feature French music from inside and outside of the court of Louis XIV including works by Jacquet de la Guerre, Dieupart, Lully, Couperin, D’Anglebert, and Campra. With support from the Lane County Cultural Coalition and the Oregon Cultural Trust, this concert is free and open to the public.

 

United Lutheran Church, 22nd and Washington, Eugene, Map/Directions

 


 

The Art of Division: virtuoso ornamentation for soprano & cornetto

May 7, 2023, 3pm

 

The final concert of Oregon Bach Collegium’s 2022-2023 season, The Art of Division, is not to be missed! Soprano Danielle Reutter-Harrah and cornettist Chuck Colburn present seldom heard Division music from the late 16th century. “Divisions” is a technique of ornamenting the space between melodic notes that allows for extremely fast passage work. This virtuosic ornamentation style is intended to fulfill rhetorical goal of “delectare,” to delight. In this program you’ll also hear selections from the Carl G manuscript, a four-hundred year old resource that was recently discovered for sale in a flea market. The music in this large collection of vocal music is extraordinary.

 

United Lutheran Church, 22nd and Washington, Eugene, Map/Directions

 


 

In the Salon of Mme. de la Guerre

Saturday, June 10th 2023 at 3pm

 

 

OBC would like to invite you into the salon of one of the most successful female composers of the 1700’s—Elisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre. Please join us in the historical Ebbert Church for an intimate concert of rarely played sonatas and suites by Elisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre, Charles de la Ferté, Louis-Antoine Dornell, and Le Sieur de Machy. This performance is free and open to the public through the generous support of Lane County Cultural Coalition and Ebbert United Methodist Church.

Ebbert United Methodist Church, 532 C Street, Springfield, OR 97477