Salon/Sanctuary Concerts to Welcome Monica Huggett and New York Baroque Incorporated, 10/26

Salon/Sanctuary Concerts presents Monica Huggett and New York Baroque Incorporated in "The Virtuosi of Cöthen" on Saturday, October 26th at 8 p.m. at The Abigail Adams Smith Auditorium, 417 East 61st Street between First and York Avenues.

One of the foremost baroque violinists of our time, Monica Huggett, will lead the gifted young musicians of New York Baroque Incorporated in orchestral music from Bach's Cöthen years.

For reservations, call 1-888-718-4253 or go to www.salonsanctuary.org. Tickets $25 - $100. A complimentary wine and cheese reception will follow the performance.

Program:

Orchestral Suite No. 2 in A minor BWV 1067
Violin concerto in A minor BWV 1041
Concerto for oboe and violin in C minor, BWV 1060
Violin concerto in E major, BWV 1042
Triple violin concerto in D major, BWV 1064

Monica Huggett, violin with Members of New York Baroque Incorporated
Stephen Bard, oboe
Nanae Iwata, Carrie Krause, violins
Kyle Miller, viola
Ezra Seltzer, cello
Wen Yang, bass
Graham Figg, harpsichord

Monica Huggett was born in London, in 1953, the fifth of seven children. In order to differentiate herself from her piano-playing siblings, she took up the violin at age six. Her talent became apparent quickly and, by the age of twelve, it had been decided by her parents and teachers that she would become a violinist, which saved her from the agony of having to decide what to do with her life.

At age sixteen, she entered the Royal Academy of Music as a student of Manoug Parikian. Although she did well and won several prizes, she was not entirely comfortable with her instrument until she was given a baroque violin to try. She was immediately won over by the mellow quality of the gut strings and became a fervent champion of the baroque violin.

From age seventeen, Monica has earned her living solely as a violinist and artistic director - beginning in London as a freelance violinist - and recently as the first artistic director of the Juilliard School's Historical Performance Program. In the intervening four decades, she co-founded the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra with Ton Koopman; founded her own London-based ensemble Sonnerie; worked with Christopher Hogwood at the Academy of Ancient Music; with Trevor Pinnock and the English Concert; and toured the United States in concert with James Galway. She has served as guest director of the Seville Baroque Orchestra; the Kristiansand Symphony Norway; Arion Baroque Orchestra, Montreal; Tafelmusik, Toronto; the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra; Philharmonia Baroque, San Francisco; the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra; and Concerto Copenhagen. She also performs frequently as a solo violinist all over the world.

Monica has given master classes in Banff, Dartington, Vicenza, Dublin, and Medellin, and has been professor of baroque violin at the Hochschule für Künste, Bremen and the Koninklijke Conservatorium in The Hague. Monica's expertise in the musical and social history of the Baroque Era is unparalleled among performing musicians. This huge body of knowledge and understanding, coupled with her unique interpretation of Baroque music, has made her an invaluable resource to students of the baroque violin.

Monica's discography numbers in the hundreds, many of which, sadly, are currently out of print. She is working on reviving some of her favorite recordings. She is still making new recordings and a CD of Mendelssohn Piano Trios will be released later in 2009, as well as a CD of 17th century Italian instrumental music with the Irish Baroque Orchestra.

Among her recent prizes are the 1997 Editor's Choice award, Gramophone magazine, for J.S. Bach's Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin; the Vantaa Baroque Energy Prize (Finland), 2005; and Gramophone's Best Instrumental Recording Award, for Heinrich Biber's Violin Sonatas, 2002. The latest CD release from Sonnerie "Music for a Young Prince" early versions of the J.S. Bach Four Orchestral Suites, won a Diapason d'Or in June 2009.

Alongside her work at Juilliard Monica continues as artistic director of both the Irish Baroque Orchestra, and the Portland (Oregon) Baroque Orchestra.

New York Baroque Incorporated is a conductorless orchestra of young players of baroque instruments in New York City, bringing the city vital, informed, and fresh performances of the great repertoire of the 17th and 18th centuries, and creating a vibrant landscape for collaborations between historical performance and living composers. Lauded by The New York Times for its "do-it-yourself spirit," NYBI is founded and self-managed by alumni of Juilliard's Historical Performance Program.

The players of NYBI include the winners of the Early Music America/Naxos Recording Competition, Audience Award winners of EMA Baroque Performance Competition, finalists of the 2012 EMA Baroque Performance Competition, the York Early Music Competition, and recipients of the Jacob K. Javits and Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowships. Members have recorded for Avie, Naxos, Sony and Decca, and have appeared at festivals from Marlboro to Mostly Mozart to Boston Early Music Festival. Teaching positions held by NYBI musicians include Stony Brook University, Temple University, Connecticut College, University of Delaware, and Peabody Institute.

Founded by Artistic Director Jessica Gould in 2009, Salon/Sanctuary Concerts offers the special chance to hear pre-Romantic music in intimate venues that complement the historical context of the repertoire. Pleased to present special projects that cast alight on historical issues throughthe prism of music, Salon/Sanctuary takes pride in many special interdisciplinary performances featuring luminaries from the worlds of opera, theater, film, and dance. The series has garnered critical praise for its innovative programming, and continues to attract a diverse audience for its path breaking offerings.