Tafelmusik Celebrates Bach With U.S. Tour

Tafelmusik, Canada's renowned and internationally lauded Baroque orchestra, will tour the United States with J.S Bach: The Circle of Creation, a multi-media celebration of the genius of Bach. Created by Alison Mackay, J.S. Bach: The Circle of Creation combines text, music, and projected video and images to explore the world of the artisans - papermakers, violin carvers, string spinners, and performers - who helped J.S. Bach realize his musical genius. The Circle of Creation blends 21st-century technology with an exploration of the tradition and skill of old world craftspeople and artisans.

The production is directed by Jeanne Lamon, recently named Music Director Emerita, narrated by Blair Williams, with stage direction by Marshall Pynkoski, production design by Glenn Davidson, projection design by Raha Javanfar, and film editing by Jane MacRae.

The tour begins at Oberlin College's Finney Chapel in Oberlin, Ohio on Tuesday evening, February 28, 2017, 8 pm, and continues on Thursday evening, March 2, 7:30 pm at Penn State University in the Schwab Auditorium in State College, PA. Next, Tafelmusik will travel to San Juan, Puerto Rico for a performance on Saturday evening, March 4, 8:00pm, at Sala Sinfonica Pablo Casals in the Luis A. FerrePerforming Arts Center. On Monday evening, March 6, 7:30pm, Tafelmusik brings J.S. Bach: The Circle of Creation to Winter Park, Florida's Tiedtke Concert Hall. On Wednesday evening, March 8, 8pm, the tour proceeds to Santa Barbara, California, at the Lobero Theater. Tafelmusik will remain in California for a performance in Long Beach at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center on Thursday evening, March 9, 8pm, and in La Jolla on Friday evening, March 10, 8pm, at the Sherwood Auditorium. The tour concludes Saturday evening, March 11, 2017, 7:30pm, at the University of Washington's Meany Hall in Seattle.

The tour will also include an unprecedented level of artist training events, with masterclasses at Oberlin College, University of Washington, and University of Southern California, which will also include ensemble coaching, and an artist-training residency at Penn State University.

For complete schedule and ticket information please see page 3.

The complete all-Bach program follows.

Bach Sinfonia to Cantata 249a

Sonata for 3 violins in C Major, after BWV 1005: 1. Adagio

Orchestral Suite No. 1 in C Major, BWV 1066: Ouverture

Chorale Tune "Gloria laus et honor"

Orchestral Suite No. 1 in C Major, BWV 1066: Bourrée & Forlane

Sinfonia in G Minor, BWV 797, for solo harpsichord

Prelude in C Major, BWV 933, for solo harpsichord

Suite No. 3 for violincello in C Major, BWV 1009: Sarabande

Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G Major, BWV 1048: 1. Allegro

Adagio, after Cantata 202/1: "Weichet nur, betrübte Schatten"

(Depart, melancholy shadows)

Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G Major, BWV 1048: II. Allegro

Intermission

Andante, after Cantata 208/9: "Schafe können sicher weiden"

(Sheep may safely graze)

Partita for Violin in D Minor, BWV 1004: Allemande

Cantata 140: Chorale "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme"

(Awake, calls the voice to us)

Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D Major, BWV 1068: Gavottes

Sonata for 2 Violins and Continuo in G Major, BWV 1039: Adagio & Allegro Ma Non Presto

Canons on the first 8 notes of Goldberg Variations, BWV 1087:

Simplex-Duplex a 4-Duplex a 5-Triplex

Excerpts from Goldberg Variations, BWV 988:

Air Variation #18: Canone alla sexta - Variation #22: Alla breve - Variation #10: Fughetta

Adagio, after Cantata 42/3: "Wo zwei und drei versamlet sind"

(Where two and three are gather together)

Sinfonia, after Cantata 11/1: "Lobet Gott in seinen Reichen"

(Praise the Lord in his riches)

Tafelmusik announces new Music Director:

In January of 2017, Tafelmusik announced the appointment of the "superb" (The Guardian) Italian violinist Elisa Citterio to the position of Music Director. She succeeds Jeanne Lamon, the leader of this US tour, whose remarkable 33-year tenure with Tafelmusik shaped the Orchestra into the world-class baroque orchestra it is today. Maestra Citterio is currently Music Director Designate and will fully assume her new role in July 2017. Former concertmaster and soloist with the orchestra of the Accademia del Teatro all Scala di Milano, Maestra Citterio has said, "I'm incredibly honoured to take on this role, which gives me the privilege of working with such brilliant musicians. I'm fascinated by the possibility of exchange between our two countries, which are geographically distant, but which music unites through a shared language. I love the fact that we will be able to learn from each other and intertwine our distinct cultures and music without the need for words. I look forward to working with Canadian musicians and composers, and am eager to get to know Tafelmusik's audiences in Toronto and on tour." She has studied with Franco Gulli, Corrado Romano, Dora Schwarzberg, MatisVaitsner, Ilya Grubert, and Dejan Bogdanovich.

About Tafelmusik:

Hailed as "one of the world's top baroque orchestras" by Gramophone Magazine, Tafelmusik is a group of remarkably talented, enthusiastic, and dynamic permanent members, each of whom is a specialist in historical performance practice.

Delighting audiences worldwide for nearly four decades, Toronto-based Tafelmusik reaches millions of people through its touring, critically acclaimed recordings, broadcasts, new media, and artistic/community partnerships. The vitality of Tafelmusik's vision clearly resonates with its audiences in Toronto, where the orchestra performs some 80 concerts every year for a passionate and dedicated following of all ages. For over 35 years Tafelmusik has maintained a strong presence on the world stage, performing in some 350 cities in 32 countries.

Tafelmusik has invested much energy and many resources into supporting the next generation of period performers through its artist training programmes, most notably through the renowned annual Tafelmusik Baroque Summer Institute and Tafelmusik Winter Institute. Musicians from around the globe gather to study period performance in intensive and varied programmes.

An integral part of Tafelmusik's worldwide success has been its highly esteemed discography of over 80 baroque and classical albums, which have garnered many national and international awards. including nine JUNO Awards. A number of new and past recordings have been released on the Tafelmusik Media label. Among recent releases is a recording of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, released this past fall, completing Tafelmusik's cycle of Beethoven Symphonies with conductor Bruno Weil, live-performance CDs of Beethoven Eroica Symphony and Handel Messiah, and DVDs of three of Tafelmusik's most popular performance events: Sing-Along Messiah, and Alison Mackay's The Galileo Project, and House of Dreams. Forthcoming releases include a box set of Beethoven Symphonies and a DVD of "Tales of Two Cities".