Programs

New Comma Baroque offers a variety of programming options for many types of events. Our ensemble is designed to be portable to communities without significant access to the performing arts. If you would like New Comma Baroque for a special event in your community, please contact us. Information on upcoming and past performances of New Comma Baroque programming can be found at www.newcommabaroque.org/concerts. 

New Comma Baroque - A Bohemian RhapsodyA BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY – MUSIC OF THE CZECH BAROQUE

New Comma Baroque explores Czech Baroque music with a dynamic program of works by František Benda, Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber, Ferdinand Kauer, František Ignác Antonín Tůma, Jan Dismas Zelenka and others.

A Change of Seasons: Christopher Simpson’s The Seasons and William Lawes’ Harp ConsortsA CHANGE OF SEASONS: CHRISTOPHER SIMPSON’S THE SEASONS & WILLIAM LAWES’ HARP CONSORTS

New Comma Baroque explores a very different look at the seasons with Simpson’s bold virtuoso improvisatory divisions in the Seasons and Lawes’ Harp Consorts. William Lawes’ harp consorts were composed for his colleagues in the ‘lutes and voices’ of the ‘King’s Musick’ at the Court of Charles I, a rare work featuring harp, theorbo, violin and viol. The Seasons are among Christopher Simpson’s most technically challenging compositions, having a lasting influence on English music for generations while owing a great deal to the viola bastarda tradition of the previous century. Please join New Comma Baroque for a tour du force program looking at A Change of Seasons. Sample A Change of Seasons: Christopher Simpson’s The Seasons and William Lawes’ Harp Consorts.

CINCO DE MAYO – MUSIC OF THE MEXICAN BAROQUE FROM NUEVA ESPAÑA

New Comma Baroque, in collaboration with the Marion Consort & Northwestern University University Musicologist Drew Edward Davies, celebrates the vocal and instrumental musical traditions of Mexico in an exciting program of compositions by Joseph de Torres y Vergara, Maria Joachina Rodrigues, Guadalupe Ortiz, Manuel de Sumaya, Juana Inés de la Cruz, Ignacio Jerusalem and Francisco Siria.

Tous les Matins Du Monde “All the Mornings of the World” – Music of the French BaroqueTHE FRENCH CONNECTION – MUSIC OF THE FRENCH BAROQUE

New Comma Baroque celebrates music of the French Baroque in a concert inspired by the 1991 film “Tous les Matins du Monde” (All the Mornings of the World). This program features works by Jacques Champion de Chambonnières, François Couperin, Jacques-Martin Hotteterre, Jean-Marie Leclair & Marin Marais. Come join us for works ranging from Marais’ Pieces en trio & his Sonnerie de Sainte-Geneviève du Mont de Paris to solo keyboard works by Champion de Chambonnières and excerpts from Couperin’s Les Nations. This program features the flexibility for customization depending on space and budget, ranging from 2-5 performers. Sample The French Connection for 4 performers, 3 performers or 2 performers. For information on past performances of this program, such as for the Quigley Center’s Second Sunday Concert Series, the Harper College Cultural Arts Series, the Musical Offering’s Music on Madison Series, the Gotham Early Music Scene’s Midtown Concerts, Mendelssohn Performing Arts Center’s Mainstage Series, Valparaiso University Department of Music Faculty Concert Series and others, please visit https://www.newcommabaroque.org/concerts.

New Comma Baroque - In the Hall of the Prussian KingFROM PRUSSIA WITH LOVE – VIRTUOSITY AT THE COURT OF FREDERICK THE GREAT

New Comma Baroque explores music-making at the court of Frederick II of Prussia – a composer, flutist and patron of the arts who surrounded himself with a myriad of the greatest musicians of his day. join us in electrifying and dynamic works by master Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach alongside lesser-known gems by Karl Heinrich Graun, Johann Christian Hertel, Ernst Christian Hesse and Johann Joachim Quantz. Sample From Prussia with Love – Virtuosity at the Court of Frederick the Great for 4 performers and 3 performers. For information on past performances of this program, such as for the Early Music at the Barn Series, the Valparaiso University Department of Music Faculty Concert Series and others, please visit https://www.newcommabaroque.org/concerts.

New Comma Baroque - Muzycznego piękna w Barokowej Polsce - The Musical Beauty of Baroque PolandMUZYCZNE PIĘKNO BAROKOWEJ POLSKI – THE MUSICAL BEAUTY OF BAROQUE POLAND

Join Phillip W. Serna & Emily Jane Katayama of New Comma Baroque for a special program examining Poland’s virtuosic, unique and relatively unknown repertoire tracing the Polish instrumental musical tradition through the 17th and 18th centuries, sampling 18th-century literature for viola da gamba and keyboard spanning the High Baroque to the Enlightenment and the earliest hints of Polish nationalism at the dawn of the 19th century. Sample Muzyczne piękno barokowej Polski: The Musical Beauty of Baroque Poland. For Information on past performances of this program, such as for Chicago’s Taste of Polonia, the Academy of Early Music and others, please visit https://www.newcommabaroque.org/concerts.

Niech Żyje Polska: Long Live Poland! - Music of the Polish BaroqueNIECH ŻYJE POLSKA: LONG LIVE POLAND! – MUSIC OF THE POLISH BAROQUE

The 17th and 18th centuries were filled with dramatic political and artistic turmoil in Poland – the once stable Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was plagued by conflict from without and within. From the Italian and Dresden-influenced Chapel Royal in Warsaw to the rise of Poland’s own native masters, instrumental music began its ascension amidst a tapestry of war and economic decline. Examining this unique and relatively unknown repertoire, New Comma Baroque presents a program of instrumental music by 17th-century pioneers Jarzębski, Mielczewski, Pękiel, Rohaczewski and Żelechowski as well as 18th-century masters Podbielski, Janitsch and Szarzyński. Join New Comma Baroque in the celebration and exploration of Polish culture. Sample Niech Żyje Polska Long Live Poland! – Music of the Polish Baroque for 7 performers, our program featuring 5 performers, and our duo-program Muzyczne piękno barokowej Polski: The Musical Beauty of Baroque Poland. For Information on past performances of this program, such as for the Academy of Early Music and others, please visit https://www.newcommabaroque.org/concerts.

Polski Głosy – Voices of PolandPOLSKI GŁOSY – VOICES OF POLAND

The 17th and 18th centuries were filled with dramatic political and artistic turmoil in Poland – the once stable Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was plagued by conflict from without and within. New Comma Baroque explores 17th and 18th-century Polish traditions through celebrating glorious choral and instrumental works by K. Charśnicki, Grzegorz Gerwazy Gorczycki, Józef  Kobierkowicz, Marcin Mielczewski and Stanisław Sylwester  Szarzyński as well as large-scale works by Stanisław Sylwester  Szarzyński, Jacek  Szczurowski, Marcin Józef  Żebrowski and Mateusz  Zwierzchowski.

Scandanavia!SCANDANAVIA!

New Comma Baroque tours icy Scandanavia with a colorfully dynamic program of Danish, Norwegian and Swedish compositions certain to warm your heart by Simoni Dall Croubelis, Johan Henrik Freithoff, Johan Agrell, Olof Åhlström, Per Brant and Johan Helmich Roman.

Somewhere in Time - Telemann's ‘Lost’ Fantasias for Solo Viola da GambaSOMEWHERE IN TIME: TELEMENN’S ‘LOST 12 FANTASIAS FOR SOLO VIOL, 1735

Located in 2014 by Thomas Fritzsch, a copy of Telemann’s self-published 1735 fantasias for viola da gamba survived near Hanover in the Ledenburg Collection of Eleonore von Münster (née von Grothaus, 1734-1794). Dedicated to musical subscriber Mr. Pierre Chaunell (1703-1789), Telemann’s fantasias encompass a variety of forms spanning fugal writing to elements of the rondo and concerto while straddling the Polish and Moravian music of his early career to the High Baroque and the galant. Sample Somewhere in Time: Telemann’s ‘Lost’ 12 Fantasias for Solo Viol, 1735. For information on past performances of this program, such as for the Boston Early Music Festival Fringe, at Northwestern University, the Trinity Concert Series in Peoria, IL, the Valparaiso University Department of Music Faculty Concert Series and others, please visit https://www.newcommabaroque.org/concerts.

Telemann’s Travels: The Eclecticism, Diversity, and Virtuosity of TelemannTELEMANN’S TRAVELES: THE ECLECTICISM, DIVERSITY & VIRTUOSITY OF TELEMANN

New Comma Baroque, joined by various guest artists, celebrates the music of Telemann in a diverse program, including the delightful “Gulliver’s Travels” Suite for Two Violins, the Concerto in a-minor for Viola da Gamba, Flauto dolce, strings & Continuo, TWV52:a1, the Concerto No.2 in D-Major, TWV 43:D1 from Six quatuors a violon, flute, viole ou violoncello et basse continue (Hamburg, 1730, Paris 1736), the Quartet No.2 in a-minor from Nouveaux quatuors en six suites a une flute traversiere, un violon, une basse de viole ou violoncelle et basse (Paris, 1738), the Concerto in e-minor for Recorder, Baroque Flute, Strings & Continuo TWV52:e1, and much more! Sample Telemann’s Travels: The Eclecticism, Diversity, and Virtuosity of Telemann for 7-8 performers, for 5 performers, for 4 performersviolin trio, flute trio or 2 performers. For information on past performances of this program, such as for 98.7FM’s Live from WFMT, the Peoria Bach Festival, WUIS Springfield Public Radio, the Illinois Philharmonic’s Summer Music at Ravisloe Series and others, please visit https://www.newcommabaroque.org/concerts.

Transformations: New Music for Old InstrumentsTRANSFORMATIONS: NEW MUSIC FOR OLD INSTRUMENTS

New Comma Baroque champions new music in a dynamic program pushing the boundaries of what is possible on historical instruments featuring electrifying pieces for traverso by John Thow and Robert Strizich, breathtaking works for viol by Martha Bishop, Eliza Brown and Lynn Gumert, colorful solos for Baroque lute and theorbo by Roman Turovsky-Savchuk, intriguing solos for harpsichord by Mark Janello, and stunningly imaginative chamber music by Belinda Reynolds and Geoffrey Gordon. Sample Transformations: New Music for Old Instruments.

New Comma Baroque - The Twilight KingdomTHE TWILIGHT KINGDOM: THE WANING OF THE VIOL IN EUROPE

Join New Comma Baroque’s Phillip Serna and Emily Katayama in a virtuosic exploration of late repertoire for the viola da gamba: from well-known masters as Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach to the lesser-known composers Johann Gottfried Mente and Christian Wilhelm Podbielski to the so-called ‘last gambists’ Carl Friedrich Abel and Franz Xaver Hammer. Join us as the viol ends with not a whimper, but with a bang! Sample The Twilight Kingdom -The Waning of the Viol in Europe. For information on past performances of this program, such as for the Valparaiso University Department of Music Faculty Concert Series and others, please visit https://www.newcommabaroque.org/concerts.

WINTER REVELRY – A NEW COMMA BAROQUE CHRISTMAS

Let New Comma Barqoue warm you with a holiday celebration of the sacred and secular with vocal and instrumental music by Bach, Corette, Buxtehude, Morel, Scarlatti, Ziani and so much more! For information on past performances of this program, please visit https://www.newcommabaroque.org/concerts.

Women of Note – The Lost Traditions of Baroque Women Composers

WOMEN OF NOTE – THE LOST TRADITIONS OF BAROQUE WOMEN COMPOSERS

Celebrating the significant artistic contributions by women composers, New Comma Baroque is developing programs featuring a dazzling diversity of repertoire by Isabella Leonarda, Élisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre, Princess Anna Amalia of Prussia, Beatrice Mattei, Maria Teresa Agnesi Pinottini, Maddalena Laura Sirmen, Francesca LeBrun, Anna Bon, Maddalena Laura Sirmen and others.

ZAPPA! – THE MUSIC OF FRANCESCO ZAPPA

In 1984 experimental musician Frank Zappa recorded an album of Synclavier realizations of chamber music by the Italian cellist and composer Francesco Zappa, who composed between 1763 and 1788. Here, New Comma Baroque explores the virtuosity of Francesco Zappa and his impact on the musical life of the Netherlands, where he made substantial contributions to the musical life of The Hague’s as a performer, composer, concert organizer and teacher.

PAST COLLABORATIVE PROGRAMS WITH OTHER ENSEMBLES

Brandenburg X: J.S. Bach’s Exploration of the Viola da Braccio, the Violoncello and the Viola da GambaBRANDENBURG X – J.S. BACHs EXPLORATION OF THE VIOLA DA BRACCIO, THE VIOLONCELLO & THE VIOLA DA GAMBA
New Comma Baroque, in collaboration with Wisconsin Baroque Ensemble Members Marika Fischer Hoyt, Eric Miller, Anton TenWolde and Max Yount & joined by guest artists Marilyn Fung, Peter Lekx and Russell Wagner, highlights lesser known works for the Baroque viola, Baroque cello & violas da gamba based around Bach’s 6th Brandenburg Concerto. Sample Brandenburg X: J.S. Bach’s Exploration of the Viola da Braccio, the Violoncello and the Viola da Gamba.

Flights of Fancy - Eclectic Flavors from 17th & 18th-Century EuropeFLIGHTS OF FANCY – ECLECTIC FLAVORS FROM 17TH & 18TH CENTURY EUROPE

New Comma Baroque, in collaboration with IPFW Baroque gambists Melanie & Russell Bookout and Fort Wayne Baroque Soloists’ Baroque violinists Emily & Jason Thompson, bringing to life an eclectic treasury of Baroque music. Spanning two centuries and multiple European countries, the program repertoire includes music by Pfeiffer, Schenck, Sweelink, Telemann, et al. Sample Flights of Fancy – Eclectic Flavors from 17th & 18th-Century Europe. For Information on past performances of this program, such as for Indiana Wesleyan University Department of Music Concert Series, Indiana University – Purdue University Fort Wayne Department of Music Faculty Concert Series, and the Valparaiso University Department of Music Faculty Concert Series, please visit https://www.newcommabaroque.org/concerts.

Locke and Loaded: Music in Time of War and TransformationLOCKE & LOADED – MUSIC IN TIME OF WAR & TRANSFORMATION
New Comma Baroque, in collaboration with IPFW Baroque gambists Melanie & Russell Bookout and Fort Wayne Baroque Soloists’ Baroque violinists Emily & Jason Thompson, performs English Music by Hely, Locke, Jenkins, Purcell, Simpson & Young spanning a period of great musical and political upheaval: from the English Civil War, through the English Commonwealth, to the Restoration of the Monarchy and the Glorious Revolution. Sample Locke and Loaded: Music in Time of War and Transformation. For Information on past performances of this program, such as for Indiana Wesleyan University Department of Music Concert Series, Indiana University – Purdue University Fort Wayne Department of Music Faculty Concert Series, and the Valparaiso University Department of Music Faculty Concert Series, please visit https://www.newcommabaroque.org/concerts.