Cantatas of J.S. Bach
Sacred Harmony
September 6–8, 2018
Three Notch’d Road launches the first in a cycle of J.S. Bach’s glorious cantatas with two alto cantatas written for the liturgical season of Trinity, featuring guest countertenor Nathan Medley. Artistic Director Fiona Hughes is joined by oboist Debra Nagy for the famous double concerto for violin and oboe.
Rejoice, Mother Poland
The Glory of the Polish Baroque
November 15–17, 2018
Poland’s musical heritage is vast and rich, but its flourishing in the Baroque period is virtually forgotten. Three Notch’d Road is joined by bass Peter Walker and soprano Jessica Petrus to rediscover composers Wojciech Długoraj, Mikołaj Zieleński, Adam Jarzębski, and Grzegorz Gerwazy Gorczycki along with traditional folk melodies and hymnody. This program will also feature a world premiere from Polish-American composer Mark Nowakowski.
Sorrowful Mysteries
Rosary Sonatas of Heinrich Biber
April 4–6, 2019
The Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary are five episodes in the Passion of Christ, given wordless meditation in Heinrich Biber’s sonatas for scordatura violin and continuo. During Lent 2019, Fiona Hughes and Sarah Darling will alternate performances of the solo sonatas, joined by Wesley Hall, organ; Erik Higgins, bass; Loren Ludwig, viola da gamba; and William Simms, theorbo.
Devotion and Delight
English & American Hymnody
May 9–11, 2019
Cellist Steuart Pincombe, mezzo-soprano Michelle Pincombe, and special guest Keith Collins (American gourd banjo, harp, bassoon, & mountain dulcimer) join in this program of New World music alongside its English counterparts. From “Sing We the Virgin Mary” to “Froggy Went A-courtin’,” a wealth of American folksong and hymnody owes its roots to an Old World heritage.