I am very excited about this summer’s Centrum workshop in Baroque Performance.

It seems to me that much of the training in today’s conservatories and music schools is focused largely on the 19th century, with a particular focus in the romantic virtuosic repertoire.  Often times the performance of baroque music is a bit of a gray area for many students.

In our workshop, we will address several of the main components of baroque performance from a historical perspective: vibrato, bowing, ornamentation, phrasing, articulation, tempo, spirit/affect and the stylistic attributes of the various baroque dances.

I will be joined by my world class USC Thornton School of Music colleagues Sue Feldman baroque violin, Leif Woodward, baroque cello.  Both Sue and Leif have had incredible training on both modern and period instruments. 

In addition we will be joined by a young soprano whom I believe to be a stellar talent – Courtney Huffman.  Her recent performance of Vivaldi’s Montezuma with the Long Beach Opera won her absolutely rave reviews in the Los Angeles Times. 

I am delighted to be joined by such wonderful musicians and know the workshop will be a valuable one!