Kingsbury Ensemble to conclude season May 15

Washington University’s Kingsbury Ensemble will conclude its 2004-05 season with works of Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) and Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) — today’s most popular composers of the Baroque era.

The performance begins at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 15, in Holmes Lounge, Ridgley Hall, located on the west side of Brookings Quadrangle, near the intersection of Brookings and Hoyt drives. Tickets are $15 for the general public; $10 for seniors and Washington University faculty and staff; and $5 for students. Tickets are available through the Edison Theatre Box Office, (314) 935-6543, and at the door.

For more information, call (314) 862-2675.

The Kingsbury Ensemble specializes in music of the Baroque and Classical periods, employing historically accurate practices and instruments and performing in acoustically appropriate settings. Maryse Carlin, instructor in harpsichord and piano in the Department of Music in Arts & Sciences, directs the ensemble, which frequently draws performers from across the United States.

The performance will include three concertos by Vivaldi: the concerto for flute known as “The Goldfinch”; a double concerto for violin and cello; and the concerto madrigalesco for strings. Soloists are Paul Thompson, flute; Sarah Edgerton, cello; and Patricia Ahern, violin. Both Thompson and Edgerton are on faculty in the Department of Music at Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau. Ahern is a member of Tafelmusik, the acclaimed early music ensemble based in Toronto.

Also on the program are two vocal works by Vivaldi: Salve regina for soprano and strings and the motet O qui coeli terraeque for soprano, with cello and harpsichord. Soloists are Jessica Heuser and Christine Johnson, respectively. Both hold master’s degrees in vocal performance from Washington University.

The program concludes with the evening’s featured work, Bach’s Concerto in D minor for harpsichord and strings, BWV 1052, with Carlin as soloist.