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American Handel Festival set in Danville

February 23, 2009

At the end of this week, scholars, musicians and enthusiasts of the composer George Frideric Handel (16851759) from across the United States and England will arrive at Centre College to celebrate the semiannual American Handel Festival.

This festival is of particular significance, occurring as it does on the 250th anniversary of the composer's death. The three-day conference will include performances, conference-paper sessions and other lectures, and presentations by world-renowned musicians and scholars. The performances are open to the public, and attendance at all events is open to any member of the public who registers for the conference.

On Friday night, there will be a free recital featuring organist and harpsichordist Schuyler Robinson performing a variety of keyboard music at The Presbyterian Church, 500 W. Main St. Robinson will be joined by two Centre musicians: trumpter Vince diMartino and flautist Jana Flygstad. The approximately one-hour program will include a suite based on Handel's beloved Water Music, an organ concerto, a harpsichord suite, and a flute sonata. It begins at 7:30.

Saturday night features a performance of the ode L'Allegro, il Penseroso, ed it Moderato, which Handel set to an adaptation of poetry by John Milton. Organized under the direction of Barabara Hall and conducted by Steve Pederson, it will feature a variety of vocal soloists, ranging from professional singers to Centre alumni and faculty and current students. They will be performing some of Handel's loveliest arias and choruses.

An informative pre-concert lecture by the highly-acclaimed Ruth Smith will be held beginning at 7 p.m. in Weisiger Theatre, and the performance itself begins at 8 p.m. at the Norton Center for the Art's Newlin Hall. Tickets can be purchased from the Norton Centre box office by calling (877) 448-7469 or logging on at www.nortoncenter.com.

The festival will close with a performance by the celebrated Philadelphia-based Tempesta di Mare, which will perform an all-Handel program on period instruments Sunday afternoon at the Norton Centre's Weisiger Theatre. The performance begins at 3 p.m., and tickets are available through the Norton Center box office.

Anyone with interest in attending the conference paper sessions or lectures, or who would like any more information about the festival or the Handel society more generally, can contact assistant professor of music Nathan Link at (859) 238-5430 or nathan.link@centre.edu.

A full schedule of events is available on the Internet at http://web.centre.edu/achs2009.

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