Cal Poly Arts Brings Aulos Ensemble in Baroque Concert April 11

SAN LUIS OBISPO, CALIFORNIA – The New York Times declared that the five-member Aulos Ensemble delivered “authentic Baroque performance at its best.”

On Tuesday, April 11, 2006 at 8 p.m. in the Christopher Cohan Center, the Aulos Ensemble expands its roster to create the Aulos Chamber Orchestra – almost two dozen masters performing Baroque masterpieces, including Handel’s “Water Music Suite in F Major” and Bach’s “Brandenburg Concerto No. 5.”

Formed in 1973 by five graduates of the Juilliard School, the Aulos Ensemble was at the forefront of a movement that has captured the imagination of the American listening public. The group’s artistic intelligence -- based on informed scholarly insight -- along with an uncompromising standard of excellence has resulted in invitations from virtually all of America’s major chamber music presenters.

Their performances have helped to create a new appreciation of the rich rewards of “original instrument” performance and have earned admiration from America’s most respected critics, who call Aulos concerts “scintillating,” “virtuosic,” and “rare and delightful.”

In addition to an extensive touring schedule, the Aulos Ensemble created its own concert series in New York City. Featuring collaborations with leading artists in authentic performance from both the United States and Europe, the Aulos Ensemble has welcomed harpsichordists Trevor Pinnock and Albert Fuller, violinists Jaap Schroeder and Stanley Richie, cellist Anner Bylsma, oboist Michel Piguet, and vocalists Jan de Gaetani, Bethany Beardslee, Charles Bressler, Julianne Baird, Sanford Sylvan, and Dawn Upshaw.

Across the country, the Aulos Ensemble’s holiday concert tours and “Baroque Christmas” recording have become an essential part of holiday celebrations. At home in New York, the Aulos Ensemble performs a special Christmas concert annually, frequently in the magical setting of the Medieval Sculpture Court at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The Aulos Ensemble’s first recording, released on the Musical Heritage Society label in 1981, was heralded as one of the most accomplished and significant observances of the Telemann tercentenary, receiving the “Critic’s Choice” award from High Fidelity/Musical America magazine.

Since then, the Aulos Ensemble has released more than a dozen CDs on the MHS label, including 2-CD sets of Bach, Handel, and Vivaldi, as well a the complete “Essercizii Musici” of Telemann on five discs.

The Aulos Ensemble can also be heard frequently on National Public Radio.

In conjunction with its concerts, the Aulos Ensemble has given numerous master classes and lecture demonstrations in 17th and 18th-century performance practice at colleges and universities throughout the country.

A pre-show lecture will be presented by Cal Poly Music Dept. faculty member Alyson McLamore at 7 p.m. in the Philips Recital Hall.

Tickets for the performance range from $32 - $44, with student discounts available, and may be purchased at the Performing Arts Ticket Office, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays. To order by phone, call 805/756-2787; to order by fax: 805/756-6088. Order on-line at www.pacslo.org.

Sponsored by American Airlines/American Eagle and KCBX 90.1 FM

For audio and video samples of Cal Poly Arts events, visit www.calpolyarts.org.

- 30 -