Early Music Wednesdays: The Solo Theorbo (December 7-14, 2022)

Artists

Paul Holmes Morton, Theorbo

Adam Cockerham, Theorbo

Joshua Stauffer, Theorbo

Program

Program Details: https://musicivic.net/mc21-0001

Recast from a Musicast first premiered in January 2021

Prelude & Allemande

Charles Hurel

Paul Holmes Morton, Theorbo

Selections by Kapsberger

Adam Cockerham, Theorbo

Selections by Alessandro Piccinini

Adam Cockerham, Theorbo

Theorbo Suite in C minor

Robert DeVisee

Josh Stauffer, Theorbo

Performance Times

Premieres on Wednesday, June 15 at 7:30 pm as a part of "Early Music Wednesdays" series and available on demand for a week.

About the Artists

Lutenist, theorbist, banjoist, guitarist, lyricist, composer, arranger, historical archeologist, soloist, chamber musician; the music of Paul Holmes Morton is defined less by genre than by a fascination with history, a cultivation of creativity, and a belief that music once born does not die or grow old. With a technical pallet of colors ranging from the Florentine Camerata to modern Americana, Paul follows the thread of resonant evolution, his interpretations and performances stained with the resin left by countless musics present and not yet passed.

Early music artist Adam Cockerham specializes in theorbo, lute and baroque guitar. Beginning his performance career as a classical guitarist, he then gravitated toward historical plucked strings, preferring the collaborative opportunities of chamber music from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. As an accompanist and continuo player, Cockerham has performed with numerous ensembles – Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, Trinity Baroque Orchestra, the Mostly Mozart Festival, Tenet Vocal Artists, Four Nations Ensemble, Artek, New York Baroque Incorporated, New Vintage Baroque, the Academy of Sacred Drama and J415. He founded voice and plucked string duo Jarring Sounds with mezzo-soprano Danielle Reutter-Harrah, and helped form chamber ensemble Voyage Sonique.

Beyond chamber music, Cockerham concentrates on 17th-century Italian opera. He served as assistant conductor for dell’Arte Opera Ensemble’s production of Cavalli’s La Calisto and was involved in numerous modern world premiere performances with companies such as Innsbrucker Festwochen der Alten Musik (Le nozze in sogno) and Ars Minerva (Ermelinda, La Circe, La Cleopatra, Le Amazzoni nelle isole fortunate).

His early training as a performer of modern music on guitar has led to a sub-specialty of new music for old instruments. In addition to commissioning works for solo and chamber music with lute and theorbo, Cockerham performed for the premiere of operas and major works with the Prototype Festival (Pulitzer Prize-winning Angel’s Bone), Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra (The Judas Passion), and Opera Parallèle (Gesualdo).

Cockerham is a doctoral candidate at the Juilliard School after completing a Master of Music degree in Historical Plucked Strings. He also holds Master and Bachelor of Music degrees in Classical Guitar Performance from the San Francisco Conservatory. His discography includes recordings with Jarring Sounds, El Mundo, Artek, Trinity Baroque Orchestra, NOVUS NY, Augusta McKay Lodge, Emi Ferguson + Ruckus and Pacific Guitar Ensemble.

Joshua Stauffer is a restless creative who performs music from over four centuries on a variety of plucked instruments. He began his career as an electric guitarist performing jazz and improvised music, before transitioning to the classical guitar via contemporary works and chamber music. His diverse musical interests converged when he encountered the theorbo, a large lute which performs primarily basso continuo, or improvised accompaniment, in chamber and orchestral works from the 17th and early 18th centuries.

A keen interest in musical collaboration has taken Joshua across the United States and around the globe, including concerts in Thailand, New Zealand, England, France, Switzerland, and Canada. He is a founding member and the executive director of Time Canvas, an ensemble dedicated to performing early music and new compositions on period instruments. Recent orchestral appearances include Early Music New York, The Sebastians, and the Academy of Sacred Drama, and he has performed as a guest artist at the University of Michigan, Notre Dame University, and Utah State University.

Joshua received his Master of Music in historical plucked instruments at The Juilliard School in New York City. Previous studies include a Master of Music in classical guitar in the studio of Jason Vieaux at the Cleveland Institute of Music, and a Bachelor of Music in jazz guitar at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia.