EARLY MUSIC NEW YORK
TO SUSPEND PERFORMANCES
AFTER HISTORIC 48-SEASON RUN
Early Music Foundation and Frederick Renz Will Continue
To Support NYC Historical Performance Activity
EIGHTH NEW YORK EARLY MUSIC CELEBRATION
IN PREPARATION FOR 2024
Frederick Renz, Founder and Director of the Early Music Foundation (EMF) and the performance ensemble Early Music New York (EM/NY), announced at the end of EM/NY’s concert on Saturday, May 13, 2023 that he is stepping back from public performances. No further concerts are planned for EM/NY at this time.
“I have spent more than 50 years in the field of historically informed performance, the last 48 researching and conducting performances with the musicians of Early Music New York,” states Mr. Renz. “After more than 500 performances in New York City, nationwide and on international tours, it is time to take a breath.
“Since the end of World War II, historically informed performance in New York has developed from a fringe activity to occupy an accepted place in the musical life of this city, and I am proud of my part in this progression.”
Mr. Renz continues, “Henceforward my efforts will be focused on continuing to support the field via New York Early Music Central (NYEMC), EMF’s service-to-the-community program. One of NYEMC’s flagship projects is the city-wide New York Early Music Celebration. The first of these took place in 2004, the most recent in October 2019. We are now making plans for the eighth Celebration, to take place in autumn 2024.”
At the concert on May 13, in remarks to the audience, Edward B. Whitney, President of EMF’s Board of Trustees, said:
“On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I would like to acknowledge the unique contribution Frederick Renz has made to the world of early music presentation and scholarship, not just in New York but around the world. The Board also would like to express our thanks to the hundreds of musicians, especially those on stage tonight, who worked with Maestro Renz to bring this unique sound world to life for generations of music lovers.”
He added, “We are grateful to the many individual contributors, private foundations and government agencies whose support is essential. Above all, to 48 years of loyal audiences, including all of you, we want to express our heartfelt thanks.”
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Early Music Foundation has a new series of performance videos by ensemble members on our YouTube channel, supplemented by enlightening discussions by the artists. Here are the most recent; you can find a list of all our video and audio features in our latest newsletter.
Wind instrumentalist Wayne Hankin provides informative background and commentary to accompany four entertaining and colorful performances of medieval music on such historic instruments as hornpipes, vessel flutes, bagpipes and double pipes.
Keyboardist Dongsok Shin introduces the lautenwerck, also known as a lute-harpsichord, very likely the instrument for which J.S. Bach composed most of the works we have come to know as lute music. He follows his remarks with a performance of Bach's Prelude, Fugue and Allegro in
E-Flat, BWV 998.
Cellist and gambist Sarah Abigael Stone curates and comments upon a series of split-screen videos of Bach Chorales in which she plays all the parts on various cellos, gambas and assorted percussion instruments.
