Judith Conrad, forte piano, and the Delight Consort

Judith Conrad with the Delight Consort (Paul Ukleja, Cornett, Recorder, Irish Tinwhistle, Otto Guzman, Cello, Cornett and Recorder Frank Fitzpatrick, Recorder, Sackbutt) present a program of late 18th c. genre of music for piano with instrumental accompaniment, including  works of C.F. Fischer, W. Williams, W.A. Mozart and J.C. Bach, at the Loring Greenough House, on Sunday, April 21, 2013, at 3:00 p.m., at the historic Loring-Greenough House, 12 South Street, Jamaica Plain MA.

This concert will welcome home the reconditioned box forte piano. The Forte Piano at the Loring-greenough House was made in London in 1790 by the firm of Longman and Bropirp. Since its 1999 restoration, when it was displayed as part of the Boston Early Music Festival, the forte piano has been featured annually in the Sunday Afternoon at the ‘Greenough House parlor concert series. For the past season, it has been in the workshop of Tim Hamilton, who originally restored it in 1999. Now, it is back at the Loring-Greenough House for us all to enjoy.

Meet the artists at afternoon tea following the program.

The Sunday Afternoon at the ‘Greenough House series recreates the atmosphere of 18th and 19th century “musical afternoons” in the 1760 Loring-Greenough House, twice monthly, October to May. Tickets are available at the door: donation $15 ($10 seniors, students and JPTC members). Space is limited; reservations are suggested—call 617-524-3158 or email lghouseconcerts@aim.com.

The Delight Consort, founded in 1992, was named for the flagship of an expedition founded by Sir Humphrey Gilbert in 1583 to search for a northwest passage through North America to China (via the St. Laurence River!). He brought along with him from England a fabulous assortment of “Landlubberly musicians” with which to entertain the natives along the way,and beguile them into giving up their riches. Unfortunately, the musicians also beguiled the captain into failing to reef the sails when a violent storm blew up, and it was reported from the companion ships that “like the swan that singeth before her death, they continued in sounding the trumpets with drums and fifes. Also winding the cornetts and hautboys, and in the end their jollity left with the ringing of doleful knells” as the Delight rammed onto the rocks, August 29th, 1583.

Frank Fitzpatrick, here playing recorders and sackbutt, has a BS in Music from Rhode Island College and teaches music in a school for autistic children. He lives in Cranston.

Otto Guzman, a native of Guatemala now living in Pawtucket, is the principle cellist in the Fall River Symphony. He is playing cello, cornetto and recorder today but also plays viol, sackbutt and lute. He has built many of his own instruments, including the cornett he is playing today.

Paul Ukleja, a retired physics professor at the University of Massachusetts — Dartmouth, has been in the Delight Consort since its inception in 1992. He is playing recorders, IrishWhistle and cornetto today. He lives in New Bedford. He also plays trumpet, flugelhorn and penny whistle and plays with, among other groups, the New Era Jazz Band (Bristol, RI), the Strathspey and Reel Society of New Hampshire, and the Leeds Waites (Yorkshire, UK).

Judith Conrad studied piano with International Concert Pianist Theodore Lettvin in Boston, and with Freeman Koberstein at Oberlin Conservatory, and holds a degree from Harvard University. She has recently played at the Cabezon500 festival in Almeria, Spain. She is Organist/Choir Director at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Kingston RI. A specialist in early music and performer on clavichord and harpsichord, she is the Founder/Director of the Delight Consort and of the Fall River Fipple Fluters, an amateur recorder-playing group. She is also the originator of the conceit “Clavichordists for World Peace”. For further information call (508)674-6128, write to her at 106 Warburton St. Fall River MA 02720 or e-mail judithconrad@mindspring.com.

Built in 1760, the Loring-Greenough House, a local landmark listed on the Massachusetts and National Registers of Historic Places, is located at 12 South Street (at the Civil War Monument) in Jamaica Plain, MA. It is owned and managed by the non-profit Jamaica Plain Tuesday Club, Inc. as a historic house museum and site for art and music presentations. The Loring-Greenough House is wheelchair accessible. For more information on the Loring-Greenough House, see www.loring-greenough.org.

For reservations or directions, call (617)524-3158, or email  lghouseconcerts@aim.com.

Upcoming, the final concert in this season:
 May 5:  The Alturas Duo: recognized as one of the most engaging ensembles performing in the chamber music world today. The only group of its kind, the Duo was formed with the idea of playing South American and classical music by bringing together the unusual combination of the viola, charango and guitar, and in doing so, creating passionate music that moves at ease between the Baroque, South American folk rhythms and new pieces written especially for the Duo.