Italy in Full Bloom

Please join us on Friday evening, April 17 at 7:30 for a program from the Italian Baroque. You'll get to hear Vivaldi, Castello, Strozzi, Gluck, Sammartini, Molter, and Bach!

Allison Willet, Director

Margaret Carpenter, Soprano

Kelly Nivison Roudabush, Lindsay Leach Sparks, Flutes

Thomas Turanchik, Oboe

Allison Willet, Belinda Swanson, Thomas LaJoie, Violins

Suzanne Rousso, Viola

Charlie Rasmussen, Leigh Rudner, Violoncellos

Susan Bates, Harpsichord

Italy in the spring

On April 19, 2013, at 7:30pm, GEM will be performing music from baroque Italy. You'll get to enjoy music by Barbara Strozzi, Albinoni, Telemann, and Vivaldi! If you remember our Christmas concert in 2011, Andy Bonner performed Winter from The Four Seasons Concerti, and this April, Allison Willet will perform the Spring concerto from the same set!
Our concert will take place in the Leak Chapel of West Market Street UMC in downtown Greensboro. See you there!

Renaissance GEM

We hope to see you on Saturday, January 12, 2013, for Twelfth Night in downtown Greensboro at the Elm Street Center! GEM is performing at 2:00, and the Charlotte Waites will perform during the Queen of Hearts Ball at 7:00.
http://twelfthnight.atlantia.sca.org/

GEM for Christmas

The Christmas season is here! Let's celebrate with the brilliance of oboes and flutes in Bach's cantata, "Now Come, Savior"! Let's relish in the warmth of strings in Buxtehude's cantata, "The New Born Child." Listen as we raise our voices high with jubilant carols. This will be a concert unlike any other this Christmas!

Calendar update

Our next concert will be Dec. 14, 2012 at 7:30 in the Leak Chapel of West Market Street United Methodist Church. We look forward to celebrating Christmas with baroque oboes and baroque flutes in addition to our usual strings and voices!

And then, something new is happening in 2013! GEM has been invited to participate in Greensboro's Twelfth Night event! We will be garbed in Renaissance costumes to perform on Saturday, January 12, 2013 from 2:00-3:30pm at the Elm Street Center. Come enjoy a recreation of the court of Henry VIII with costumes, food, music and dancing!

Our spring concert date has changed to Friday, April 19, 2013, 7:30pm.

Please look for our new videos on youtube from our Moravian concert in October!

GEM Chorus directed by James Bates:

Margie Baker, Tandy Brown, David Clark, William Markham, Joann Martinson, 

Michelle Miller, William Snedden, Laura Worst, Claire Wright

Allison Willet, Andy Bonner, violins

Charlie Rasmussen, cello

Kelly Nivison-Roudabush, flute

James Bates, William Snedden, harpsichord

Moravian Music and More!

Last spring, a very studious girl scout and her mother approached me with an idea. Caroline and Lydian Averitt are Moravian and wanted to start a project in which music by Moravian composers was brought to a larger audience. The idea was that Caroline would research Moravian composers from the Baroque era who had music at the Moravian Music Foundation, located in Winston-Salem, NC. And then Greensboro Early Music could perform the music on original instruments.

So far the plan is coming together splendidly! I was able to visit the foundation and meet it's director, Nola Knouse. Nola was wonderful in leading us through the incredible archives there. We did indeed find 2 pieces to perform on our October concert: a string quintet by Johann Friederick Peter and a string trio by Johann Daniel Grimm. Susan Bates, GEM's harpsichordist extraordinaire, will also perform a prelude for harpsichord by Christian Ignatius Latrobe. 

On October 5 at 7:30, you will get to hear a short lecture by Caroline beforehand, as well as enjoy a reception afterwards. I look forward to seeing you there!

Season Schedule

Please put our 2012-2013 concert schedule on your calendar so you don't miss one!

The Moravians come to Greensboro!
Moravian Music and More
October 5, 2012, 7:30pm

GEM Christmas!
December 14, 2012, 7:30pm

Glorious Easter
April 5, 2013, 7:30pm

Our spring concert is tomorrow!

This carol they began that hour,
With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino,
How that life was but a flower	15
In the spring time, the only pretty ring time,
When birds do sing, hey ding a ding, ding;
Sweet lovers love the spring.

Don't forget to come out tomorrow night. There will be a surprise on the program, and I think you'll like it!

Concert April 21, 7:30pm

GEM would like to announce our next concert which will be April 21, 2012, 7:30pm at the Leak Chapel in West Market United Methodist Church.

We have a very exciting program that includes solos, duets, trios, instrumental and vocal. You'll get to hear your favorite GEM musicians like Susan Bates and Laura Dawalt, as well as see some new faces.

Please join us for an evening of lovely chamber music from the 17th century!

YouTube Videos

GEM now has quite a few videos on YouTube. Check out our October 14, 2011 concert recording. A favorite is "Damigella Tutta Bella." I think you'll find that it's really energetic and joyous!

"Erbarme Dich" is one of my personal favorites and I was pleased and honored to get to perform it. This one is beautiful in a somber and melancholy way. The soloist is Clara O'Brien, professor at UNCG.

"Piangero" was a beautiful solo by Margaret Carpenter from our concert on January 15, 2011.

Please share and enjoy!

A Very Baroque Christmas!

It's this Friday! December 16, 8pm! Leak Chapel, West Market United Methodist Church

Get ready for GEM's first Christmas concert, with the Christmas Concerto Grosso by Corelli, a Christmas Cantata by Bach and one by Buchner,  as well as carols by Charpentier, Schein and Schutz!

And our exciting feature: Winter from Vivaldi's Four Seasons with baroque violin soloist Andy Bonner.

Another first will be a wonderful reception after the concert, please come and enjoy culinary delights (also historically informed) provided by Mary Ellen Watson.

Free admission as always, and donations are accepted.

GEM begins a 3rd season!

Thanks to those of you who have been attending our concerts in the past 2 years! We are so pleased to have the opportunity to play for you.

Our next concert will be on Friday, October 14 at 8pm. West Market UMC continues to be a wonderful host, so we will again perform in their lovely Leak Chapel on Commerce Place.

Regular GEM members Laura Dewalt, Susan Bates, and Dan Smith will be performing solos for us, and we have a couple of new musicians to add to our ensemble this Fall: Erica Dunkle and Barbara Krumdieck!

North Carolina Baroque Orchestra

I would like to introduce you to a new ensemble! The North Carolina Baroque Orchestra, made up of musicians from all around, will be playing a series of 3 concerts this week. And you will recognize a couple people from GEM!

On Friday, August 12 at 8pm, there will be a concert in Davidson, NC, at the Davidson College Presbyterian Church.

Saturday, August 13 at 7pm, we will be playing in Durham, NC, at The Forest at Duke.

And finally Sunday August 14 at 3pm, the group will head to Greenville, NC to perform at the Tipsy Teapot!

All performances are free, donations will be accepted.

The Passion of Bach

Please join us for a Lenten Meditation with masterworks by J.S. Bach!
Friday, March 25, 2011 at 8:00pmLeak Chapel at West Market United Methodist Church on Commerce Place, Greensboro, NC.

Performers new to GEM will include UNCG Faculty members Clara O'Brien and Kailan Rubinoff! We will also hear from soloists David Clark, Laura Dawalt, and Allison Willet, as well as the rest of the regular GEM gang.

Artistic Director: Allison Willet
Choral Director: Jim Bates

Come be a part of this amazing music performed on authentic early instruments including Viola D'Amore, Baroque Violin, Baroque Viola, Baroque Flute, Viola da Gamba, Lute, and Harpsichord!

GEM Solos and Madrigals

Come hear soloists Jason McKinney, Margaret Carpenter, Laura Dewalt, Dan Smith, Susan Bates, Allison Bursey and Andy Bonner!

And to end the concert, a series of madrigals sung by Morgan Soja, Emily Byrne, Corey Bellis, Margaret Carpenter, Laura Dewalt, Lindell Carter, Jim Bates, David Clark, and Brett Nolker!

We will be performing in the Leak Chapel of
West Market United Methodist Church on
Friday February 18 at 8pm.
Put in on your calendar now so you don't miss it!

Don't forget, it's FREE so bring your family and friends to enjoy an evening of wonderful and seldom-heard music. We can't wait to see you there!

GEM at West Market

We would like to invite you to join GEM at our new home, the chapel of West Market United Methodist Church!

We will be performing sacred baroque works by J.S. Bach, Buxtehude, Schutz, Hammerschmidt and Erlebach on
Saturday, October 16, 7:30pm

Performers to include:
Morgan Soja, Lindell Carter, David Clark, Jim Bates, Winnona Borawski, Margaret Carpenter, Valerie Davidson, Maggie Schwenker, Corey Bellis, Voices.
Allison Bursey, Sarah Huener, Violins.
Dan Smith, Viol.
Susan Bates, Harpsichord.

Free admission, donations welcome! Thank you for your support of local early music!

GEM Core Quartet

If you missed our April concert, fear not! The quartet is performing again, this time at Main Street Baptist Church in Kernersville.

The core players are Allison Bursey, Andy Bonner, Emily Yun Wang, and Leigh Rudner.

We will be playing the fantasies and fugues from the April concert, and we're adding Mozart's Eine Kleine Nachtmusik quartet.

May 15, 2010 1:00 PM
Main Street Baptist Church
126 North Main Street
Kernersville, NC

We look foward to seeing you there!

Merry Month of Maying

Get ready!

Greensboro Early Music is putting on its second concert! Please support us while learning about early English music.

Listen to fantastic Fantasies by Byrd, Gibbons and Jenkins. Fugues from the Art of the Fugue by none other than J.S. Bach. A duet with the Gatherer of Voices Jim Bates and the Marvelous Margie Baker, accompanied by the Killer Continuo Team, Randy Perryman and Dan Smith. The program will end with the masterful Madrigals by Byrd and Morley!

Other performers showcased will be Allison Bursey, Andy Bonner, Emily Yun Wang, Leigh Rudner, Winnona Borawski, David Clark, Dan Smith, Randy Perryman, Carolyn Coolidge, and last but not least, Belinda Novik!

All of our musicians are from North Carolina, so please come and show your support for our local music!

Saturday, April 24, 4:00 pm
21o5 St. Andrew's Episcopal Church
West Market Street, Greensboro, NC

Map to the church

Admission is free, Donations will be gratefully accepted!

I can't wait to see you there!

First GEM concert

What is Greensboro Early Music?

We're a group of musicians who believe in performing the music of earlier eras in a way that draws energy, vitality, and dynamism from historical tools and methods. In other words, we play old music in old ways on old instruments--and it sounds like new! GEM is mostly composed of people affiliated with UNC-Greensboro, and formed in a vacuum left when a promising Early Music program there fell victim to budget cuts.

Our very first concert is entirely by Telemann. The program will include two Fantasias for solo violin, and trio sonatas for two violins, violin and oboe, and two violins in scordatura.

Our performers for this concert are:

• Allison Bursey, Andy Bonner, and Leah Peroutka: violin
• Tom Turanchik: oboe
• Travis Hodgdon: harpsichord
• Leigh Rudner: cello

WHEN: Monday, Nov. 9.

• 4:45 Pre-concert lecture by Emily Yun Wang
• 5:30 concert

WHERE: Organ Hall, Music Building, UNCG

• directions to the Music Building
• To Organ Hall:
• From the parking garage, enter the main door of the music building.
• Turn left and go down a long hallway.
• When the hallway opens into a large atrium, climb a few stairs to enter the round brick room you see on your left. (If you need handicap access, there is also an entrance on this level.)