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The Evelyn Dunbar Memorial Early Music Festival combines informed performance and scholarly inquiry.
Since its founding in 1996, the festival has provided exceptional opportunities for performers to prepare important masterworks with the guidance of leading scholars. Each festival has included masterclasses, pre-concert presentations, and lectures.
Established through the generous support of Ruth Dunbar Davee and her husband, Ken M. Davee, the festival was named in memory of Ruth’s sister, Evelyn Dunbar, who was an enthusiastic participant in early music ensembles at Northwestern. Mrs. Davee earned her MA in 1937 and her PhD in English Literature in 1942, graduating with honors from Northwestern University’s Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences. After her husband’s death in 1998, Mrs. Davee took over as president of The Davee Foundation. She was a member of the Bienen School of Music Advisory Board. Mrs. Davee died on April 19, 2011, at the age of 99.
Joachim Schamberger, director
Stephen Alltop, conductor
Alison DeSimone, guest scholar
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Bienen Contemporary/Early Vocal Ensemble, faculty and guests
Donald Nally, conductor
Kerry McCarthy, guest scholar
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Bienen Contemporary/Early Vocal Ensemble and Callipygian Players
Donald Nally, conductor
Stephen Spinelli, guest scholar
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Northwestern University Opera Theater
Joachim Schamberger, director
Stephen Alltop, conductor
Jeffrey Kurtzman, guest scholar
Panel discussion: Drew Davies, Jeffrey Kurtzman, Linda Austern, and Jason Rosenholtz-Witt
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Handel’s Theodora
Northwestern University Opera Theater
Joachim Schamberger, director
Stephen Alltop, conductor
Panel discussion and pre-concert talks: Ellen T. Harris, Jesse Rosenberg, and Drew Davies
Alice Millar Spring Festival Concert: The Young Handel
Alice Millar Chapel Choir and Baroque Music Ensemble
Stephen Alltop, conductor
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The Callipygian Players
Bienen Contemporary/Early Vocal Ensemble
Donald Nally, conductor
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Piffaro, The Renaissance band
Bienen Contemporary/Early Vocal Ensemble
Donald Nally, conductor
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(Continued Below)
Handel’s "Alcina" (2023)
William Byrd (Fall 2022)
The Road to Bach (Winter 2022)
"Orfeo Remote" (2020)
"Orfeo Remote" (2020)
Handel’s "Theodora" (2018)
Handel’s "Theodora" (2018)
Handel’s "Messiah" (2016)
Monteverdi's "L'Incoronazione di Poppea"
Piccinni’s "La Buona Figliola" (2006)
Monteverdi's "Vespro della Beata Vergine" (2004)
Monteverdi master class with Jeffrey Kurtzman (2004)
Northwestern University Opera Theater
Stephen Alltop, conductor
Michael M. Ehrman, director
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Stephen Alltop, conductor
David Douglass, concertmaster; The Newberry Consort
Jonathan Glixon, guest scholar
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Stephen Alltop, conductor
David Douglass, concertmaster; The Newberry Consort
Wendy Heller, guest scholar
Alice Millar Chapel Choir and Baroque Music Ensemble
Stephen Alltop, conductor
Noel Koran, stage director
James Turner, guest scholar
Dinko Fabris, guest scholar
Stephen Alltop, conductor
Ingrid Matthews, guest performer (violin)
Kathryn Montoya, guest performer (oboe)
Carl Schalk, guest scholar
Stephen Alltop, conductor
David Douglass, concertmaster; The Newberry Consort
Jeffrey Kurtzman, guest scholar
Stephen Alltop, conductor
Elizabeth Blumenstock, guest concertmaster
Ellen Hargis, guest performer (soprano); The Newberry Consort
Stephen Alltop, conductor
A. Peter Brown, guest scholar
Diane Heffner, guest performer (clarinet)
Charles Kaufmann, guest performer (bassoon)
Marilyn McDonald, guest concertmaster
The Newberry Consort, Bienen School’s ensemble-in-residence
Stephen Alltop, conductor
Stanley King, guest performer (oboe)
Kenneth Slowik, guest conductor/scholar
The ensemble Sequentia performed the Viking saga Edda Eins, cosponsored by the Goethe-Institut Chicago.
Benjamin Bagby, guest lecturer
Newberry Consort
Northwestern’s Early Music Ensemble
Joshua Rifkin, musicologist and conductor
Charles Garth, baroque dance expert
Newberry Consort