Saint Joseph Symphony to host Baroque Chamber Concert
Jan. 26—When the Saint Joseph Symphony was planning out its 2021-22 season, it wanted its Chamber Concerts to offer something different.
The latest show will be something managing director Lori McAlister said hasn't happened in St. Joseph.
"It's not even just a different style of music, but they actually are playing baroque instruments. So it'll be a really authentic experience," she said.
Playing "Pasticcio" with the Kansas City Baroque Consortium, the concert will be a celebration of music from the 17th and 18th centuries. It will be held at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 30, at Ashland United Methodist Church, 2711 Ashland Ave.
Highlighting the works of composers like Johann Sebastian Bach, Arcangelo Corelli and Giuseppe Tartini, the performance is a collaboration between KC Baroque Consortium members Rob Patterson, Monty Carter, Trilla Ray-Carter, and Nicholas Good.
With Patterson and Carter being members of the Saint Joseph Symphony, McAlister said there was interest in having them, along with the other members of the consortium, show off their talents on a St. Joseph stage.
"They'll (be playing) stringed instruments like the baroque violin, baroque cello and harpsichord," she said. "It will give some folks who may be familiar to people in St. Joe a chance to shine in a whole 'nother way."
Formed in 2017, the group aims at highlighting the depth and nuance of baroque music.
"Why do we go back? Because there are certain advantages to the modern changes (to instruments). They've made playing easier. The instruments are more stable and less sensitive to changes in in temperature and humidity and they make a bigger sound," Ray-Carter said.
There's something about the sensitivity to baroque instruments that the group loves.
"By stepping back and and playing this music on these instruments, there's a sound world that's revealed to us that's quite different than how modern players play Bach or modern players play Corelli. So it's really quite a fascinating exploration. It's like stepping back in time," Ray-Carter said.
The concert continues the symphony's goal of shifting the expectations and possibilities of what a show can achieve. Along with new director Christopher Kelts, McAlister said they're excited to move in a different direction.
"We're just wanting to look at some of these things and think, 'How can we do them differently?' 'How can we offer something that we haven't offered before?' And most importantly, I think, 'How can we collaborate more closely with these really talented players we have, and give them a chance to really shine?'" she said.
Ray-Carter hopes the audience will be entertained traveling back in time and get swept up in the music.
"I hope they enjoy stepping back and into this sort of museum world and hearing it come alive. I think it creates a wonderful opportunity to connect on this continuum of what was happening then and what we experience now," she said.
Tickets are $30 and can be purchased by calling 816-233-7701, visiting saintjosephsymphony.org or visiting the Symphony office at 120 S. Eighth St.
Andrew Gaug can be reached at andrew.gaug@newspressnow.com.
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