Chatham Baroque
Scott Pauley, theorbo
Patricia Halverson, viola da gamba
Andrew Fouts, baroque violin


"Was that a funky blues chord amid the splendor of Chatham Baroque's season opener? It was that and more, as Saturday night's concert at Synod Hall signaled a decidedly adventurous path"
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"Chatham Baroque is one of the most spectacularly gifted and innovative of all the groups in this American wave of talent." CD Now

"Colorful virtuosity...Chatham Baroque gave zesty accounts of a group of Spanish dances."
The New York Times

"Chatham Baroque rocks, dude."
San Antonio Express-News

"[Chatham Baroque] jammed its way through a program of Scottish music. It was a gem of a performance." The Post and Courier, Charleston, South Carolina

"... even their quiet
playing is extremely well-projected. Indeed, this music is
well-served by being performed with such backbone... each section is
vividly characterized, yet one also gets a strong sense of the work as a
whole, with each movement flowing inevitably into the next...Very strongly recommended."
Gramophone

"...a marvelous co-production by Chatham Baroque and the Renaissance & Baroque Society.... Throughout the night, violinist Julie Andrijeski led her Chatham Baroque colleagues and other musicians wonderfully (she also provided the dance choreography). The warm, active sound pushed the evening forward -- no tepid period performance this."
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"[Chatham Baroque] jammed its way through a program of Scottish music. It was a gem of a performance."
The Post and Courier, Charleston

"This is well-performed, enjoyable music in a one-hundred percent Latin American version."
Goldberg Magazine

"Stylistic, technically accomplished, and musical..."
Columbus Dispatch

"Theorbo player Scott Pauley, is a brilliant young artist ...Pauley showed a complete mastery of his long-necked instrument, with particularly striking use of its deep bass notes." The Washington Post


THE MUSICIANS OF CHATHAM BAROQUE

Julie Andrijeski (baroque violin)

Patricia Halverson (viola da gamba)

Scott Pauley (lute, theorbo, and baroque guitar)

Glowing reviews of Chatham Baroque's latest CD, Henry Purcell: Sonatas and Theatre Music have recently appeared in international journals Gramophone: The Classical Music Magazine and Goldberg Early Music Magazine as well as in the quarterly publications of Chamber Music America and Early Music America.

The Chicago Tribune hails Chatham Baroque as "a splendid period-instruments ensemble". New programs for the core instrumentalists -- Andrew Fouts, baroque violin, Patricia Halverson, viola da gamba, and Scott Pauley, theorbo -- along with special guests and programs with baroque dancers make this a versatile and exciting band. For a PDF of 2009/10 season tour programs, click here.

The Washington Post notes that "...music of Johann Hieronymus Kapsberger showed off the group's natural dynamic and each member's gifts. Pauley's sure-handed playing came to the forefront through the multi-voiced lines and accelerating rhythms of the folklike "Colascione." In the heavy-footed dance "Canario," Pauley then laid the foundation for Halverson's earthy, exacting work, which in turn set up Fouts's mellifluous sound and sensitive style." (4/9/08)

Critics from coast to coast have penned the words "exciting", "distinguished", "authentic", "fun" and "classy" to describe Chatham Baroque. This period instrument ensemble is comprised of virtuosos devoted to musicologically informed performances of a wide range of baroque repertoire. Their engaging stage manner and well-crafted programs make for excellent concerts and recordings.

Chatham Baroque maintains a busy touring schedule and offers a busy season of concerts on their one of Dorian Records hottest sellers (their "Espanoleta" CD spent four weeks on Amazon.com's Top-20 list). Bringing early music alive in performance and on disc, their concerts and innovative educational programming have won them wide acclaim. The group was honored as "Breakthrough Artist of the Year" by National Public Radio and NARM (the National Association of Recording Merchandisers). Upcoming concert program options include "The Scotch Humour" featuring virtuosic works of Nicola Matteis; "Sol y Sombra" which explores the diversity of music from baroque Latin America (with all it's mix of rhythm and spice); "La Belle Danse" an array of dance tunes from the elegant French court of Louis XIV to the taverns of England and the exquisite palaces of Peru; and "Espanoleta", Tarantelas, Chaconas and Folias featured in a rousing program of music from Spain with guest percussion and harp.


What the Critics Say:

"Chatham Baroque is masterful...The ensemble plays with great tonal beauty and stands up to any ensemble from across the Atlantic."
Early Music America

"The ensemble members demonstrated how scholarship, technique and spontaneity can meet in performances of vitality and expressive subtlety...Thematic strands received elegant definition, dotted rhythms fairly danced, pungent harmonies were savored and ornaments were applied with deft assurance."
Pittsburgh Press

"[Chatham Baroque's] performances are totally delightful, full of energy and feeling..." Journal of the Southern California Early Music Society