Baroque Summer

Each year, Simon Murphy and members of the NDA coach and lead a project with amateur musicians as part of the "Baroque Summer" initiative. Established in 2002, this highly successful "Community Art" initiative was expanded in 2009 to include a "Baroque Winter" project.

Each project involves personal preparation on the part of the amateur musicians involved, followed by an intense, two week exploration and rehearsal period with the whole orchestra (around 40 amateur musicians) which results in a number of public performances in Amsterdam and The Hague.

Caroline Kang Cello Baroque Summer 2009          Caroline Kang Baroque Summer 2009 1

The initiative is one way in which the musical knowledge and new repertoire developed/discovered by the NDA's Research Lab is shared with one part of the broader musical community. Repertoire explored and performed in the Baroque Summer and Winter projects to date has included newly re-discovered works by Graaf, Zappa, Stamitz and Wranitzky as well as more well known, classic repertoire by Mozart, Haydn, Cimarosa and Mendelssohn. In the projects, particular attention is paid to exploring the musical language and aesthetic of a particular style, composer or group of composers.

The programmes often feature a NDA soloist performing a concerto work with the Baroque Summer/Winter orchestra. In the Baroque Summer of 2009, NDA cellist Caroline Kang (pictured) performed Haydn's Cello Concerto in C and Zappa's Adagio for Cello and Orchestra.

2010

The Baroque Summer of 2010 saw NDA flautist Georgia Browne perform Mozart's Concerto for Flute and Orchestra in G with the 2010 Baroque Summer orchestra. Also on the programme was Boccherini's Symphony in D, the WF Bach Adagio and Fugue in d and Reichardt's Symphony in G. The programme received two public performances. Firstly in an informal, family concert event at Den Haag's Zuiderstrand - Strandtent De Fuut - and secondly at the Engelse Kerk (Bagijnhof) in Amsterdam on Sunday the 8th of August 2010. 

2011

Baroque Winter 2011 culminated in a concert performance on January 23 2011 at Amsterdam's historic Waalse Kerk. The programme featured Beethoven's 2nd Symphony, Mendelssohn's Midsummer Night's Dream Overture and Cimarosa's Oboe Concerto with Australian Baroque Oboist Amy Power as soloist. During the rehearsal period, Swedish historical dance master Kaj Sylegard gave a "hands-on" workshop looking at dances from the period (late 18th century/early 19th century). 

Baroque Summer 2011 took place in early August 2011 with two performances in the weekend of 6-7 August: an informal, family performance on the beach in The Hague (Strandtent De Fuut, Zuiderstrand) on the afternoon of Saturday 6th of August commencing at 13:00 and a more formal concert performance at the Engelse Kerk in Amsterdam on the afternoon of Sunday 7th of August commencing at 15:15. The Baroque Summer 2011 programme centres around Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante in E Flat, with violinist Stephen Freeman and violist Simon Murphy in the solo roles, together with Symphonies by C.F. Abel and J.C. Bach. Completing the programme is Joseph Schmitt's Concerto for two flutes and orchestra. 

2012

Baroque Winter 2012 will take place with formal and informal performances in Amsterdam and The Hague the weekend of 20-22 January. The programme includes Beethoven's 3rd Symphony and Mendelssohn's 2nd Piano Concerto with soloist Shuann Chai. 

For inquiries about current and upcoming Baroque Summer and Baroque Winter programmes and for more information on the rehearsal periods and schedules please visit the players' website simonade