Credit: Scott Rappaport/UC Santa Cruz
“Baroque music opens the world of historic sound, and can lead both musician and audience on countless voyages of musical discovery,” says UC Santa Cruz music professor Linda Burman-Hall.
Four decades ago, she founded the Santa Cruz Baroque Festival and today it's still going strong.
This Saturday, Feb. 8, the Santa Cruz Chamber of Commerce will celebrate the organization’s 40th anniversary with a ribbon cutting ceremony prior to the opening concert of the festival’s 2014 season, at the UCSC Music Center Recital Hall.
The concert, titled From Lute To Uke, begins at 7:30 p.m. and features Tim Rayborn, John Schneiderman, & Ukulele Dick.
The festivities will include an instrument exhibit in the Music Hall lobby, plus a pre-concert talk at 6:30 p.m.
At 9 p.m., a post-concert 40th Anniversary Reception will take place featuring a reading of the mayor's proclamation honoring the festival, as well as toasts with musicians, dignitaries, donors, and the concert audience.
A cultural musicologist, Burman-Hall performs and teaches world music and ethnomusicology, with an emphasis on the gamelan traditions of Indonesia.
Last year, she was one of six community members honored at the 17th annual Gail Rich Awards, which spotlight the creative residents of Santa Cruz who best represent the area’s abundant cultural heritage.
Burman-Hall has performed throughout the United States as well as in Canada, The Netherlands, Germany, and Indonesia.
In early music, she has specialized in solo and ensemble music for 17th- and 18th-century keyboards (harpsichord, organ, and fortepiano), and appeared with groups such as Philharmonia Baroque, Chanticleer, American Baroque Ensemble, Musica Pacifica, and Lux Musica.
In contemporary music, Burman-Hall has performed with artists as diverse as Steve Reich and Meredith Monk, and has commissioned, premiered, and recorded new music by contemporary Indonesian composers.
Her recordings can be found on the Musical Heritage, Centaur, Helicon, and Wildboar labels.
