Baroque Performance Institute
BPI at 50 - Masterworks of the Baroque
June 21-27, 2021
Register Here
In order to protect the health of our guests and community during the Covid-19 pandemic, the 50th annual Baroque Performance Institute will be held virtually, rather than on campus. We are planning a rich selection of online programming during this seven-day institute, which will focus on masterworks of the Baroque.
Access to programming will be offered at three levels.
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT BPI 2021 COMING SOON!
Level One (registration required, but no charge):
On-line access to a daily “concert” (Monday through Saturday) drawn from the rich recorded archives of previous summers of BPI, plus access to the streamed final student concert (Sunday).
Level Two (registration required, $200 fee):
Level One access; access to the pre-recorded content offered each morning (see below); plus “auditor” status for all master classes and pre-recorded content. Level two participants are not eligible to take private lessons.
Late-afternoon class included in Level Two:
Mary Anne Ballard will hold her ever-popular beginning viola da gamba class. (Details about how to obtain an instrument will be given at the time of registration.)
Level Three (registration required, $300 fee):
Level Two access, plus access to all classes, including technique classes for various instruments and continuo class; one 30-minute on-line lesson; and first-come, first-served opportunity to play or sing in one or more master classes (depending on the size of enrollment); and an invitation to participate in the Sunday student concert (details provided at registration). Level three participants have the option to take additional private lessons.
New class in 2021: Catharina Meints will lead a master class for treble viol and pardessus de viole.
Programming content:
Live (synchronous) sessions
The traditional BPI master classes will this year take place in the afternoons, to facilitate participation by our West Coast applicants, using the Zoom platform. Technical details and a list of the classes will be sent to all Level 2 and 3 participants.
Baroque violin
Baroque viola
Baroque cello
Viola da gamba
Treble viol and pardessus de viole
Traverso
Recorder
Baroque oboe
Baroque bassoon
Natural trumpet
Harpsichord
Clavichord
Lute, theorbo, and Baroque guitar
Voice
Level Three registrants will also be able to participate in several technique classes (for bowed strings) or reed-making classes, and “attend” the innovative evening continuo classes offered by Joe Gascho and Lucas Harris 7:00-9:00 pm EDT, Monday through Saturday.
Recorded (asynchronous) content
Each morning (Monday through Saturday), several hours of high-resolution recorded content will be made available to Level Two and Level Three participants. Once posted, the content will be available 24/7 through July 4, 2021. That schedule is to be announced and will include:
- lectures - detail coming soon
- virtual tours of specific instrument collections (including the Oberlin harpsichord and clavichord collections, the Caldwell Collection of Antique Viols, and a “distance petting zoo” of Lucas Harris’s battery of plucked stringed instruments);
- concerts recorded for BPI 2021 by faculty members.
More details will be made available here as BPI approaches.
Additional lessons
Level Three participants may purchase lesson tickets (at $55 for each 30-minute lesson), which can be used either during BPI, or, with the consent of the specific teacher, at any time before September 1, 2021.
After June 10 until Friday, June 25 should you wish to inquire about scheduling more lessons please contact BPI administrator, Anna Hoffmann regarding faculty availability and payment.
Student concert
In place of the festive marathon ensemble concert that traditionally caps each BPI week, Sunday afternoon there will be a high-res stream of a succession of solo performances by Level Three participants. (Technical details to follow)
Social engagement
The “BPI Rendezvous Lounge” will offer an uncurated place to interact with your fellow students. Faculty members may drop in, at their convenience, to take questions or simply to “hang out.”
Registration
The deadline for registration is 10 June 2021.
Keep checking this page for more detailed information on the offerings as they become available, and for technical suggestions on maximizing your online BPI experience.
The Oberlin Baroque Performance Institute is Early Music America’s 2020 recipient of the Laurette Goldberg Award. Named for teacher, performer, author, and musical innovator Laurette Goldberg, this award recognizes ongoing, outstanding achievement in educational or outreach endeavors by individual performers, teaching artists, or ensembles.