The Sebastians To Open 2024 With The Four Seasons

On Sunday, January 7, 2024, at 5PM, at Good Shepherd-Faith Presbyterian Church, renowned Baroque chamber ensemble, the Sebastians will present Vivaldi's The Four Seasons in an interdisciplinary performance that also showcases contemporary photography evoking the seasons.

The ensemble of early music specialists committed to preserving and performing the rich repertoire of baroque music brings a fresh new take to this staple of the repertoire. Each concerto is dedicated to a particular season and conjures its distinct atmosphere, leading audiences from jubilant and pastoral musical landscapes to turbulent and stormy scenes. The Sebastians are dedicated to including elements from other artforms in their performances and about 50% of their programing includes interdisciplinary components. Before and after this concert, audiences are invited to view photography by local New York City artists that heighten the experience of listening to Vivaldi's masterpieces.

Nicholas DiEugenio, Daniel Lee, Isabelle Seula Lee, and Beth Wenstrom perform the virtuosic violin solos. An ensemble led by Artistic Director Jeffrey Grossman includes cellist Ezra Seltzer, bassist Nathaniel Chase, and lutenist Joshua Stauffer. Photographs by curator Grace Copeland will be joined by highlights from photographers Ramuel Galarza, Izaiha Rosado, and Rachel Monteleone.

Artistic Director Jeffrey Grossman says, "It's always a joy to revisit Vivaldi's Four Seasons as magnificent chamber music. The intimacy of a smaller setting allows each musician to weave their individual brilliance into a cohesive, expressive performance, unveiling the rich layers of Vivaldi's masterwork with a profound sense of unity and connection. Vivaldi's evocative storytelling is captivating to us as well as our listeners! I'm thrilled looking forward to opening up new emotional connections with each of the Seasons through Grace Copeland's curation of stunning photographs to accompany each concerto."

The Sebastians continue their season with The Italian Bach / The French Bach on Saturday, February 17, 2024 and Sunday, February 18, 2024 at 5PM with back-to-back performances that span J.S. Bach's complete works for solo violin. These intimate recitals at Saint Ignatius of Antioch Episcopal Church feature violinists Nicholas DiEugenio, Daniel Lee, and harpsichordist Jeffrey Grossman and include complementary works exploring the Italian and French sides of Bach's musical personality.

Concert Information

The Four Seasons
Sunday, January 7, 2024, at 5PM
Good Shepherd-Faith Presbyterian Church
152 West 66th St.
New York, NY 10023
Link: https://www.sebastians.org/event/the-four-seasons/

Program:
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
The Four Seasons, op. 8, nos. 1-4, RV 269, 293, 297, and 315

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Prelude and Fugue in F major, BWV 880

Giuseppe Colombi (1635-94)
Partite sopra il basso di Ciaccona for solo cello

Artists:
Nicholas DiEugenio, Daniel Lee, Isabelle Seula Lee, and Beth Wenstrom, solo violin and viola
Ezra Seltzer, cello
Nathaniel Chase, violone
Joshua Stauffer, theorbo
Jeffrey Grossman, harpsichord

Photography by Grace Copeland, Ramuel Galarza, Izaiha Rosado, and Rachel Monteleone

About the Sebastians
 

The Sebastians are a dynamic and vital musical ensemble specializing in music of the baroque and classical eras. Lauded as "everywhere sharp-edged and engaging" (The New York Times), the Sebastians have also been praised for their "well-thought-out articulation and phrasing" (Early Music Review) and "elegant string playing... immaculate in tuning and balance" (Early Music Today). Their 2018 unconducted St. Matthew Passion with TENET Vocal Arts was called "shattering" and "a performance of uncommon naturalness and transparency." The Sebastians' recent seasons have included dozens of originally conceived programs, including collaborations with poets, choreographers, and actors; a musical installation in the Cathedral of St. John the Divine; programs dealing with musical "immigration" and nationalism; and major works of J.S. Bach led from the keyboard. The Sebastians are currently in residence at the Yale Collection of Musical Instruments.

About Jeffrey Grossman

Keyboardist and conductor Jeffrey Grossman specializes in vital, engaging performances of music of the past, through processes that are intensely collaborative and historically informed. As the artistic director of the acclaimed baroque ensemble the Sebastians, in recent seasons Jeffrey has directed concerts including Bach's St. John and St. Matthew Passions and Handel's Messiah from the organ and harpsichord, in collaboration with TENET Vocal Artists, and he is a frequent performer with TENET, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, and numerous other ensembles across the country. Recent seasons include his conducting operas of Haydn and Handel with Juilliard Opera, leading Monteverdi's Vespers of 1610 with the Green Mountain Project in New York and Venice, and conducting a workshop of a new Vivaldi pastiche opera for the Metropolitan Opera. As musical director for the 2023 and 2019 Boston Early Music Festival Young Artists Training Program, he conducted Jacquet de La Guerre's Cephale et Procris and Handel's Orlando from the harpsichord. For thirteen seasons, he toured portions of the rural United States with artists of the Piatigorsky Foundation, performing outreach concerts to underserved communities. Jeffrey can be heard on the Avie, Gothic, Naxos, Albany, Soundspells, Métier, and MSR Classics record labels. A native of Detroit, Michigan, he holds degrees from Harvard College, the Juilliard School, and Carnegie Mellon University. Jeffrey teaches performance practice at Yale University.

Photo credit: Grace Copeland