Ravinia 2026 Issue 5

MUSICOFTHE BAROQUE Long recognized as one of the region’s top classical groups, Music of the Baroque is one of the leading ensembles in the country devoted to the performance of th-century works. e orchestra and cho- rus celebrated their th season over / , led by music director Dame Jane Glover and principal guest conductor Nicholas Kraemer since and chorus director Andrew Megill since . Music of the Baroque has introduced Chicago to many early masterpieces, including Monteverdi’s operas and Vespers, Telemann’s Day of Judgment , Mozart’s Idomeneo , and many of Handel’s operas and oratorios. e ensemble has received critical praise for its performances of the major choral and orchestral works of J.S. Bach as well as Handel, Mozart, and Haydn. Music of the Baroque appears reg- ularly at Symphony Center and the Harris eater for Music and Dance in Chicago, the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie, and intimate Chicago and suburban churches, also reaching listeners nationally through recordings and live concerts broadcast on the WFMT radio network. In addition to the rst commercial American recording of Handel’s Jephtha , released in (Reference Recordings), Music of the Baroque recently completed a recording project of Bach’s four major choral works—the B-minor Mass, the Saint Matthew and Saint John Passions , and the Christmas Oratorio — under Glover’s direction. e ensemble’s discography also includes Messiah—Live in Chicago , recorded in November with Kraemer conducting, and On is Night , a collection of brass and choral works recorded during the ensemble’s and holiday concerts led by William Jon Gray. Music of the Baroque’s community initiatives include free concerts at the Kehrein Center for the Arts in Austin and the National Museum of Mexican Art in Pilsen. Music of the Baroque also operates “Strong Voices,” supporting and enhancing choral programs in seven Chicago public high schools. VIOLINS Gina DiBello Kevin Case Kathleen Brauer - Teresa Fream Jesús Linárez Augusta Schubert Ni Mei Renée-Paule Gauthier Rika Seko Paul Vanderwerf Naomi Powers VIOLAS Elizabeth Hagen Terri Van Valkinburgh Claudia Lasare -Mirono Kiyoe Matsuura CELLOS Anna Steinho Judy Stone Mark Brandfonbrener BASSES Collins Trier Sam Shuhan FLUTES Mary Stolper Alyce Johnson OBOES Anne Bach Erica Anderson Jennet Ingle CLARINETS Zachary Good Laura McLaughlin BASSOONS William Buchman Galina Kiep Joh Schuler, contrabassoon HORNS Oto Carrillo Samuel Hamzem Fritz Foss Peter Jirousek TRUMPETS Barbara Butler Anthony Limoncelli - Jordan Olive TROMBONES Jay Evans Jeremy Moeller Will Baker TIMPANI Josh Jones HARPSICHORD/ORGAN Mark Shuldiner SOPRANOS Alyssa Bennett Katherine Buzard Nathalie Colas Hannah Dixon McConnell Elizabeth Marshall Susan Nelson Rachel Sparrow Emily Yiannias ALTOS Kenneth Dulay Margaret Fox Chelsea Lyons Lauren Maho Quinn Middleman Allison Selby Cook TENORS Matthew Cummings Sam Grosby Jordan Haas Tim Lambert Samuel Rosner Ryan Townsend Strand BASSES Kevin Krasinski Zachary Kurzenberger Sinhaeng Lee Ian Morris Keaton Payne Vince Wallace LIBRARIAN Paul Vanderwerf ANDREWMEGILL Andrew Megill is recognized as one of Ameri- ca’s leading choral conductors, admired for his passionate artistry and unusually wide-ranging repertoire, which extends from early music to newly composed works. He was named Music of the Baroque’s chorus director in April and is also the conductor of the Montreal Sym- phony Orchestra Chorus and artistic advisor and director of choral activities for the Carm- el Bach Festival. Megill frequently guests with North America’s nest professional choirs; re- cent highlights include leading the irteen in Washington, DC, and the Choir of Trinity Wall Street in Manhattan, as well as prepar- ing choirs for performances in collaboration with leading orchestras, such as the Cleveland Orchestra, Dresden Philharmonie, National Symphony, and the New York Philharmonic. An accomplished orchestral conductor, he has led the Spoleto Festival Orchestra, I Musici de Montréal Chamber Orchestra, and Bang on a Can All-Stars. He has also been a guest artist with the Yale Institute of Sacred Music, TENET vocal ensemble, Juilliard Opera Center, and Em- manuel Music (Boston). Megill is particularly admired for his work in Baroque choral works, regularly collaborating with leaders in histori- cally informed performance, including Masaa- ki Suzuki, Ton Koopman, Bruno Weil, Andrea Marcon, Herve Niquet, and Paul McCreesh. He has conducted many period-instrument orches- tras and has led Bach festivals at the University of Illinois, Westminster Choir College, the Uni- versity of Missouri–Kansas City, and Ireland’s Dublin Institute of Technology. Megill is the Arthur L. Rice Jr. Professor in Music and Di- rector of Choral Organizations at Northwest- ern University’s Bienen School of Music, having previously been the Suzanne & William Allen Distinguished Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Before moving to Illinois, he taught at Westminster Choir College for over years. He has also previously served as music director of the Masterwork Chorus and Orches- tra (frequently performing at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center), chorusmaster for the Spoleto Festival USA, and interim choirmaster for Trin- ity Church (Wall Street) in Manhattan. RAVINIA.ORG • RAVINIAMAGAZINE 79 ELLIOT MANDEL (MUSIC OF THE BAROQUE)