New Page 1

The Boston Camerata's residency at the University of Tennessee this fall has been a fascinating whirlwind of performances, lectures, dialogues, collaborations, and surprises. For some of us in the Camerata, it was an intensive introduction to Knoxville and the university. For others, it was a revisiting of familiar places and friends. For all involved, however, it was an experience that was at once unexpectedly challenging and vastly rewarding.

Throughout the entire ten-week residency, the members of The Boston Camerata —artists-in-residence, administration, and visiting musicians alike—have been delighted by the warm welcome and extraordinary hospitality of the university community; most notably that of Dr. Robert Bast and Erin Reed (Riggsby Director and Project Coordinator of the Marco Institute). Their friendship and tireless dedication to the residency have made these last ten weeks not only productive, but thoroughly enjoyable as well. In short, we could not have asked for better hosts or partners.

As the onsite coordinator for the Camerata during this residency, I had the opportunity to meet with many people on and off campus. I spoke with community members who were "trying out" the Camerata for the first time, as well as veteran Camerata lovers who were well versed in the group's music and legacy. It was encouraging to meet those who had traveled long distances to see the Camerata in person.

But the real thrill for me lay in introducing new folks to the concept that is The Boston Camerata. For each particular program, I answered questions from interested participants about the basic background and intention behind the music, and was delighted to see their growing fascination in the subject. I found myself answering many questions at once at the CD sale table and before and after events, and was thrilled at such interest. Curious students and faculty often contacted me in between events to talk about the residency, the programs, and the Camerata itself.

As part of the residency's Courtly Love musicology course, I got to converse with many of the students in the class, and I was pleased to see how many of them were genuinely fascinated by the subject of early music interpretation and scholarship. All the faculty members I met with were excited to have the Camerata on campus confirming that the group was a marvelous addition to the Marco Institute's Medieval and Renaissance Semester. A number of them actually went on to invite Anne and Joel to do special classroom appearances and lectures outside of the original residency schedule.

In retrospect, this residency has proved fruitful on many levels. It has inspired and informed many people in the area of early music appreciation and scholarship. Collaboratively and individually, Joel and Anne have co-taught and given lectures in the areas of musicology, French literature, early Spanish culture, Spanish literature, early musical and literary interpretation, and music performance. They have coached two of the university's concert choirs in medieval and renaissance repertoire, and offered individual assistance and lessons to many students on campus. During this residency they have succeeded in introducing scores of people to the beauty and complexity of early music, and enriched the understanding of those already acquainted with the subject.

The visiting Camerata musicians, a different group for each concert production, outdid themselves at each event. And the collaborating ensembles -- Sharq Arabic Music Ensemble, Les Fleurs des Caraïbes, and the Blair Children's Chorus, directed by Hazel Somerville -- added immeasurably to the quality of the concert performances. As a result, Knoxville audiences received the equivalent of an entire Camerata intown season, within just a few short weeks.

Both the local paper and the university's student-run paper published glowing reports of the residency's events, and professional DVD recordings have been made of each of the performances by the university's media center. The Camerata's contributions to musicology and history departments in particular have been rich, unique and incalculable, and, along with the concert series, they are likely to be spoken of for years to come. As their on-site project coordinator, I am honored to have played a part in this exciting project.