First in Flight
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Friday, September 30 • 7:30 pm
The Cathedral of All Souls
9 Swan Street
Asheville, NC 28803
$35 General Admission
Saturday, October 1 • 7:30 pm
Myers Park Presbyterian Church
2501 Oxford Place, Charlotte, NC 28207
$35 General Admission
$50 Premium Preferred Seating Admission
Sunday, October 2 • 3:00 pm
Lancaster Cultural Arts Center
307 West Gay Street
Lancaster, SC 29720
$15 General Admission
Aisslinn Nosky
Violin and Leader
Aisslinn Nosky was appointed Concertmaster of the Handel and Haydn Society in 2011. With a reputation for being one of the most dynamic and versatile violinists of her generation, Aisslinn is in great demand internationally as a director, soloist, and concertmaster. From 2016 to 2019, Aisslinn served as Principal Guest Conductor of the Niagara Symphony Orchestra. She is currently Guest Artist in Residence with the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra and an artistic advisor for the Portland Baroque Orchestra. Aisslinn is also a member of I FURIOSI Baroque Ensemble. For twenty years, this innovative Canadian ensemble presented its own edgy and inventive concert series in Toronto and toured Europe and North America, turning new audiences on to Baroque music. With the Eybler Quartet, Aisslinn explores repertoire from the first century of the string quartet literature on period instruments. From 2005 through 2016, Aisslinn was a member of Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra. An avid educator, she serves on the faculty of EQ: Evolution of the String Quartet, at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity.
Josh Cohen
Trumpet
A native of Washington DC, baroque trumpeter Josh Cohen is greatly sought after by leading early music ensembles throughout North America. For the past 14 seasons, he has been principal baroque trumpet with the Washington Bach Consort and the National Cathedral Baroque orchestra. He has performed as principal and solo baroque trumpet for ensembles such as Studio de Musique Ancienne de Montreal, Arion (Montreal), Aston Magna (Boston), Houston Bach Society, Ensemble Telemann (Montreal), and participated in festivals such as the International Festival of Baroque Music at Lameque (New Brunswick, Canada) and the Bach Festival of Montreal. Josh recently recorded J.S. Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto no. 2 with Montreal-based Ensemble Caprice. Two recordings with prominent Canadian ensembles were both nominated for the 2009 Juno Awards: “Let the Bright Seraphim” with soprano Karina Gauvin and Tempo Rubato, and his recording of Vivaldi’s Gloria with Ensemble Caprice, the latter of which won the Juno award for Best Album of the Year in the vocal category. Josh received his M.M. from McGill University and a B.M. from the New England Conservatory of Music. His baroque trumpet was made by Matt Martin of Norwich Natural Trumpets, after an original by Kodisch, 1710.
Arwen Myers
Soprano
Praised for her “crystalline tone and delicate passagework” (San Francisco Chronicle), soprano Arwen Myers is known as a captivating and sensitive interpreter of repertoire spanning from early to new music. A versatile artist known for her flexibility and mastery of a wide range of vocal colors and styles, Arwen has performed major works with Portland Baroque Orchestra, Early Music Vancouver, Pacific MusicWorks, and Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. Recent highlights include Handel with Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra & Oregon Bach Festival; Bach and Purcell with Portland Baroque Orchestra; Vivaldi, Monteverdi and Gabrieli with Early Music Vancouver; Fauré with Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra; Handel Semele (title role) with American Bach Soloists Academy; and featured soloist on Chor Leoni’s JUNO-nominated album When There is Peace, a world premiere by Zachary Wadsworth. Arwen has been featured with some of the nation’s premiere chamber ensembles, including Seraphic Fire, Bach Akademie Charlotte, and Bach Collegium San Diego, and she is a core member of Fear No Music, the acclaimed Portland-based new music ensemble. A native of Augusta, GA, Arwen holds degrees from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and currently lives in Portland, OR.
Fiona Hughes
Violin
Fiona Hughes holds degrees from Oberlin Conservatory and Cleveland Institute of Music. She is a versatile performer of both modern and baroque violin, appearing with Apollo’s Fire, Washington Bach Consort, Bach Akademie Charlotte, Boston Baroque, and the Richmond Symphony. Fiona has performed in numerous music festivals, including Kinhaven, Encore, Brevard Music Center, National Repertory Orchestra, Banff (Canada), Staunton Music Festival, and Pacific Music Festival (Japan). With Boston’s GRAMMY-winning Handel + Haydn Society she has recorded 10 CDs for release on the Coro label and worked with conductors Harry Christophers, Masaaki Suzuki, Richard Egarr, Jonathan Cohen, and Scott Allen Jarrett. She looks to Stephen Rose, Adam DeGraff, and Marilyn McDonald as mentors. Fiona’s period bows are by David Hawthorne and Richard Riggall. Her primary violin is the ex-Vieuxtemps Claude Pierray (1720 Paris).
Violin
Viola
Cello
Bass
Keyboard