Bloomington Early Music Festival May 15th-May 25th, 2009
How fortune the Bloomington Music & Arts community truly is!
For the last 16 years, the distinguished Bloomington Early Music Festival has been gracing this mystically magical town with its solo and ensemble performances of Renaissance, (early) classical medieval and baroque music.
It is no secret that Bloomington is one out of three US Cities to host such a festival (Boston, Mass. and Berkeley, Calif. are the others).
Special note, the Festival attracts performers and fans from all over the US and beyond.
The festival began May 15 and runs through this Monday, May 25, Memorial Day with soloist and ensemble concerts, operas and Youth educational workshops at several local venues i.e. churches, the Buskirk-Chumley Theater, the I.U. School of Music and Oliver Winery.
An interesting note, all Festival music is played on authentic period or reproduction instruments for reacreating the authentic sounds from those periods.
So, if you were fortunate like me to have the opportunity of hearing Bach and Beethoven played on similar types of instruments then you are definitely in for a treat over the remaining next four days.
Seriously, don’t miss out like I did in missing one of my favorite all-time classic piece of this group, Beethoven’s “Appassionata” last weekend.
This year has a special treat for not only BLEMF fans but also classic film buffs with the showing of the Douglas Fairbanks Sr. classic, “Robin Hood”. I know some of you are partial to the 1938 version with Errol Flynn.
As a music lover and film buff can attest to this delightful version written by Fairbanks himself. The film will have musical accompanyment by Washington, D.C.’s own Hesperus, known for their early and medieval music style.
BLEMF also holds a fundraising gala in January for raising funds for the Festival and other programming which they hope to have throughout the year.
For more information about the Festival artists, programming, venues, ticket info, volunteer, membership and education info, visit BLEMF’s website: http://www.BLEMF.org or give them a call at 812.331-1263.
