You can be H.I.P. too!!! – Conducting an Historically-Informed Orchestra
Session Abstract: This session will explore topics for the choral conductor related to the H.I.P. movement (Historically Informed Performance) of performing music with special attention to technical and performance conventions present when a work was composed. Topics discussed will benefit each conductor, ranging from the gifted aficionado to the newly intrigued, who is faced with the daunting task of conducting a full-size orchestra while still infusing a H.I.P. style into music making. This interactive session will showcase the world-class early-music specialists of the Spire Baroque Orchestra who will share tremendous insights using musical excerpts from Bach, Handel, Vivaldi, Mozart, Haydn, and Schubert.
Ben A. Spalding
Ben A. Spalding is one of the most exciting choral conductors of his generation, an exemplary conductor, creative programmer, composer/arranger, and arts entrepreneur whose skills are increasingly in demand. He is the Founder and Artistic Director of the Spire Chamber Ensemble and Baroque Orchestra, which has quickly gained a national reputation for excellence in performances receiving rave reviews with the music of contemporary composers and historically informed–interpretations of Baroque and Classical repertoire. He consistently works with the best choral and early music artists and recently led riveting performances at the 2019 National ACDA Convention and 2018 National AGO Convention.
Spire Baroque Orchestra
The Spire Baroque Orchestra boasts a varied roster of North America’s finest period instrument players. The orchestra is featured annually in Spire’s critically acclaimed performances of Handel’s Messiah at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts and performs additional masterworks by Monteverdi, Bach, Handel, Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven. Principal concertmaster Elizabeth Blumenstock is a versatile performer who teaches at Juilliard and has been described by The New York Times as “a world-class early music violinist,” and many other orchestra members also hold faculty positions at distinguished institutions including Yale, Harvard, Indiana University, and The Juilliard School’s Historical Performance Program.
