Madison in May:

American Bach Society Holds its Biennial Meeting May 7-9, 2010

          The biennial meeting of the American Bach Society will be held from Friday, May 7, through Sunday, May 9, 2010, on the campus of the University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI. The meeting will feature a keynote address by Wolfgang Hirschmann from Martin Luther University in Halle-Wittenberg, papers and discussions, musical performances, book displays, and plenty of opportunity for catching up with friends and colleagues.

          Madison, the state’s capital and its second largest city, is located 77 miles west of Milwaukee and 122 miles northwest of Chicago. Frank Lloyd Wright spent his childhood in nearby Spring Green and several buildings designed by him are in Madison, including the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center, the Unitarian Meeting House, and a number of private homes. (Taliesin is an hour’s drive away.) At the University of Wisconsin participants can visit the Allen Centennial Gardens, the Biotechnology Center, the Geology Museum (home to a 33-foot long Edmontosaurus skeleton), and the Chazen Museum of Art. Heinrich Khunrath’s Ampitheatrum sepientiae aeternae (Hamburg, 1595) is a highlight of the Duveen Alchemy and Chemistry Collection in the university library’s Department of Special Collections.

          Thirteen papers have been selected for presentation by Bach scholars from Warsaw, Leipzig, Basel, Mainz, and Regina, as well as from universities and institutes in Boston, Cambridge, Baltimore, Syracuse, Philadelphia, Staten Island, and Madison itself. As can be seen from the abstracts included in this newsletter, the topics relate in various and at times unusual ways to the conference’s theme of Bach and His German Contemporaries; interesting and provocative discussions are anticipated. Papers by Mary Oleskiewicz (traverso) and David Schulenberg (keyboard) will discuss works by Quantz and W.F. Bach later to be performed by them in concert, and Steven Zohn (traverso) will perform works of C.P.E. Bach along with keyboardist David Yearsley.

          In addition to the keynote address, there are two other events deserving your special attention. On Friday evening, under the direction of baroque violinist Garry Clarke, a concert including works of Bach and Telemann will be performed by Baroque Band, Chicago’s original-instrument orchestra. On Saturday conference participants are invited to Tafelmusik, an evening of music and good food (including Wisconsin wine, beer, and cheeses and “make-your-own sundaes” for dessert).

          Hotel information and a conference registration form are posted on the Society’s web page at www.americanbachsociety.org. Tell your students and friends about this conference with its special combination of papers and performances – and don’t forget to register early! We look forward to greeting you in Madison.

Lynn Edwards Butler, Vice-President

Jeanne Swack, Chair of Local Arrangements