After a thirty-year career in Europe, musical director and lutenist Stephen Stubbs returned to his native Seattle in 2006. Since then he has established his new production company, Pacific Musicworks, and developed a busy calendar as a guest conductor specializing in baroque opera and oratorio. He was recently awarded the Mayor's Arts Award for 'Raising the Bar' in Seattle.
Stephen was born in Seattle, Washington, where he studied composition, piano and harpsichord at the University of Washington. In 1974 he moved to England to study lute with Robert Spencer and then to Amsterdam for further study with Toyohiko Satoh and soon became a mainstay of the burgeoning early-music movement there, working with Alan Curtis on Italian opera in Italy, William Christie on French opera in France and various ensembles in England and Germany particularly the Hilliard Ensemble.
With his return to Seattle in 2006 he formed the long-term goal of establishing a company devoted to the study and production of Baroque opera. His first venture in this direction was the creation of the Accademia de’Amore, an annual summer institute for the training of pre-professional singers and musicians in baroque style and stagecraft, now housed at the Cornish College of the Arts.
In 2008 he established Pacific MusicWorks. The company’s inaugural presentation was a revival of South African artist William Kentridge’s acclaimed multimedia marionette staging of Claudio Monteverdi’s penultimate opera The Return of Ulysses in a co-production with the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. After a warmly received 2010 presentation of Monteverdi’s monumental Vespers of 1610 at Seattle’s St. James Cathedral, PMW presented a full subscription season, opening with a program based on the Song of Songs and ending with two triumphantly successful performances of Handel’s early masterpiece, The Triumph of Time (1707).
Stephen Stubbs is Senior Artist in Residence and member of the faculty of the School of Music at the University of Washington. Mr Stubbs is represented by Schwalbe and Partners.
Soprano Catherine Webster is engaged regularly by many leading early music and chamber ensembles in North America. She has appeared as a soloist with Tafelmusik, Tragicomedia, Theatre of Voices, Netherlands Bach Society, Apollo’s Fire, American Baroque Orchestra, Magnificat, Musica Angelica, El Mundo, Four Nations Ensemble, Studio de Musique Ancienne de Montreal, Ensemble Masques, Les Voix Baroques, Early Music Vancouver, and at the Vancouver, Berkeley, Montreal and Boston Early Music Festivals.
Active also in contemporary music, Webster has appeared with The Kronos Quartet in Terry Riley’s Sun Rings and with Theatre of Voices and the Los Angeles Philharmonic in John Adam’s Grand Pianola Music.
Catherine Webster is a frequent collaborator with baroque opera directors Stephen Stubbs and Paul O’Dette, appearing under their direction in Early Music Vancouver’s production for the 2013 edition of Festival Vancouver in Monteverdi’s L’Incoronazione di Poppea and the premiere of Mattheson’s Boris Goudenov for the Boston Early Music Festival. She has recorded for Harmonia Mundi, Naxos, Musica Omnia, Analekta and Atma.
Catherine holds a Master’s in Music from the Early Music Institute at Indiana University and has been a guest faculty member and artist for The San Francisco Early Music Society’s summer workshops and the Madison Early Music Festival.
Danielle Reutter-Harrah is a versatile performer with a particular enthusiasm for historically informed performance practice. She has been lauded for her “lovely” solo (San Francisco Classical Voice) in her recent debut as a soloist with the San Francisco Symphony Chorus in Mason Bates’ Mass Transmission. She appears frequently with the American Bach Soloists, most recently singing with “beauty and passion” (San Francisco Classical Voice) in a rarely performed early version of Bach’s St Matthew Passion.
While she frequently interprets Handel, Bach, and Purcell, her repertory also includes Brahms, Saint-Saëns, Stravinsky, Britten, and Corigliano. She has appeared with the Baroque Chamber Orchestra of Colorado, St. Martin’s Chamber Choir, the San Francisco Bach Choir, the San Jose Opera, and the American Bach Soloists, among others. Her stage roles include Dido (Dido and Aeneas), Giannetta (L’Elisir d’Amore), Ruggiero (Alcina), and Maggie (Gift of the Magi). She has performed under numerous directors, among them Helmut Rilling, Marin Alsop, Catherine Sailer, Timothy Krueger, Tan Dun, Michael Tilson Thomas, Jeffrey Thomas, Ragnar Bohlin and George Cleve.
Originally from Portland, Oregon, Danielle earned a Bachelor of Music degree from the Lamont School of Music at the University of Denver, and a Master of Music degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. She has been a professional member of the San Francisco Symphony Chorus since 2011 and is a founding member of the Bay Area’s Liaison, an early music ensemble which features chamber music from the 17th and 18th centuries.
Countertenor Reginald Mobley fully intended to speak his art through watercolors and oil pastels until circumstance demanded that his own voice should speak for itself. Since reducing his visual color palette to the black and white of a score, he has endeavored to open a wider spectrum onstage.
Particularly noted for his “crystalline diction and pure, evenly produced tone” (Miami Herald), as well as “elaborate and inventive ornamentation” (South Florida Classical Review), Reggie is rapidly making a name for himself as soloist in Baroque, Classical, and modern repertoire. His natural and preferred habitat as a soloist is within the works of Bach, Charpentier, Handel, Purcell, as well as other known Baroque Period mainstays. Not to be undone by a strict diet of cantatas, odes, and oratorios, Reggie finds himself equally comfortable in rep of later periods and genres. Such works as Haydn’s Theresienmesse, Mozart’s Requiem, Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms, and Orff’s Carmina Burana. He has also performed the title role of “Paris” in the Florida premiere of John Eccles’ Judgment of Paris, under the direction of Anthony Rooley and Evelyn Tubb.
A longtime member of the twice GRAMMY® nominated Miami based professional vocal ensemble, Seraphic Fire, Reggie has had the privilege to also lend his talents to other ensembles in the US and abroad. Such as the Dartmouth Handel Society, Apollo’s Fire, Vox Early Music, Portland Baroque Orchestra, North Carolina Baroque Ensemble, Ensemble VIII, San Antonio Symphony, Early Music Vancouver and Symphony Nova Scotia under direction of Alexander Weimann, and the Oregon Bach Festival under the direction of Matthew Halls.
Not to be held to conventional countertenor repertoire, the “Barn-burning, [...]phenomenal” male alto has a fair amount of non-classical work under his belt. Not long after becoming a countertenor, he was engaged in several musical theatre productions as a principal or secondary role. Most notable among them was the titular role in Rupert Holmes’ Mystery of Edwin Drood, and “Jacey Squires” in Meredith Willson’s The Music Man. In addition to his work in musical theatre, he performed many cabaret shows and sets of jazz standards and torch songs in jazz clubs in and around Tokyo, Japan. Reggie studied voice at the University of Florida with Jean Ronald LaFond, and Florida State University with Roy Delp.
Lyric tenor Ross Hauck is a resident of Issaquah, Washington, where he lives with his wife, Laura, twin boys, Daniel and Benjamin, daughter Lillian Rose, and baby girl Charlotte Grace.
Hailed by the Seattle Times as “almost superhuman in musical effect”, Mr. Hauck maintains a busy and eclectic career, often specializing in both early and new music. This past year Mr. Hauck made concert debuts with the Phoenix Symphony, the Oregon Symphony, Grand Rapids Symphony, Orchestra Kentucky, the Lincoln Symphony, and the Chautaqua festivals in Boulder, Co and upstate New York.
Other debuts included appearances with Les Voix Baroques in Montreal and “Celtic Crossings” countryside concerts with Apollo’s Fire in Cleveland. Last season Mr. Hauck released two recordings: ”Messiah” with Apollo’s Fire(Avie Label), and the world premiere of composer Lori Laitman’s oratorio “Vedem”(Naxos Label). Recent Opera credits include multiple performances of the role of Tamino in Magic Flute, most recently with Apollo’s Fire in Cleveland, but also with the Atlanta Ballet. Mr. Hauck has sung roles with Tacoma Opera, Sacramento Opera, Indianapolis Opera, and the Aspen Music Festival, where he sang Almaviva in The Barber of Seville. Other highlights of opera work include originating and recording the role of Bonario in the world premiere opera Volpone by American composer John Musto, commissioned by Wolf Trap Opera Company, where he also sang the title role in the North American Premiere of Rameau’s Dardanus, Ernesto in Don Pasquale, and Lippo Fiorentino in Street Scene. He has also collaborated with American composer Libby Larsen singing the title role in her opera Dreaming Blue.
As a concert artist, Mr. Hauck is a regular with the Seattle Symphony, and has also sung with the National Symphony, Chicago Symphony as a member of the Steans Institute, and the Tanglewood symphony. A frequent performer of sacred music, Mr. Hauck is in demand for oratorio work. In the past few seasons, He has sung Handel’s Messiah with Apollo’s Fire (the Cleveland Baroque Orchestra), Portland Baroque Orchestra, Seattle Baroque, Dallas Bach Society, Helena Symphony, Portland Chamber Orchestra, and Orchestra Kentucky.
A distinguished alumnus of DePauw University (B.M.), and Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music(M.M. and Artist Diploma), Mr. Hauck is also a cellist and pianist, and began at age 3 with the Suzuki method of music instruction Mr. Hauck is the son of music educators, and grew up in the church. As such, his true passion is the intersection of fine arts and faith, and he maintains a keen interest in history, culture, theology, and worship. He is a frequent soloist at church worship services, and often provides sacred concerts and creative presentations for ministries, non-profits, or christian colleges. He also leads a monthly gathering of Christians involved in the arts called “artists at the arbor”.
American tenor Aaron Sheehan has established himself as a first rate singer in many styles. His voice is heard regularly in the United States, South America, and Europe, and he is equally comfortable in repertoire ranging from oratorio and chamber music, to the opera stage.
His singing has taken him to many festivals and venues including; Tanglewood, Lincoln Center, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Washington National Cathedral, the early music festivals of Boston, San Francisco, Vancouver, Houston, Tucson, Washington DC, and Madison, as well as the Regensburg Tage Alter Musik.
Known especially for his Baroque interpretations, his voice has been described by the Boston Globe as “superb: his tone classy, clear, and refined, encompassing fluid lyricism and ringing force” and the Washington Post praised his “Polished, lovely tone.”
In the concert world, Aaron has made a name as a first rate interpreter of the oratorios and cantatas of Bach and Handel. The San Diego Classical Voice said, “Tenor Aaron Sheehan performed the role of Evangelist, and sang with assured vocal and linguistic fluency, tasked with telling the audience the story while imparting its drama. In this regard, he was superb.”
He has appeared in Concert with Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, American Bach Soloists, Handel and Haydn Society, Boston Baroque, North Carolina Symphony, New York Collegium, Charlotte Symphony, Boston Cecilia, Charleston Bach Festival, Baltimore Handel Choir, Les Voix Baroque, Pacific Chorale, Boston Early Music Festival, Tempesta di Mare, Aston Magna Festival, Bach Collegium San Diego, Washington National Cathedral, Pacific Music Works, Boston Museum Trio, Magnificat, Tragicomedia, the Folger Consort, and Concerto Palatino.
On the opera stage, Aaron made his professional debut in 2005 as Ivan, in the Boston Early Music Festivals world premiere staging of Mattheson’s Boris Gudenow, a role in which Opera News praised his voice as “Sinous and supple”. He has since worked with the company in leading roles such as L’Amour and Apollon in Lully’s Psyché, Actéon in Charpentier’s Actéon, and as Acis in Handel’s Acis and Galatea. He also has worked on the opera stage with American Opera Theater and Intermezzo Chamber Opera in leading roles of operas by Cavalli, Handel, Weill, and Satie.
Aaron also continues to work extensively in the chamber music world. He has sung with Theater of Voices, Blue Heron Choir, Tenet, Fortune’s Wheel, La Donna Musicale, Folger Consort, Newberry Consort, Dünya, The Rose Ensemble, and the Pro Arte Singers.
Aaron has appeared on many recordings, including the Grammy nominated operas Thésée and Psyché of Lully, recorded with BEMF on the CPO label.
A native of Minnesota, Aaron holds a BA from Luther College and a MM in Early Voice Performance from Indiana University. He is currently on the voice faculties of Boston University, Wellesley College, and Towson University.
Douglas Williams, bass-baritone, has appeared this year in two landmark new opera productions from two of the world’s most celebrated director-choreographers: Handel’s Acis and Galatea in Mozart’s orchestration with Mark Morris at Lincoln Center in the role of Polyphemus, conducted by Nicolas McGegan, and Monteverdi’s Orfeo with Sasha Waltz at the Dutch National Opera in the role of Caronte, conducted by Pablo Heras-Casado. Both productions will tour this season taking Mr. Williams to the Grand Théâtre Luxembourg, Kansas City Kauffman Center, Bergen Festival,
Baden-Baden Festspiehaus, and Berlin Staatsoper. Other highlights of the season include Handel’s Agrippina with Boston Baroque, Pergolesi’s La Serva Padrona with the Boston Early Music Festival, and an appearance with James Levine and the Metropolitan Opera Chamber Ensemble at Carnegie Hall in Charles Wuorinen’s It Happens Like This, a piece that Mr. Williams premiered in 2011.
Tekla Cunningham, baroque violin, viola and viola d’amore, leads an active and varied musical life. At home in Seattle, she is Orchestra Director and concertmaster of Pacific MusicWorks, and plays an active role at the University of Washington where PMW is ensemble-in-residence. She directs the Whidbey Island Music Festival, a summer concert series now entering its tenth season, producing and presenting vibrant period-instrument performances of repertoire ranging from Monteverdi to Stephen Foster, and plays regularly as concertmaster and principal player with the American Bach Soloists in California. Her concert performances have earned glowing praise from reviewers and have been described as “ravishingly beautiful” and “stellar”.
From 2006-2013 she was principal second violin with Seattle Baroque Orchestra & Soloists. She has appeared as concertmaster/leader or soloist with the American Bach Soloists, Baroque Chamber Orchestra of Colorado, Seattle Baroque Orchestra, and Musica Angelica (Los Angeles) and has played with Apollo’s Fire, Los Angeles Opera, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, and at the Carmel Bach, San Luis Obispo Mozart Festival, Indianapolis, Savannah and Bloomington Festivals. Tekla received her musical training at Johns Hopkins University and Peabody Conservatory (where she studied History and German Literature in addition to violin), Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Vienna, Austria, and at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music where she completed a Master’s degree with Ian Swenson. She teaches Suzuki violin in both German and English and is on the early music faculty of Cornish College for the Arts. Tekla plays on a violin made by Sanctus Seraphim in Venice, 1746.
The passionate artistry of violinist Linda Melsted has won the hearts of audiences across North America, Europe, and Japan. She has appeared as soloist, member, and leader of many outstanding ensembles including Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, Freiburg Baroque Orchestra, Portland Baroque Orchestra, Seattle Baroque Orchestra, Pacific Baroque Orchestra, and Pacific Music Works.
Linda is the featured soloist in Tafelmusik’s TV documentary, DVD and CD “Le Mozart Noir,” where she musically incarnates the remarkable 18th-century virtuoso and adventurer, the Chevalier de Saint-Georges. An active chamber musician, Linda has appeared on many series including Early Music Vancouver, Gallery Concerts, Primavera Concerts, Bloomington Early Music Festival, the Calgary Symphony’s Italian Music Festival, Folia, Toronto Music Garden, Quadra Island Discovery Chamber Music Festival, and Tactus.
Linda was a member of Tafelmusik 1992-2004, Music Director of Nota Bene Baroque Orchestra, 2005-2009, a regular guest leader and soloist of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Orchestra’s “Baroque and Beyond” series, and taught violin at the University of Waterloo. Happily back in Seattle since 2010, she formed the Salish Sea Players, a group dedicated to performing chamber music in retirement and nursing facilities and directs Seattle’s community Baroque orchestra, the New Baroque Orchestra. Linda performs on a Nicolo Amati violin from 1670.
Elisabeth Reed (viola da gamba & violoncello) is Co-director of the Baroque Ensemble at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music where she also teaches baroque ‘cello and viola da gamba. A member of the American Bach Soloists, Voices of Music, and Wildcat Viols, she has also appeared with the Seattle, Portland, and Philharmonia Baroque Orchestras, and at the Boston Early Music Festival, the Berkeley Early Music Festival and the San Luis Obispo Mozart Festival.
A graduate of the North Carolina School of the Arts, the Oberlin Conservatory, the Eastman School of Music, and Indiana University’s Early Music Institute, she can be heard on the Virgin Classics, Focus, and Magnatune recording labels. Ms. Reed also teaches baroque ‘cello and viola da gamba at the University of California at Berkeley. Summer teaching has included the American Bach Soloists Academy and the Viola da Gamba Society National Conclave. She is a Guild-certified practitioner of the Feldenkrais Method of Awareness Through Movement, with a focus on working with musicians and performers.
Maxine Eilander has appeared as a soloist with leading ensembles throughout the world including Teatro Lirico, Tafelmusik, Tragicomedia, The Toronto Consort, Les Voix Humaines, and the Seattle Baroque Orchestra. Eilander plays a range of specialized early harps: the Italian triple strung harp, the Spanish cross-strung harp, the German ‘Davidsharfe’, the Welsh triple harp for which Handel wrote his harp concerto, and the classical single action pedal harp. Eilander’s most recent recording Handel’s Harp(ATMA, 2009), features Handel’s complete obligato music for harp, and includes his famous harp concerto. She has also recorded the same work with Tafelmusik (A Baroque Feast, Analekta, 2002). Other notable recordings include William Lawes’ Harp Consorts (ATMA, 2008), a recording of Italian music for harp and baroque guitar with duo partner Stephen Stubbs entitled Sonata al Pizzico (ATMA 2004), Teatro Lirico (ECM, 2006), Ay que si, Spanish 17th century music with Les Voix Humaines (ATMA, 2002), Scarlatti’s oratorio Hagar and Ishmael, with Seattle Baroque (Centaur, 2003), Monteverdi’s Vespro della Beata Vergine, with Tragicomedia (ATMA, 2002), and the Grammy-nominated Conradi’s Ariadne for the Boston Early Music Festival (CPO, 2005). Maxine is the Managing Director of Pacific MusicWorks.
PMW is a production company defined by the artistic leadership of Stephen Stubbs that is focused primarily, but not exclusively, on the presentation of vocal music of the 17th and 18th centuries. Learn More...
1525 NE Elshin Place
Seattle WA 98125
206 708 6003
[email protected]
