Ad Libitum Ensemble - PROMENADES

J. S Bach: Trio Sonata in G, BWV 525 (Allegro, Adagio, Allegro)

J. Ibert: Deux Interludes (Andante espressivo, Allegro vivo)

B. Martinu: Promenades (Poco Allegro, Adagio, Scherzando, Allegro – Vivo)

V. Rieti: Pastorale e fughetta

W. A. Mozart: Trio in E-flat Major, K. 498 “Kegelstatt”

(Andante, Menuetto, Rondeaux)

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Elizabeth Downing – flute

Anatole Wieck – violin, viola

Marina Minkin – piano

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The Ad Libitum Ensemble was formed in 1995 to perform music from the Baroque era as well as lesser known classical and contemporary works. The name Ad Libitum reflects quite well the stylistic diversity and the time span of the ensemble’s repertoire. Depending on chamber music setting the ensemble employs different combinations of instruments in addition to piano or harpsichord including violins, flutes, baroque cello and the recorder.

Flutist Elizabeth Downing is a soloist, chamber musician and faculty at the University of Maine School of Performing Arts where she teaches flute, flute pedagogy, and coaches chamber music.  She received a Bachelor of Music in Flute Performance and a Bachelor of Arts in German from the University of Maine and studied at the Mozarteum Conservatory of Performing Arts and the University of Salzburg in Austria. She received a Master of Music degree in Flute Performance at the University of Colorado. She has performed as a soloist with members of the New York Philharmonic in the Arcady Music Festival Orchestra, with the Leningrad Chamber Orchestra, with the Haydn Festival Orchestra under Claude Monteux, on “Morning Pro Musica”, WGBH in Boston, on Maine Public Broadcastin to name a few.  For many years Elizabeth organized the Arcady Music Youth Competitions and has served as an adjudicator for music festivals and competitions throughout New England.

Born in Latvia, Anatole Wieck received his first musical education in Riga and Moscow. In the United States since 1973, he studied violin and viola at the Juilliard School of Music in New York City, where he completed his Doctorate in Musical Arts working closely with Ivan Galamian, Lillian Fuchs, and Paul Doktor. He also studied baroque interpretation with Carol Lieberman at Boston University. He plays baroque viola, viola d’amore and baroque violin. Since 1986 Dr. Wieck has taught upper strings at the University of Maine and conducted the University of Maine Orchestra. He has performed and conducted in Europe, North and South America, and has participated in chamber music festivals such as Chamber Music/West (San Francisco), White Nights (St. Petersburg, Russia) and festivals in Montepulciano, Italy and Newport, Rhode Island. In May, 2006 he traveled to Guatemala as a Fulbright Senior Specialist where he conducted the Juventud y Música Foundation orchestra, gave master classes to students and faculty of the Guatemala National Conservatory. He performs regularly with the Baroque Orchestra of Maine and is director of the String Program at Maine Summer Youth Music at the University of Maine. In 2010 Dr. Wieck co-founded the Chamber Music Institute (CMI) with his Juilliard classmate Akiko Hirose-Silver.

Marina Minkin   performs and records regularly as a soloist, and as a member of the Phoenix Ensemble, the Spectrum Ensemble, Ad Libitum Ensemble and Mediterranean Baroque Quartet featuring Italian and Israeli musicians. Among many chamber music festivals, Marina Minkin has appeared at the Fifth International Recorder Festival in Montreal, Canada, the Abu Gosh Festival, Israel, Cluj International Festival, Transilvania, Jerusalem Bach Festival and Brianza Early Music Festival, Italy. She was a founder and an Artistic Director of the “LAUDA: Jewish-Arab Youth Ensemble of early and ethnic music based in Galilee.  Ms. Minkin has released highly acclaimed CDs: a recording of Vittorio Rieti’s harpsichord solo and chamber music on NEW WORLD RECORDS featuring American and Israeli artists, and “Conversations” – contemporary music for 2 harpsichords (with David Shemer) on OMNIBUS CLASSICS. Her other recordings include the CD Harpsichord Music by Israeli Composers (ALBANY RECORDS), the album Bach, Bach & Bach (ARTONA) and numerous appearances on the WGBH radio station (Boston), the Kol Israel classical music radio station (Israel), RCJ radio Paris, and WNYC radio NewYork.

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