The New York Early Music Celebration
OCTOBER 2024
Month-long Celebration to Include:
- Early Music New York 50th Anniversary Concert
- Panel Discussion Co-Presented with Early Music America: “Early Music in New York, Then & Now”
- Online Instrument Auction
- The First EMF Frederick Renz HIP Award
2024 marks the 50th anniversary of the founding by Frederick Renz of the Early Music Foundation and its performance ensemble, Early Music New York, as well as the 20th anniversary of EMF’s service-to-the-community arm, New York Early Music Central (NYEMC).
In honor of these anniversaries, Early Music New York will perform a 50th anniversary concert at First Church of Christ, Scientist on Saturday evening, October 26; and NYEMC is preparing the eighth New York Early Music Celebration, the first since 2019.
All presenters of historically informed performance events in New York City during the month of October are invited to participate. As always, NYEMC will provide a promotional/marketing ‘umbrella’ to supplement each presenter’s efforts.
Early Music America, an integral participant in the first two New York Early Music Celebrations (2004 and 2007), will co-present a panel discussion on Tuesday evening, October 1 at First Church of Christ, Scientist. The subject will be the history and future of historically informed performance in New York City. The panel will be moderated by Robert Aubry Davis, producer and host of the public radio program Millennium of Music. Panelists will include David McCormick, executive director of Early Music America; viola da gamba player Patricia Ann Neely; and Louise Basbas, founder and former executive director of the influential concert series Music Before 1800, also observing its 50th anniversary in 2024.
EMF will also hold an online auction of musical instruments collected over five decades, encompassing keyboards, strings, winds, brass and percussion. The auction webpage will go live in September, with bidding in the month of October, closing on October 26 after the Early Music New York concert. Further details will be announced soon.
If you have an instrument you would like to include in the auction, please contact us by July 31st.
The first annual Early Music Foundation Frederick Renz Award for Historically Informed Performance will be granted to an ensemble (or ensembles) presenting a concert during the Celebration. Further eligibility criteria and other details will be announced soon.
Early Music Foundation has arranged with First Church of Christ, Scientist to make its Sanctuary available at a reduced rental cost for small ensemble performances during the first three weeks of the Celebration (October 2nd through 20th). Please contact us for further details.
We look forward to working with you to include your events in the 2024 New York Early Music Celebration. Feel free to contact me to discuss ideas and make suggestions!
