The Concerto

Before it took on the musical form we know today, in Italian, concerto meant an agreement or accord — a state of harmony — but looking further through its latin roots in the word concertare, it also became a competition or battle. Guest musicians Maureen Murchie, violin, and Nathan Whittaker, cello, lead the Bitterroot Baroque orchestra in a program exploring the concerto in the 18th century, featuring solos from across the whole orchestra!

Program

George Frideric Handel - Concerto Grosso Op. 6 No. 7 in B Flat Major, HWV 325

Francesco Geminiani - Concerto Op. 7 No. 3 in C Major, H. 118

Francesco Durante - Concerto No. 1 in F Minor

Robert Woodcock - Concerto No. 5 in D Major for 2 Sixth Flutes

Baldassare Galuppi - Concerto a Quattro No. 1 in G Minor

Georg Philipp Telemann - Concerto for Recorder and Flute in E Minor TWV52:e1

Jean-Marie Leclair - Violin Concerto No. 5 in A Minor Op. 7

Antonio Vivaldi - Concerto Madrigalesco RV. 129

Meet our Guest Musicians

Maureen Murchie, violin and Nathan Whittaker, cello

Maureen Murchie is an active performer on violin and viola, in demand as a soloist, leader, chamber musician, and teacher. She is concertmaster of the Bismarck-Mandan Symphony Orchestra, assistant conductor of the Bismarck-Mandan Symphony Youth Orchestra, and a member of the Handel and Haydn Society. Having grown up in Japan and attended Japanese schools, Maureen speaks, reads, and writes Japanese at a native level. For over a decade she lived in New York City and worked as a Japanese translator, interpreter, and marketing manager while maintaining a freelance performing career that included Broadway pits, Harry Connick Jr., the baroque and contemporary orchestras of Trinity Wall Street, and many period ensembles across the United States. Maureen holds degrees from Baylor University (magna cum laude) and a doctorate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she wrote a dissertation on the history of the Sendai Philharmonic Orchestra. Dr. Murchie has held teaching positions at Eastern Illinois University, McLennan Community College, University of Illinois, University of Mary, and Bismarck High School. In August 2024 she was appointed Assistant Dean of Humanities, Arts & Sciences at Bismarck State College in Bismarck, North Dakota. For more info, to view her performance calendar, or to order a copy of her album Gospel Hymns for Violin & Piano (with jazz pianist Paul Johnston), please visit maureenmurchie.com.

Nathan Whittaker, violoncello, enjoys a diverse career as a soloist, chamber musician, recitalist, teacher, and historical cello specialist, with concert stops ranging from New York to Seattle to Dubai. He is Artistic Director of Gallery Concerts (Seattle), a chamber music series on period instruments, and appears frequently with the Trinity Baroque Orchestra, New York Baroque Incorporated, ARTek, Twelfth Night, The Sebastians, and the Kaleidoscope Vocal Ensemble. He has also served on the faculty of Cornish College of the Arts and each summer hosts “Cello Day,” a one-day workshop for adult cellists. His performances can be heard on recordings for ATMA Musique, Harmonia, and Centaur, as well as in live broadcasts on NPR, CBC, and KING FM. Dr. Whittaker holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Washington and Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Indiana University. He performs on a 1957 cello by Mario Gadda and a baroque cello by Johann Christian Ficker II, c.1770. When not playing the cello, Nathan enjoys strolling through Hell’s Kitchen, coffee in hand, with his wife, soprano Linda Tsatsanis, and their mischievous mutt, Julep.