GUEST PERFORMERS
Dan McCarthy, viola
Dan McCarthy's playing has been described as “virtuosic” by Seen and Heard International. He was a part of the first class of baroque violists accepted into the historical performance program at The Juilliard School. There, he was also featured in performances on violin, viola da gamba, and viola d'amore. He enjoys a varied career that takes him everywhere from Myanmar to England and his hometown New York in between.
Dan has served as section violist with the Trinity Wall Street Baroque Orchestra, concertmaster of the Austin Baroque Orchestra, and tenor gambist with Parthenia. He has also toured extensively throughout North America, East Asia, and Europe with artists and groups such as Jordi Savall, Masaaki Suzuki, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, and American Bach Soloists. On the east coast, he plays with Bach Vespers at Holy Trinity, Washington Bach Consort, Clarion Music Society, Grand Harmonie, Artek, REBEL, Teatro Nuovo, Queens Consort, Academy of Sacred Drama, and New Amsterdam Consort. Dan leads the recently founded Emfindsamer Ensemble, which presents the music of the Emfindsamer Stil or the 'sensitive style' of the mid 18th century.
Macarena Sánchez, cello
Macarena Sánchez is an award-winning cellist from Spain. She graduated with honors in cello performance by the Professional Conservatory of Music in Madrid and holds degrees in Romantic cello from The Superior Conservatory of Music of Castilla y León and in Baroque cello from The Royal Music Conservatory in Madrid. In 2009 she was recognized for her outstanding performance at the Community of Madrid Music Performance Competition.
Over the course of her musical career, she has received Master Classes by renowned cellists as Maria Kliegel (Cologne), Peter Bruns (Leipzig), Roel Dieltiens (Zurich), Marc Coppey (Paris) and Jaap ter Linden (The Hague) among others.
Macarena has offered many baroque concerts and workshops in Germany, Italy and Spain. She has collaborated on several performance projects with Transbaroque Ensemble, Freiburg Baroque Orchestra, Community of Madrid Symphony Orchestra and Camerata Musicalis Symphony Orchestra, to name a few, and was awarded first prize at the FEMUBA Baroque Festival Competition with her Ensemble, “La Rejouissance”. Solo performances include the Vivaldi Cello Concerto RV418 with the Royal Conservatory of Music in Madrid Baroque Orchestra in 2017.
Macarena moved recently to Georgia, where she intends to continue her career as a musician and where she collaborates with Amethyst Baroque Ensemble and the Georgia Symphony Orchestra.
Erik Schmalz, sackbut
Erik Schmalz received degrees in trombone performance from Oberlin Conservatory of Music and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, but discovered early music and period instruments shortly thereafter and was hooked. With an instrumentarium ranging from a 14th century straight trumpet copy to original romantic era trombones, he has been a historic trombone specialist and performer for more than fifteen years. As a member of Piffaro, The Renaissance Band and Dark Horse Consort; a regular performer with large ensembles such as Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, Handel and Haydn Society, Tafelmusik, Trinity Baroque Orchestra; and an active freelancer, Erik can be heard on many stages and on numerous recordings. Erik currently resides in Collinsville, CT.
Ute Marks, violin
Violinist Ute Marks lives in Atlanta, Georgia, but is a native of Germany, having grown up in the state of Saxony, where the cities of Leipzig and Dresden are central to the history of Baroque music. Mrs. Marks came to Georgia State University in 1994 to study with violinist Oliver Steiner, then returned to Germany to complete Masters’ degrees in Music Education as well as English and American Studies at Humboldt University in Berlin. Moving back to Atlanta in 1997 to live with her husband, besides teaching private violin lessons, she became a founding member of the Atlanta Baroque Orchestra and established her career as a Baroque violinist. Mrs. Marks is also a member of New Trinity Baroque and performed regularly with Dr. George Lucktenberg at Reinhardt University as well as other ensembles in the Atlanta area.
Gregory Hamilton, theorbo
Gregory Hamilton is Music Director of St. Joseph Church in Macon, he was educated at the Royal College of Music in London, and the University of Michigan. Dr. Hamilton enjoys a wide variety of activities and interests as a composer, recitalist on the organ, lute theorbo, and harpsichord, as a conductor, and continuo player on the harpsichord and theorbo. As a composer, over 100 of his works are in publication by Morning Star, Augsburg Fortress, Cantica Nova, WLP, Concordia, Paraclete Press, Sheet Music Plus, and Lorenz, and are presented internationally in concert halls and churches, schools and airports. He can be heard on three CD's released on the RosaMystica label, and a fourth will be released soon: Musica Dolorosa featuring performances on lute and harpsichord.
Krista Therieau, soprano
Krysta Therieau, soprano, holds a bachelor's degree in Music Education from Mercer University's Townsend School of Music. While at Mercer, she studied voice with Dr. Martha Malone and performed with the Mercer Singers under the direction of Dr. Stanley Roberts. She has performed as a choir member and soloist in works by Vivaldi, Handel, Schubert and others. Recently, Krysta was thrilled to perform several Early Music solos in Macon's Cherry Blossom Festival. She is currently an Elementary Music teacher in Bonaire, Georgia, where she teaches General Music, leads a children's choir, and leads an Orff ensemble.
Kelly Brzozowski, harp
Kelly Brzozowski is a masterful and diverse harpist with classical training and a folk background. She holds a BMUS in Classical Performance, a Masters Diploma in triple harp and Traditional Musicology, and is a U.S. National Scottish Harp Champion. Kelly has performed and taught throughout Europe and the United States,and maintains a large teaching studio in her hometown of Atlanta, Georgia. She enjoys performing in a wide variety of genres including classical, folk, and early music.
Aimee Marcoux, soprano
Aimée Marcoux is a classically trained singer, actor, and award-winning journalist. Known for her depth of character and musical sensitivity, Marcoux has performed over 50 operatic, musical theater, and oratorio roles with leading orchestras and opera companies across the globe. These include Florida Grand Opera, New World Symphony Orchestra, Florentine Opera, Florida Philharmonic Orchestra, The Bulgarian National Orchestra, Opera Frankfurt, Paraguay Symphony Orchestra and The Hungarian State Opera.
Aimee holds a Bachelor of Music degree from The Boston Conservatory of Music and a Master of Music degree in Opera from The New England Conservatory of Music.