2024 Capitol Hill Chamber Music Festival
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2025 Capitol Hill Chamber Music Festival
~ Period Instrument chamber music from six centuries ~
August 1-11, 2025
~ Please click the appropriate concert location to the left for specific dates ~
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  1 • The 18th-CENTURY HARPSICHORD IN SPAIN •



• August 1-3, 2025
Washington, DC, Baltimore & Annapolis
Specific dates and locations to be announced very soon

 THE 18TH-CENTURY HARPSICHORD IN SPAIN
   · Irene Roldàn, solo harpsichord

Irene RoldanSebastián de Albero (1722-1756)
Recercata prima – Fuga prima
– Sonata primae
Antonio Soler (1729 - 1783)
Preludio IV in F minor
Preludio I in D minor
Preludio III in C Major
Carlos Seixas (Portugal, 1704 – 1742)
Sonata in F minor – Moderato
Minuet in F major
Sonata in F minor– Allegro
José de Nebra (1702 – 1768)
Sinfonia II in E minor
Sinfonia VIII in C Major-minor
Félix Máximo López (1742 - 1821)
Variaciones del Fandango espanol


The listener will step into the heart of 18th-century Iberia, where the vibrant court of Madrid stood as a focal point for the flourishing of rich keyboard music. Domenico Scarlatti, with his masterful keyboard sonatas, cast a considerable shadow over contemporaneous composers unfairly labeled as mere imitators. Sebastian de Albero, Jose de Nebra, and the Portuguese Carlos Seixas forged unique voices while incorporating a wide range of influences into their work, from the Spanish Golden Age and Iberian folklore to Italian virtuosity. Hidden gems, like Nebra's symphonies, await discovery. As Scarlatti's sonatas remain iconic, the listener will delve into the overlooked brilliance of these composers, poised for a deserved spotlight in the keyboard repertoire.

Award-winning harpsichordist Irene Roldán (www.ireneroldan.com) was born in southern Spain in 1997. Described by the press as one of the most prominent Spanish harpsichordists on the international scene (ABC Sevilla), Irene currently lives and works in Basel, Switzerland. She gained international recognition in 2021, when she won first prize, never previously awarded in this competition, as well as the audience prize at the III. International Harpsichord Competition «Città di Milano». In the same year, her ensemble Flor Galante secured the first prize at the IV. International Bach Competition in Berlin. One year later, Irene was honored with the prestigious Bach Prize and an additional special award at the XXXIII. International Bach Competition held in Leipzig, Germany.
★     ★     ★
Dates on Capitol Hill, In Baltimore and in Annapolis to be announced very soon
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AC/E PICE
Irene Roldàn’s participation in these performances has been made possible with help from the Honorary Consulate of Spain in Seattle and from to the Programme for the Internationalisation of Spanish Culture (PICE) of Acción Cultural Española (AC/E), which seeks to promote Spanish culture through the inclusion of Spanish artists and creators residing in Spain in the programming of cultural events outside of Spain.
Consulate of Spain in Seattle



 2 • BAROQUE IN TRANSITION II •



• August 4-6, 2025 Specific dates and locations to be announced very soon

CANZONAS, SONATAS & SUITES
1600-1700
Irene Roldàn
~ harpsichord ~
Marlisa del Cid Woods
~ violin ~
Jeffrey Cohan

~ renaissance and baroque traverse flutes ~

   The canzona, having appeared in the 1570's as a more vocally inspired instrumental form following the earlier ricercare, evolved into the familiar sonata as it became ever more instrumentally idiosyncratic and virtuosic. The 17th century saw the development of wildly new instrumental colors alongside intense discussion and disagreement between proponents of the diverging Italian and French styles.
   In a continuation of last year's exploration, early 17th-century works for violin with Renaissance transverse flute, violin and harpsichord illuminate a period of transition between Renaissance and Baroque styles, and contrast with early 18th-century trios for these instruments.
★     ★     ★
Dates on Capitol Hill, In Baltimore and in Annapolis to be announced very soon
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Irene RoldanMarlisa WoodsJeffrey Cohan



  3 • BACH & SCARLATTI



August 8-10, 2025
Washington, DC, Baltimore & Annapolis
Specific dates and locations to be announced very soon

Irene Roldàn
~ harpsichord ~
Jeffrey Cohan

~ baroque flute ~

JS Bach Domenico Scarlatti

Irene Roldàn and Jeffrey interpret the phenomenal music by Johann Sebastian Bach for flute and harpsichord alongside four sonatas by Domenico Scarlatti for solo harpsichord and one with flute.
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Dates on Capitol Hill, In Baltimore and in Annapolis to be announced very soon
★     ★     ★


flute
The Capitol Hill Chamber Music Festival has since 2000 presented chamber music by familiar as well as little-known composers from the Renaissance through the present on Capitol Hill in period instrument performances which shed new light upon early performance practice and contemporary works. Unpublished works from the Library of Congress are given particular attention, and many have received their modern day premieres during these concerts, in addition to premieres of works by Slovenian composers. The Capitol Hill Chamber Music Festival is a nonprofit corporation in the District of Columbia and an affiliate organization of Early Music America. Please sign up for our E-Mailing List!



virginals
~ updated June 23, 2025 ~
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SSEMF banner: detail from "Indeterminate Landscape" by James C. Holl.