FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 11, 2020

GLOUCESTER MEETINGHOUSE FOUNDATION PRESENTS A BACH BIRTHDAY CONCERT PERFORMED BY THE APPLETON CONSORT ON SATURDAY, MARCH 21 AT 7:30PM
Celebrate the 335^th anniversary of Bach’s birth with an evening of his orchestral masterworks performed on period instruments at the Gloucester Meetinghouse, corner of Middle and Church Streets.

Tickets are available at the door or online with more information at www.gloucestermeetinghouse.org. Preferred seating $45; general $30; students $10 with ID; under 12 free.

THE PROGRAM
The Appleton Consort performs some of Bach’s most beloved orchestral works at the Bach Birthday Concert on Saturday, March 21 at 7:30pm at the Gloucester Meetinghouse, home of the Gloucester Unitarian Universalist Church. The program includes the Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D Major, the Violin Concerto in A Minor, Sinfonia from Cantata Am Abend aber desselbigen Sabbatas, Sinfonia from Cantata Mer Hahn en neue Oberkeet, the Harpsichord Concerto No. 5 in F minor, and the Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 in F major. Each piece is performed on period instruments and according to the instrumentation that Bach intended.

THE APPLETON CONSORT
The Appleton Consort, directed by Mark Dupere, is named for the town of Appleton, Wisconsin, home of Lawrence University, where Dupere is Director of Orchestral Studies. Samuel Appleton, prominent Massachusetts merchant and philanthropist who had lived in Ipswich, was the father-in-law of the founder of Lawrence University. Appleton made a generous gift to the Lawrence University library, and in gratitude, the citizens named the town for him. Generations of the Appleton family made their home in the Boston area and on Cape Ann with many connections to the area’s businesses and institutions. For example, Thomas Appleton who was considered the finest organ builder in New England, built the first pipe organ in the gallery of Gloucester’s Unitarian Universalist Church in the 1820s.

Mark Dupere is Assistant Professor of Music at Lawrence University. His undergraduate study of the cello led to continued work at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague, The Netherlands, where he specialized in baroque cello. It was here that Mark met his wife Emily Dupere who completed her studies in baroque violin. Mark has performed extensively throughout the United States and Europe and is featured on numerous recordings. He was named New Young Artist at the Victoria Bach Festival, performed in the Leipzig Bach Competition, and apprenticed with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment in London. As an educator, Mark seeks to share his passion for music-making and active engagement with audiences in the performance of music from all periods.

Members of the Appleton Consort include: Elisabeth Axtell and John Aubrey, horn; David Dickey, Andrew Blanke, and Joyce Alper, oboe; Allen Hamrick, bassoon; Emily Dupere, Asako Takeuchi, and Anna Griffis, violin; Lauren Nelson, viola; Mark Dupere, cello; Motomi Igarashi, bass; and Guy Whatley, harpsichord.

IN GRATITUDE
The Gloucester Meetinghouse Foundation is deeply grateful to all our 2019-20 Concert and Event Series Sponsors. We extend a special thank you to H. Woody Brock and Scobie Ward for their generous gifts to underwrite the Bach Birthday Concert.

LOCATION AND INFORMATION
The Gloucester Meetinghouse is located at the corner of Church and Middle Streets. The accessible side entrance is at 10 Church Street. Weather permitting, event parking is available on the green and at parking lots nearby in the Historic District. Tickets are available at the door or online with more information at www.gloucestermeetinghouse.org. Preferred seating $45; general $30; students $10 with ID; under 12 free.

For more information on this program and the full 2019-20 event schedule, please visit www.gloucestermeetinghouse.org.