Red Priest to bring baroque music with theatrical twist to WFU

Formed in 1997, the group has developed a no-holds-barred approach to music of the 16th – 18th centuries that includes creative stagecraft. The Los Angeles Times describes a Red Priest concert as a “high-energy baroque hoedown” and Classic CD magazine says it is like “crossing a Wigmore Hall recital with a Guinness-soaked folk session in an Irish bar.”

The performance is a signature event of the Conference of the Society for 17th Century Music, hosted by Wake Forest. The conference will bring 60 scholars of 17th century music from around the world to campus April 3-6.

“Red Priest is a baroque chamber music ensemble, but they are also first-class showmen. They have a lot of audience appeal, a lot of visual appeal,” said Stewart Carter, professor of music at Wake Forest and organizer of the Society for 17th Century Music conference.

Red Priest, who performs in venues across the United States and Europe, has released two CDs – the groundbreaking 1998 “Priest on the Run” and the 2002 recording “Nightmare in Venice.”

The four-member group performs on recorder, violin, cello and harpsichord.

Piers Adams is widely regarded as one of the world’s greatest recorder virtuosi. He has performed in numerous festivals and at premiere concert halls throughout the world, including London’s Royal Festival and at Queen Elizabeth Hall. He has been a soloist with the Academy of Ancient Music, the Singapore Symphony and the BBC Symphony. He has released seven compact discs, including an award-winning recording of Vivaldi recorder concertos.

Julia Bishop is a baroque violin specialist. Bishop also performs with the celebrated Gabrieli Consort. She has performed violin sonatas by Michael Festing on BBC Radio Three’s “Music Restored,” and recorded her first recital disc in 2002.

Cellist Angela East has performed as a soloist with several European orchestras. She formed the group, The Revolutionary Drawing Room, which performs chamber works from the revolutionary period in Europe on original instruments and whose first eight CDs have received favorable reviews.

Howard Beach regularly records with Adams as both harpsichordist and pianist. He has also performed and recorded as concerto soloist with Les Arts Florissants, the Apollo Chamber Orchestra and the London Mozart Players.

A pre-concert talk will be given at 7:10 p.m. by Eleanor McCrickard, professor of music and baroque specialist at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, in Scales Fine Arts Center, room 208, adjacent to Brendle Recital Hall.

Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for senior citizens and non-Wake Forest students. Tickets may be purchased through the Wake Forest box office (336-758-5295) beginning on March 17. Group discounts are available. For information, call the Secrest Artists Series office at 336-758-5757.