Atlanta Baroque Orchestra facts for kids

The Atlanta Baroque Orchestra (ABO) is a special group of musicians. They play music from a time called the Baroque era. This era was roughly from the 1600s to the mid-1700s. What makes them unique is that they use "period instruments." These are instruments that look and sound like the ones used hundreds of years ago.

The ABO started in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1997. They gave their very first concert in January 1998. It is the oldest professional orchestra in the Southeastern United States that focuses on this type of historical music. Julie Andrijeski has been their artistic director since 2011.

What Music Does the Atlanta Baroque Orchestra Play?

The Atlanta Baroque Orchestra usually performs four to six concerts each year. They often play big orchestral pieces and concertos. Concertos are pieces where one or more solo instruments play with the orchestra. They also perform smaller chamber music pieces. These are for a few instruments. Sometimes, they feature vocal soloists singing cantatas.

Famous Baroque Composers

The music they play goes back to the early 1600s. Their main focus is on music from the Middle Baroque era. This includes composers like Johann Pachelbel and Arcangelo Corelli. They also play a lot of music from the High Baroque era, which ended around 1750. Famous composers from this time include Antonio Vivaldi, Johann Sebastian Bach, Frederic Handel, and Georg Philipp Telemann.

Beyond Baroque Music

Sometimes, the ABO also performs music from later periods. They have played pieces by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Joseph Haydn. These composers lived after the Baroque era. They have even performed string symphonies by Felix Mendelssohn from the 1820s. Some concerts have also featured the orchestra playing for Baroque dancers.

Special Instruments and Musicians

The ABO uses instruments that are replicas of those from the Baroque era. This is called "historically informed performance." It means they try to play the music exactly as it would have sounded long ago. These instruments create a different sound compared to modern orchestras.

How Baroque Instruments Are Different

• Strings: Baroque violins, violas, and cellos use strings made from sheep gut. Modern orchestras use louder steel strings. The bows are also designed differently.
• Flutes: A Baroque flute is made of wood and does not have keys. Modern flutes are usually metal and have many keys.
• Horns: The Baroque horn, or "natural horn," does not have valves. Modern horns have valves to change notes.

Other Baroque Instruments

Other instruments you might hear in a Baroque orchestra include:

• The harpsichord, which is like a keyboard instrument.
• The lautenwerk, another type of keyboard instrument.
• The viola da gamba and bass viol, which are string instruments held between the legs.
• The recorder, a woodwind instrument.
• The Baroque bassoon.
• The lute and theorbo, which are string instruments like guitars.

Most musicians in the ABO are experts in playing these historical instruments. Many are university teachers or professors. They come from Atlanta and other parts of the US and even overseas.

Notable Performances and Collaborations

The Atlanta Baroque Orchestra has performed many important concerts. They were the first in Atlanta to play certain famous pieces on period instruments.

Key Performances

• Vivaldi's The Four Seasons at Clayton State University's Spivey Hall (1998).
• J. S. Bach's St John Passion at Emory University (2000).
• Handel's Messiah (2002).
• Marc-Antoine Charpentier's Te Deum (2001).
• They celebrated the 250th birthday of Mozart in 2006.
• They also celebrated the 300th birthday of Haydn in 2009.

Working with Others

The orchestra often works with other groups. They have performed at conferences for flute players and music historians. They have played at many universities, including Emory University, the University of Georgia, and Florida State University. They have also performed in cities like Birmingham, Alabama, and Pensacola, Florida. The ABO has partnered with many choirs and choral groups as well.

Currently, the ABO is an artist-in-residence at the Cathedral of St. Philip in Atlanta. This means the cathedral provides them with space for rehearsals and concerts.

See also

• New Trinity Baroque