DENTON, Texas (UNT) – Students, faculty and alumni from the University of North Texas College of Music are headed to Europe for an 11-concert, three-country tour in Germany, Austria and Croatia from July 1 (Tuesday) to July 21 (Monday). Current and former members of the UNT Baroque Orchestra, the UNT Collegium Singers and special guests will come together to perform as a baroque ensemble called "Fantasmi."
Follow Fantasmi's tour blog online to see photos and read updates throughout the trip.
Founded in 2010 by Paul Leenhouts, director of the early music program at UNT, Fantasmi performs chamber music repertoire from the 17th and 18th centuries. This summer's three-week tour will feature lesser-known, instrumental and vocal works from Austria and Bavaria, Germany. Leenhouts will also teach three master classes during the visit. This is the group's second international tour, following a tour in Brazil last summer.
"Communities across the globe should have the ability to connect with their cultural and musical pasts and then be able to share that background with the world," said Leenhouts, Fantasmi director. "The regions we are traveling to offer many unknown gems in the music literature. We're bringing these works to the forefront, while building relationships internationally."
The ensemble includes Leenhouts (recorder); students Bradley King (baritone), Andreas Stoltzfus (trumpet), Josip Kvetek (violin), Chuong Vu (violin), Jan-Hendrik Harley (viola), Fran Leboš (cello), Aaron Olguin (contrabass), and Fabiana González (mezzo-soprano); UNT music faculty member Brad Bennight (harpsichord and organ); and former UNT professor Christoph Hammer (harpsichord).
During the visit, Fantasmi will perform in several historical venues including a cathedral housing one of the largest baroque organs in the world, the tallest building in Croatia and a prominent center for historical instrument documentation and research. Repertoire includes Georg Muffat's Fasciculus I: Nobilis Juventus; Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber von Bibern's Serenada 'Der Nachtwächter and Sonata X; and Johann Friedrich Fasch's Recorder Concerto in F major.
"For faculty and students of the College of Music, summer travel is an ideal time to make worldwide connections, perform and teach internationally, and reinforce UNT's standing abroad," said Dean James Scott. This tour follows a May visit to Vietnam, in which Scott and several faculty members and doctoral students performed and taught master classes in the country. That initiative was planned by Vietnamese doctoral violin student Chuong Vu, who is also traveling to Europe as a member of Fantasmi.
See the complete tour schedule here.
Selected performance and master class highlights:
July 3 - 6 (Thursday – Sunday)
Master class at the Städtische Musikschule (Municipal Music School) in Passau, Germany. The top eight soloists from the workshop will be featured during a concert at 5 p.m. July 6 (Sunday) at the Gymnasium Leopoldinum in Passau, Germany.
7:30 p.m. July 5 (Saturday)
Concert with guest artist Inge Reinelt (recorder) at the Pfarrkirche Mariä Himmelfahrt (Parish of the Assumption) in Vornbach am Inn in Bavaria, Germany. The church has one of the most historically significant baroque organs in Bavaria.
8 p.m. July 8 (Tuesday)
Concert with guest artist Karin Hageneder (recorder) at the Peterskirche (St. Peter's Church) in Vienna, Austria. Originally built during the Early Middle Ages, the Peterskirche is often cited as the first church in Vienna.
9 p.m. July 15 (Tuesday)
Concert at the Crkva svetog Donata (Church of St. Donatus) in Zadar, Croatia. The construction of this pre-Romanesque church began in the 9th century and is often referred to as one of the most impressive buildings of the Carolingian period in Europe.
7:30 p.m. July 18 (Friday)
Concert featuring guest artist Iris Lichtinger (recorder) and former UNT professor Christoph Hammer (harpsichord) at the Goldener Saal (Golden Hall) in Augsburg, Germany.
7:30 p.m. July 19 (Saturday)
Concert at the Klosterkirche (Abbey Church) in Irsee, Germany. Constructed in the 12th century, the monastery was a center for learning and music cultivation in the 1700s.
About the UNT College of Music
The UNT College of Music is one of the largest and most respected comprehensive music schools in the country. More than 1,600 music students attend UNT each year, participating in more than 50 widely varied ensembles and pursuing specialized studies in performance, composition, music education or music scholarship. UNT faculty members and students have made appearances on the world's finest stages and have produced numerous recordings, many receiving Grammy awards and nominations. Distinguished UNT alumni can be found around the globe, in top music ensembles, opera companies, universities and schools.