Nash Baroque at Berkeley Festival and Exhibition 2026!

“All That is Necessary…”Music and Dance from the Comedies of Molière and the Court of Louis XIV

“Music and dancing, Music and Dancing that is all that’s necessary.” - Molière Bourgeois Gentilhomme, Act I

Featuring incidental music from Moliere’s  “La Mariage Forcé” (1664) and “La Malade Imaginaire “(1673) Nash Baroque performs with soprano, Caroline Jou Armitage and Irenie Melin-Gompper of the New York Baroque dance company, sublime works from the reign of Louis XIV by Marc-Antoine Charpentier, Michele De La Barre, Elisabeth Jacquet de Guerre, Antoine Forqueray, AND newly discovered pieces for flute by Marin Marais.

Caroline Armitage, soprano and violin; Vicki Melin, traverso; Frédéric Rosselet, viola da gamba; Junghae Kim, harpsichord; Irenie Melin-Gompper, dance

Monday, June 8th 5:30pm

Loper Chapel, First Congregational Church

2345 Channing Way, Berkeley, CA 94704, USA

Tickets at the Door: General $25; Seniors and Students $20

 More Info:https://www.berkeleyfestival.org/fringe-calendar

With original and adapted extant choreographies by Jennifer Meller -Dance Through Time of the choreography of Beauchamp (1601-1705) , known to have choreographed divertissement in works of Molière.

Bios:

Soprano Caroline Jou Armitage is known for her “absolutely beautiful” performances sung with “pitch-perfect clarity and affecting intensity” (San Francisco Classical Voice). As a member of Vajra Voices, an all-female medieval vocal ensemble, her solo voice appears in the opening credits on the soundtrack of the feature film Outerlands. She has been a featured soprano soloist with the California Bach Society, Chora Nova, UC Alumni Chorus, Harmonia Felice, Bay Choral Guild, Berkeley Baroque Strings, and LA Baroque. As a Baroque violinist, she performs with Jubilate Baroque Orchestra and  Albany Consort. As a modern violinist, she plays for the Bay Area Country Dance Society. Caroline has also appeared as a Baroque dancer at the Amherst Early Music Festival in several operas, and most recently, in a showcase in Japan.

JungHae Kim’s unique style blends a sparkling virtuoso technique with a gentle and lyrical sensibility that makes the harpsichord instantly accessible to the modern ear. New York Arts described her playing as “impressive” and characterized by “a supple flow and expressiveness.” La Folia raved, “I have never listened as closely or enjoyed d’Anglebert as much. Kim’s playing is gallant and regal.”

A versatile musician on historical keyboard instruments, Kim has appeared as a soloist with period-instrument ensembles as well as the San Francisco Symphony and New Century Chamber Orchestra. She has been featured on NPR and national Korean television (KBS). A sought-after pedagogue, Kim has taught and performed at festivals around the world, including the Bloomington Early Music Festival, Berkeley Early Music Festival, Madison Bach Musicians Workshop, Hawaii Performing Arts Festival, Assisi Music Festival (Italy), Midsommer Baroque Music Festival (Denmark), and Chuncheon International Early Music Festival (Korea).

In addition to teaching private lessons, lecturing, and giving masterclasses, Kim is a Professor of Music Theory and Musicianship at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and Lecturer in Harpsichord at Stanford University.

Vicki Melin Baroque and Renaissance Flutes, has performed in early music groups throughout the Bay Area and Southern California such as the American Bach Soloists, with the ABS Academy;  Ars Minerva, Voices of Music,  Musica Angelica, Bach Collegium San Diego, California Bach Society, Opera Neo Festival Orchestra, Jubilate Orchestra, and as artistic director of her ensemble, Nash Baroque.  Ms Melin attended Boston University for her Masters of Music studying with Christopher Krueger and The Royal Conservatory of Music in Den Hague, The Netherlands, receiving the Advanced Diploma in Performance studying with Wilbert Hazelzet.  She has performed with  early music orchestras and chamber ensembles in the United States and is a frequent guest soloist with International Organ and Chamber Music Festivals in Poland.  Ms. Melin lives in San Francisco and teaches baroque flute privately and at UC Berkeley.

Irenie Melin-Gompper is a graduate of the Alvin Ailey Professional Division Program in NYC. Her formal training includes six years at the  San Francisco Ballet School and Bolshoi Ballet Academy Intensive Programs.  She currently lives in New City where she has assisted choreographers such as Christopher Huggins and Peiju Chien Pott and is a soloist with the New York Baroque Dance Company. She has performed Alvin Ailey works such as “Flight Time” and appeared in ‘Memoria’ during Alvin Ailey’s City Center Season. Last Spring she made her debut with the Boston Early Music’s Festival Company in the acclaimed production of ‘Octavia’ and is now a continuing member of that company. She is currently appearing with Company XIV in Brooklyn  as both lead and ensemble member, appearing in their 2026 season’s production of ‘Petite Rouge’.

Frédéric Rosselet, viola da gamba,  has a deep interest in both early and new music, finding inspiration in uncovering modern and contemporary works while exploring historical repertoire on period instruments. As a cellist, he has appeared at major festivals and with leading ensembles, including the Verbier Festival (Switzerland), Yellow Barn (Vermont), the Piatigorsky International Cello Festival (Los Angeles), Carmel Bach Festival, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, and American Bach Soloists. His recent projects have centered on late French baroque music for the viola da gamba. Originally from Switzerland, Frédéric studied at the Lausanne Conservatory, the Basel Music Academy, and the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis before completing his Doctor of Musical Arts at the University of Southern California. He is grateful to have had many inspiring mentors, including Ralph Kirshbaum, William Skeen, and Rafael Rosenfeld.

***********************************************************************************************************************

EMPEROR OF THE MOON

Proud to announce our 18thc. pantomime ballet Emperor of the Moon with Dance Through Time, has won in - count’em- TWO categories of the 2025 San Francisco Classical Voice Audience Choice Awards! Favorite Dance Soloist: Julia Bengtsson and Favorite Dance Performance of 2025. San Francisco Early Music Society, Nash Baroque, and Dance Through Time.

Nominated in a third category; Favorite Early Music Performance, we are so very grateful for these nominations and final votes! And a great “Huzzah” to all 2025 Winners!

“ Emperor of the Moon” with the music of Henry Purcell, John Blow, John Eccles and Gottfried Finger; Soprano Bethany Hill, guest dancers from the New York Baroque Dance Company and Seattle Early Dance, a familiar cast of Commedia d’elle Arte characters, and an unforgettable trip to the Moon.

Friday, June 6th 2025 7:30 pm Carrington Hall Theatre 1201 Brewster Ave. Redwood City

Saturday, June 7 4:00 pm and 7:30 pm Live Oak Theatre, 1301 Shattuck Ave. Berkeley

Sunday, June 8th 3:00 pm Gunn Theatre, Legion of Honor, 100 34th Ave. San Francisco

Produced by the San Francisco Early Music Society and made possible with the generous assistance of an MGP grant from Intermusic SF!

Les Amours Des Dieux; Cantatas of Montéclair and Clerambault

Reste Plaintif from “Pan et Syrinx” by Michele Pignolet de Montéclair

November 17th, 2024: Les Amours des Dieux; Cantatas of Clerambault and Monteclair with Soprano, Bethany Hill at Calliope East Bay Music and Arts; Albany, CA

Nash Baroque, with soprano Bethany Hill, bring to life tales of love, despair and triumph from 18th century France, with flute, violin, viola da gamba, theorbo and harpsichord, in a program entitled “Les Amours des Dieux”.

The cantatas of Michel Pignolet de Montéclair and Louis Nicolas Clérambault unfold as miniature dramas featuring mythological Greek gods and humans with all their passions, weaknesses and heartbreak. “Every myth is a drama in human form”, as Gaston Bachelard put it, and these intimate vocal works, together with richly evocative instrumental dance suites of Couperin, Phillidor and LeClair explore timeless themes of love, loss and metamorphosis that echo through the ages.

*********************************************************************

Huzzah!

Nominated in Summer 2023 to the final round of voting for the Bay Area’s 2023 “Classical Voice Audience Choice Awards” in Best Dance Performance for our collaboration with Dance Through Time of Pulcinella’s Dream! Music, Dance and Pantomime of the 18thc. Italian Theatre

Made Possible by an Intermusic SF MGP grant and Individual Donors like you!

Pulcinella’s Dream Photos by Kyle Sugioka-Stone