Flutist CHRISTOPHER KRUEGER received his formative musical training in Boston and graduated from the New England Conservatory of Music. He is principal flutist with the Handel and Haydn Society, Boston Early Music Festival Orchestra, the Bach Ensemble, Smithsonian Chamber Players, and Boston Baroque. He has been featured as soloist on the Great Performers Series and Mostly Mozart Festival at Lincoln Center, the City of London Festival and Lufthansa Festival in London, the Berlin Bach Festival, and at Tanglewood and Ravinia. Mr. Krueger has also performed with such diverse groups as the Drottningholm Theatre Orchestra, Aston Magna, Tafelmusik, Orpheus, and the Boston Symphony. He is Assistant Professor of Music at The University of Massachussets at Amherst, and on the faculties of the New England Conservatory and the Longy School of Music. He has recorded for DG, Sony, L'Oiseau-Lyre, RCA, Centaur, Nonesuch, and Telarc.

Oboist MARC SCHACHMAN was born in Berkeley, California and received his education at Stanford University and the Juilliard School where he was awarded the B.S., M.S., and D.M.A. degrees. He has performed as soloist and principal oboe with "original instrument" orchestras throughout America including Philharmonia Baroque (San Francisco), Handel and Haydn Society and Boston Baroque (Boston), and Mostly Mozart and The American Classical Orchestra (New York). He is a founding member of the Amadeus Winds, and performs often with groups such as Aston Magna, Helicon, Orchestra of St. Lukes and the New York Chamber Soloists. His recordings can be heard on the MHS/Musicmasters, Harmonia Mundi, Sony, L'Oiseau-Lyre, Telarc, and Centaur labels. He is on the faculty of Boston University, where he teaches oboe and baroque chamber music in the Historical Performance division.

Violinist LINDA QUAN was born in Los Angeles, California and graduated from the Juilliard School with the B.M. and M.M. degrees. She has appeared as soloist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Contemporary Chamber Ensemble and has served as Concermistress with various American "original instrument" orchestras including the Handel and Haydn Society, Smithsonian Chamber Orchestra, Mostly Mozart, and the American Classical Orchestra. She is a member of the Bach Ensemble, the New York New Music Ensemble, and the Atlantic Quartet, and appears frequently with groups such as Aston Magna, St. Lukes, and Helicon. Ms. Quan has recorded for Sony, L'Oiseau-Lyre, MHS/Musicmasters, CRI, Nonesuch, Centaur, and Opus One, and is on the faculty of Vassar College.

Cellist MYRON LUTZKE was born in Newark, New Jersey, and received his education at Brandeis University and the Julliard School, where he received his Bachelor of Music degree. Mr. Lutzke is a member of the St. Luke's Chamber Ensemble, the Mozartean Players, and the Bach Ensemble and is the principal cellist for many of this country's "originial instrument" orchestras, including the Handel and Haydn Society, Boston Early Music Festival Orchestra, and Mostly Mozart Original Instrument Orchestra,and the Orchestra of St. Luke's. He is an artist-in-residence at the Caramoor Festival and teaches at the Mannes School of Music. His recordings can be heard on the Harmonia Mundi, MHS/Musicmasters, Sony, L'Oiseau-Lyre, Nonesuch, Centaur,and Arabesque labels.

Harpsichordist ARTHUR HAAS was born in New York but grew up in Los Angeles and attended the Juilliard School and UCLA where he received a Master's degree in historical musicology. In 1975 he received the highest prize from the 2nd International Paris Harpsichord Competition and was subsequently appointed Professor of Harpsichord and Baroque Performance Practice at L'Ecole Nationale de Musique in Angouleme. In 1983 he returned to the U.S. to teach at the Eastman School of Music and at SUNY Stony Brook. He has performed with many New York ensembles including Orpheus and the Orchestra of St. Luke's and has appeared as soloist at the Mostly Mozart and Caramoor Festivals. Mr. Haas has recorded for EMI, Harmonia Mundi, Centaur and MHS/Musicmasters labels, and has given harpsichord recitals, and master classes throughout America and Europe. He is currently on the faculty of SUNY Stony Brook and the Mannes College of Music in New York.

Resident in the New York area since 1990, R.J. Kelley has been heard with such distinguished ensembles as the New York Philharmonic, NY City Opera, NY City Ballet, Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra, Orchestra of St. Luke's, Orpheus, Aspen Wind Quintet, and many others.

Equally comfortable touring with Branford Marsalis and Orpheus, appearing on "Saturday Night Live" with Puff Daddy and Jimmy Page, or giving Bach's Quoniam under direction of Christopher Hogwood, Andrew Parrott, or Joshua Rifkin, playing the Carnivale di Venezia with the Duke Ellington orchestra, recording Mozart's complete Concerti for horn (MusicMasters/ Orchestra of the Old Fairfield Academy/Thomas Crawford), R.J. has garnered critical praise ranging from "Dazzling!" (San Francisco Chronicle) to "...resident magician of the Orchestra of the Old Fairfield Academy..." (Hartford Courant).

R.J. currently serves as principal horn of Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra under Nicolas McGegan; Santa Fe Pro Musica & Smithsonian Chamber Orchestra/Kenneth Slowik (NM,DC); American Classical Orchestra/Thomas Crawford (CT); Portland Baroque Orchestra/Monica Huggett (OR); Washington Bach Consort/Reilly Lewis.  He has been featured as concerto soloist with the above-named ensembles, as well as the Philadelphia Classical Symphony, Connecticut Early Music Festival, Connecticut Orchestra, The Governor's Musicke (Williamsburg, VA), Tafelmusik (Toronto), Capella Nuova (Stockholm, Sweden), and others.

Festival appearances include the Edinburgh Festival, the BBC Proms-London, Mostly Mozart/ Lincoln Center, Berkeley (CA) and Boston Early Music Festivals, Ravinia, Tanglewood, Blossom Festival, Gottingen Handel Festival, Brighton Festival (UK), and the Montreux-Detroit Jazz Festival.  R.J. has been a guest artist of the Royal Court Theater Orchestra at Drottningholm (Sweden), Freiburg Baroque Orchestra, Musica Antiqua St. Petersburg, Moscow Chamber Orchestra, CBC Vancouver, Korean Chamber Ensemble, Mexico City Philharmonic, and others.

R.J. has served as artist faculty at Colorado College and Hartwick College (NY); presented lecture recitals and/or master classes at Florida State University, San Jose State University, Rutgers University, University of Montana, and University of Michigan-Dearborn.

Of some 50+ CD's to his credit, a partial list includes: Beethoven's Sextet (horns and strings) and Septet/OoOFA/ MusicMasters, piano Quintets of Mozart and Beethoven/Helicon Winds/Helicon, Vivaldi's Concerti for Diverse Instruments/PBO/McGegan/Reference, and Rameau's Le Temple de la Gloire/ PBO/McGegan/ Harmonia Mundi USA. Recent releases include Hoagy Carmichael's Stardust (with Hora Decima brass ensemble/David Chamberlain); Bach's Mass in F, BWV 233(Washington Bach Consort/Reilly Lewis; and Schoenberg's reduction of Mahler's monumental Das Lied von der Erde (Santa Fe Pro Musica/Smithsonian Chamber Players/Slowik), which was nominated for a 2008 Grammy.

R.J. performs on an 1850 M.A. Raoux, an 1875 Besson (with three-piston sauterelle), and Seraphinoff/Haas Baroque horn. He also plays (exclusively) Alexander modern horns: 303, 307, 103, 90, and custom descant with a 103 belly.

Andrew Schwartz, Bassoon B.M., M.M., Juilliard

Period and modern bassoonist in solo, chamber, and orchestral appearances, including Little Orchestra Society (New York), Handel and Haydn Society, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Drottningholm Slottsteater (Sweden), Smithsonian Chamber Orchestra, Amadeus Winds, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra. Recordings: Decca, BIS, Deutsche Grammophon, Sony Classics, CBS Masterworks.
Faculty member of Longy School of Music and the Baroque Performance Institute at Oberlin. 

John Thiessen appears as soloist and principal trumpet with early music ensembles in the US and Canada, including Tafelmusik, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, American Bach Soloists, Boston Early Music Festival and Boston Baroque. This season, he performs Bach’s Mass in B Minor, Christmas Oratorio, Magnificat in D and numerous cantatas, Handel’s Messiah, Water Music, St. Cecilia Day’s Ode and L’Allegro, in addition to recitals throughout the US and Canada.

Thiessen is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music and King’s College, University of London, and is the recipient of grants from the Canada Council and Ontario Arts Council for studies in the UK. He recently presented masterclasses at Juilliard and University of Texas, is an adjunct faculty member for Carnegie Hall’s Academy program and has taught baroque institutes at Oberlin College and the Longy School.

Thiessen has recorded extensively for Sony Classical Vivarte, Telarc, EMI, BMG, Deutsche Harmonia Mundi, London Decca, Analekta, CBC and Denon, and is heard on the film Casanova.

Lauded as “a fine baroque stylist,” soprano Teresa Wakim enjoys an international career as a soloist in opera, oratorio, and chamber music. She has received praised from numerous publications, including the Boston Globe, Wall Street Journal, Miami Herald and Goldberg Magazine. A graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and Boston University’s College of Fine Arts, Ms. Wakim studied voice with Lorraine Manz and Penelope Bitzas, and historical performance practice with Martin Pearlman, Peter Sykes, and Joshua Rifkin.

Ms. Wakim is featured on two Grammy-nominated recordings of Lully operas, Thésée and Psyché, with the Boston Early Music Festival. She performs with the acclaimed ensembles Boston Baroque, the Handel & Haydn Society, the Boston Early Music Festival, Seraphic Fire, Apollo’s Fire, and is a frequent guest artist with many chamber ensembles, including Exsultemus, Bourbon Baroque, La Donna Musicale, and Les Bostonades.

Ms. Wakim’s operatic credits include Ariadne in Conradi’s Ariadne, Diane in Charpentier’s Actéon, Lisbeth in Mendelssohn’s Son & Stranger, La Musique in Charpentier’s  Les Arts Florissants, Flore in Lully’s  Psyché, Zaide in Campra’s  L’Europe Galante,  and Belinda in Purcell’s  Dido and Aeneus. A seasoned concert artist, Ms. Wakim often performs works spanning the early baroque to the newly composed, such as Bach’s Magnificat with the Handel & Haydn Society and the world premiere of Paul Crabtree’s Sedebat Mater.

Engagements for the 2009-2010 season include the recording of her role as Diane in Charpentier’s Actéon with the Boston Early Music Festival in Germany, Bach’s glorious cantata Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen with the St. Alban’s Bach Festival Orchestra in North Carolina, Handel’s Messiah across southern Florida with Seraphic Fire, playing the role of Morgana in Handel’s Alcina in Louisville with Bourbon Baroque, and the title role in the recently composed opera Jeanne d’Arc by Steven Jobe, in a new production in Rhode Island.

Ms. Wakim teaches privately in the Boston area, and is very active with the Handel & Haydn Society’s Outreach programs, giving over fifty educational performances per year and leading master classes in Boston schools.