UW Faculty Concert: Tekla Cunningham, violin: H.I.F. von Biber: Mystery Sonatas

• Henry Lebedinsky, organ & harpsichord
• William Skeen, baroque cello
• Tekla Cunningham, baroque violin, viola, & viola d'amore

Violinist Tekla Cunningham performs the five "Joyful Mysteries" from H.I.F. von Biber's Mystery Sonatas, with readings of poems by Rainer Maria Rilke. Each sonata calls for a differing scordatura tuning of the violin, accentuating the character of each piece. The performance is one of three Cunningham will perform in Seattle-area venues, to complete the full cycle of 15 sonatas in the spring of 2023.

About UW School of Music

http://music.washington.edu/

About Henry Lebedinsky, organ & harpsichord

https://www.henrylebedinsky.com/

About William Skeen, baroque cello

http://resonance.events/performer/william-skeen/

About Tekla Cunningham, baroque violin, viola, & viola d'amore

Baroque violinist Tekla Cunningham delights in bringing the music of the baroque, classical and romantic eras to life with vivid and expressive historically informed performances.

Praised as "a consummate musician whose flowing solos and musical gestures are a joy to watch", her performances have been described as "ravishingly beautiful" and "stellar". Her greatest musical love is music of the baroque and chamber music of all stripes, though she can’t seem to quit Johannes Brahms. She is co-artistic director of Pacific MusicWorks in Seattle, artist-in-residence at the University of Washington and founder and director of the Whidbey Island Music Festival.

Tekla plays regularly as concertmaster and principal player with the American Bach Soloists. Her new release 'Stylus Phantasticus' with Pacific MusicWorks is delighting critics. "Tekla is a marvel…an endlessly songful bird". Early Music America describes the recording as "played with verve, the music presented here reaffirms the old notion that instrumental music can have the flair of any theatrical spectacle. … a stellar vessel for the boldest showmanship".

Tekla plays on a violin made by Sanctus Seraphin in Venice in 1746.