PROGRAM
Graham Lynch: Couperin on the Road (2021)
David Evan Thomas: In the Blue Glen (2004)
Marc Lavry: Suite Concertante, Opus 348 (1966)
Bruce Babcock: SpringScape (2006)
What Child is This; Greensleeves
Angels We Have Heard on High
Carol of the Bells
Silver Bells
Streaming
About the Artists
The Beau Soir Ensemble is a flute, viola, and harp trio, based in the Washington, DC area, dedicated to the performance of standard and contemporary chamber music repertoire spanning a variety of genres. The group was founded by harpist Michelle Lundy in 2007. Beau Soir Ensemble regularly performs at venues and acclaimed concert series in the Mid-Atlantic region, including the Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage, Strathmore Mansion, Alden Theatre, Center Stage, Sundays at Three in Columbia, Harman Center for the Arts, Arts Club of Washington, The Lyceum, Church of the Epiphany, Dumbarton House, Washington County Museum of Fine Arts, Old Town Hall (Fairfax, VA), and The Anderson House. The trio also won the 2014 Montpelier Arts Recital Competition.
As part of its commitment to exposing audiences to contemporary music and new artists, Beau Soir frequently offers performances featuring world and local premieres by various exciting composers. Since 2014, the trio has performed local premieres of music by David Bruce, Don Davis, Milton Barnes, Marjan Mozetich, Lucas Richman, Stephen Main, Eduardo Angulo, Sonny Burnette and Paul Ben-Haim. In 2021, Beau Soir performed the world premiere of “Two Trios” by Alexander Jacobsen, “The Nightfall” by Roberto Di Marino and “Sarabande” by David Teie. BSE will partner with Truman Harris to premiere a work in 2022.
The innovative group is also dedicated to expanding the repertoire available to flute/viola/harp, including commissioning Baroque transcriptions of music by J.S. Bach and C.P.E. Bach, including his recently found trio sonatas, originally scored for flute, viola and keyboard.
Known for its exciting performance style and diverse programming, Beau Soir continues to attract a strong fan base through its acclaimed performances and unique audience interaction, which includes background, analysis, historical information, and descriptions of performance techniques within each performance. Beau Soir Ensemble’s goal is to make classical music accessible, interesting and enjoyable, inspiring a new generation of music lovers.
viola
Ruth Wicker
Ruth Wicker, a native of Germany, studied at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia and graduated from the Staatliche Hochschule fur Musik Koln. As the recipient of a Graduate Teaching Fellow Scholarship, she received her master’s degree from the University of Oregon. Her primary teachers include Joseph de Pasquale and Rainer Moog, and she studied Chamber Music with Felix Galimir, Karen Tuttle, Primosz Novsak, and the Alban Berg Quartet.
Ms. Wicker has given recitals in Europe (including Switzerland, Germany, and Greece) and throughout the United States. She has appeared as soloist with the Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Halle, and the Klassische Philharmonie Bonn. Ms. Wicker is active as a chamber musician and has taught viola at Western Michigan University and Andrews University. For two seasons she served as principal violist of the Kalamazoo Symphony, and was a member of the Oregon Symphony prior to joining the National Symphony Orchestra.
flute
Carole Bean
Carole Bean is the Piccoloist with the National Symphony Orchestra. Before joining the NSO, she performed with the Xalapa Symphony Orchestra in Mexico and the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra. She also performs with the Eclipse Chamber Orchestra, Verge Ensemble, and Fessenden Ensemble. Ms. Bean has presented numerous children’s concert performances as part of the Outreach Program of the NSO. She also has performed with the Grand Teton Music Festival in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, since 1992. A native of Columbus, Ohio, Ms. Bean attended Bowling Green State University and Northwestern University, where she studied with Judith Bentley and Walfrid Kujala, respectively.
harp
Michelle Myers Lundy
Michelle Myers Lundy is a professional harpist who performs throughout the Washington, DC area. She has performed at the Kennedy Center, Strathmore Hall and Mansion, the Capitol, Supreme Court, National Archives, Lyceum Museum, Alden Theatre and several of the Smithsonian Museums. Ms. Lundy is currently principal harpist with the Manassas Ballet Theatre Orchestra and Arlington Philharmonic. She has played with the National Philharmonic and Maryland Symphony Orchestra and regularly works with the Thomas Circle Singers.
As a proponent of chamber music, Ms. Lundy is the founding member of Beau Soir Ensemble (BSE), a flute, viola and harp duo formed in 2007. Beau Soir Ensemble has premiered music written for the Trio in the Washington D.C. area. The trio has performed at a variety of esteemed venues throughout the region including the Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center, Lyceum Museum in Alexandria, DACOR Bacon House, and the Anderson House.
Ms. Lundy began her musical studies in St. Louis on piano at the age of six. She spent five summers at National Music Camp in Interlochen, Michigan, where she began her harp studies. She received her Bachelor of Music degree from Northwestern University in harp performance. While at Northwestern she was a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. Ms. Lundy continued her studies at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor where she received a Master of Music degree.