Special Events

An Evening of Baroque Music

Adam Kuenzel, principal flutist of the Minnesota Orchestra, joins harpsichordist Dean Billmeyer for an evening of baroque music by Johann Sebastian Bach, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach and Joseph Bodin de Boismortier. Also joining the evening's program will be Greg Milliren, Associate Principal Flutist for the MN Orchestra. The concert takes place at 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 11, in the intimacy and outstanding acoustics of Hamline University's Sundin Music Hall, 1531 Hewitt Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104.

The concert is a benefit for Compassionate Ocean Dharma Center, which offers programs in Zen Buddhism, mindfulness and stress reduction at its home in northeast Minneapolis and other Twin Cities locations. Founded in 1994, Compassionate Ocean Dharma Center is led by longtime Buddhist teachers Joen and Michael O'Neal. Tickets are available for $30 in advance, $35 at the door. Tickets can be ordered by phone by calling 612-781-7640, by mail at CODC, 681 17th Ave NE, #210, Minneapolis, MN 55413 or online.

Adam Kuenzel has been principal flutist for the Minnesota Orchestra since 1990. Over the past 20 years, he has accrued a great deal of critical acclaim, not only for his solos in the great works of the orchestral repertoire, but on the world premieres of flute concertos by Stanislaw Skrowaczewski and Manuel Sosa.

While classical music journalists of the Twin Cities are well acquainted with Kuenzel's outstanding musicianship, he's also earned praise from the New York Times for his performance of Leonard Bernstein's "Halil" with the Minnesota Orchestra. Kuenzel has been a guest artist with the Aspen Music Festival, Spoleto Festival and Oregon Bach Festival.

Kuenzel will be joined for this concert by one of the Twin Cities area's experts on baroque repertoire. Dean Billmeyer is the head of organ and harpsichord studies at the University of Minnesota. In addition to being an award-winning organist, Billmeyer is a harpsichordist equally at home in the 18th and the 21st centuries. He's performed frequently with the Minnesota Orchestra and St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, as well as on a Grammy-nominated recording by the Dale Warland Singers.

Greg has captivated audiences across the nation with his expansive, silvery tone and engaging, soulful expression. In the Fall of 2009 he was named Associate Principal Flute, Henrietta Rauenhorst Chair, with the Minnesota Orchestra. Prior to moving to Minneapolis, he was an active freelance flutist and teacher in Los Angeles, enjoying frequent orchestral, chamber music, solo, and recording collaborations with composers, orchestras, and chamber music groups across Southern California and the US. In 2007, he was the second-place winner of the prestigious National Flute Association Young Artist Competition.

For more information on the concert, please contact Sue Harrington by phone at 612-781-7640 or via e-mail at admin@oceandharma.org.

• Who: Flutist Adam Kuenzel and harpsichordist Dean Billmeyer
• What: Works by J.S. Bach, C.P.E. Bach and Joseph Bodin de Boismortier
• When: 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 11, 2010
• Where: Sundin Music Hall, 1531 Hewitt Ave., St. Paul
• Tickets: $30 in advance, $35 at the door, available at 612-781-7640 or buy tickets online