The
Rosewood Chamber Ensemble (Barbara Hopkins, flute; Judy Handler,
guitar) is in its fourth season of entertaining audiences with their
programs based on the stories and people of the early United States. The
Greater Boston Flute Association wrote about their Boston concert, "The
pieces were played with great style and joy, resulting in a captivating
performance." Their repertoire ranges from familiar Stephen Foster songs
and lively dances of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries to the
classical music beloved by John Quincy Adams. Particularly interesting
are the background stories they tell about the period, historical
figures, the music, and the flutes. Barbara plays these concerts on
historical flutes, including authentic Asa Hopkins flutes, made in
Litchfield, CT circa 1830. Two of these flutes are made from rosewood,
and that combined with the rosewood in Judy's guitars inspired the name
Rosewood Chamber Ensemble. They have received grants from the Evelyn
Preston Memorial Fund and have performed at venues including the Adams
National Historical Park, Litchfield Historical Society, and the
National Flute Association Convention.
Award winning flutist
Barbara Hopkins is a cousin of the early American woodwind maker Asa
Hopkins, who lived and worked in Litchfield, Connecticut. She moved to
Hartford to play in the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, having no idea that
Asa Hopkins existed, or that her ancestors were from Hartford. She has
"come home" in a way she never dreamed of. Also the flute teacher at the
University of Connecticut, she has released three CDs including
Telemann Methodical Sonatas, Vol. 1, Short Concert Pieces for
Flute and Piano, and Andersen Etudes, opus 15. Flute Talk
Magazine recommends her Andersen CD, writing "Hopkins plays these
virtuoso etudes with taste and a technical ease that many students work
for years to never achieve. The Flute
Network praised her Telemann recording as, "full, rich, and highly
musical." The best selling Short Concert Pieces disc is in its
third printing. She has her Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Stony
Brook University, and is using the research skills she developed in her
doctoral studies to find scores of nineteenth century American music.
Barbara has been a top prize winner in the National Flute Association
Competition and the New York Flute Club Young Artist Competition, and
was awarded a fellowship to Tanglewood Music Center, where she had the
honor of playing principal flute under Leonard Bernstein. She earned her
Master of Music from The Mannes College of Music, and her Bachelor of
Music at The Hartt School.
Judy Handler
received a Bachelor of Music degree from the College-Conservatory of
Music in Cincinnati and a Master of Music degree from The Hartt School.
She also earned a Certificate from the Vila-Secai Salou Conservatory in
Spain and a Diploma of Merit from the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in
Italy. She has given concerts and workshops at numerous venues
throughout the United States including the University of Arizona,
Commons Theater in Chicago, the Boston Classical Guitar Society and the
Guitar Salon in New York. As co-founder of the Connecticut Classical
Guitar Society, Judy helped develop one of the largest groups of its
kind in the United States. Judy performs nationally with her
husband, guitarist/mandolinist Mark Levesque. They have received
critical acclaim for their CDs, Passion, Two Guitars Live!
and Acoustic Blend. They are also featured on five CDs produced
by the Connecticut Classical Guitar Society.
Programs available in
2011-2012 include:
The Musical World of John Quincy Adams
The concert embarks on a musical journey through
the life and times of our sixth President, noted diplomat, theater and
opera devotee, and flute player John Quincy Adams. Come hear music from
his travels in Paris, London, Berlin, and the United States, including
dances and popular music from his personal favorite operas. A unique
treat is a performance of Adams’ own flute music from his student days
at Harvard University. The concert is performed on period flutes,
including Barbara Hopkins’ original Asa Hopkins flutes, made in
Litchfield, CT circa 1830.
Songs and Dances of Early America
This program tells the stories of American music
from the early nineteenth century until the Civil War, and of the early
American woodwind instrument maker, Asa Hopkins of Litchfield, CT.
Barbara performs on flutes made circa 1830 by Asa Hopkins. Asa was a
direct descendent of John Hopkins, who was one of the original settlers
of Hartford and a founding member of Center Church. The flutes Barbara
Hopkins plays are simple system wooden flutes made with either one key
or four keys. They were found and restored to professional playing
condition between 2005 and 2009. The music performed is songs and dance
music popular in this era. Some pieces will be familiar to listeners;
other works have been located in museums and historical societies around
New England.