Performers

• Anima
  An all-women's vocal ensemble originally founded by Elizabeth Thompson. Members of Anima will perform music of Hildegard and more at the festival.
  
  
• Michael Arnowitt
  Also doubling as the festival's artistic director, Michael Arnowitt will perform some of the recently published piano études of Gyorgy Ligeti, which he considers to be among the most exciting piano music of the entire 20th century. Michael will also perform some of his own transcriptions of Art Tatum jazz piano improvisations such as the classic solo "Tea for Two," present a workshop on the French Baroque unmeasured prelude, and conduct works of Bach and Schütz.
  
  
• Bread and Puppet Theater
  The internationally-known Bread and Puppet Theater of Glover, Vermont will create a special festival-concluding theater piece for us, touching upon the history of the millennium, both in the world and in music. The theater is beginning a six-month appearance at the exposition in Hannover, Germany.
  
  
• Daniel Bruce
  With experience in both jazz and classical music, conductor and pianist Daniel Bruce was a natural choice for our presentation of the original Paul Whiteman jazz band version of Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" with the Vermont Jazz Ensemble.
  
  
• Jeffrey Chappell
  (Silver Spring, Maryland)
  
  Pianist Jeffrey Chappell has concertized in Central and South America, Europe, Japan, and Indonesia, and has performed piano concertos with the Philadelphia, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Houston, Baltimore, and Czech symphony orchestras. At the festival you can hear him play both virtuoso works of Franz Liszt and a Japanese transcription of Keith Jarrett's celebrated 1975 Köln concert jazz improvisation. Jeffrey Chappell's pianism is always warm and engaging; rather than try to project the music from the stage to you in the audience, his graceful playing brings you up onto the stage with him to create a more intimate listening experience.
  
  
• Paul Cohen
  (Los Angeles, California)
  
  Paul Cohen, cellist, was a versatile member of the Apple Hill Chamber Players when he lived in the East. Now that he makes his home on the West Coast, we're fortunate to be able to have him here in Vermont for this festival. Paul Cohen's humane cello playing will be heard in a variety of chamber music settings at the festival.
  
  
• Early Music Vermont
  
  
  
• Paula Ennis-Dwyer
  
  
  
• Fyre and Lightning Consort
  Directed by Steven Light, this Plainfield, Vermont group has presented early music since 1974.
  
  
• Linda Galvan
  A former member of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Linda Galvan will perform the sixth of the Bach suites for solo cello. Over the last fifty years or so, music-lovers have increasingly discovered the joys of these moving compositions and appreciated the uniquely focused and concentrated experience of listening to a single cello, an instrument whose resonance and warmth have touched humans deeply ever since its invention. Linda Galvan will also be featured in chamber music performance at the festival.
  
  
• Alan Gasser
  (Toronto, Canada)
  
  Tenor Alan Gasser is well-recognized as one of Canada's most versatile musicians. His musical activities and projects range from his championing of the ancient modal polyphonic music of (the country of) Georgia, to all sorts of classical music, works by contemporary composers, folk music, and even parlour songs. He is in the Georgian trio Kavkasia, leads the Toronto-based Georgian choir Darbazi, co-leads the Echo choir, and is a fine writer on music as well.
  
  
• Edsel Hughes
  
  
  
• Diane Huling
  Diane Huling will be our featured piano soloist for one of Mozart's greatest compositions, the A major Piano Concerto, K. 488. She can also be heard at the festival in chamber music. Diane Huling has performed in Europe and the United States. Her lyrical style and elegant performances are a joy to listen to, and have made her much in demand as both soloist, accompanist, and chamber musician
  
  
• Beverley Johnston
  (Toronto, Canada)
  
  One of the leading percussionists in Canada, Beverley Johnston is an exciting and dynamic performer on a wide range of instruments. She has performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., in Alice Tully Hall and Merkin Hall in New York City, at the Southbank Centre and the BBC in London, and in Scandinavia and Japan. At the Vermont Millennium Festival, she will be performing South African composer Kevin Volans' "She Who Sleeps With A Small Blanket" and other works.
  
  
• Jubilant Faire
  Jubilant Faire is a six-member women's group that will re-create for us in song and words the life of a 17th century English ale-house. Learn about the making of ale, bread, and more at their lively performance on the State House Lawn the first weekend of the festival.
  
  
• Karen Kevra
  Flutist Karen Kevra, has quickly become one Vermont's favorite performers. Together with Paul Orgel, she will perform music of her teacher, the renowned European-born Louis Moyse, who moved to Montpelier, Vermont a few years ago.
  
  
• Montpelier Chamber Orchestra
  Under the direction of Catherin Broucek Orr (who came up with the original idea of the Millennium Festival), the orchestra will perform in the beautiful well of the State House one of the most beloved pieces of music of the past thousand years, Vivaldi's "Four Seasons," with Linda Rosenthal of Juneau, Alaska, as violin soloist.
  
  
• Onion River Chorus
  The Onion River Chorus will be the base chorus for Thomas Tallis' marvellous surround-sound experience, Spem in alium, scored for eight vocal quintets or 40 parts in all. They will be joined by choruses from around Vermont for the performance of this Renaissance masterpiece.
  
  
• Paul Orgel
  Paul Orgel has been a recent and welcome addition to the Vermont music scene. A great lover of the music of Schubert, Paul Orgel will perform the composer's "Moments musicaux" at the festival. Paul Orgel can also be heard performing duo music by Louis Moyse with flutist Karen Kevra. Orgel plays with great sensitivity, nuance, and poetry..
  
  
• Linda Rosenthal
  
  
  
  
• Katy Taylor
  Malden on Hudson, NY
  
  Katy Taylor will perform medieval song while accompanying herself on the hurdy-gurdy at our special medieval outdoor "faire." She will also make a special presentation on Hildegard with slides and live music at Christ Church on the first Saturday of the festival.
  
  
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• Vermont Contemporary Music Ensemble
  Under the direction of clarinetist Steven Klimowski, this first-rate Vermont group will perform, among other works, one of the greatest compositions of the 20th century, Olivier Messiaen's "Quartet for the End of Time." You can hear the Messiaen in its entirety on our program exploring the music of the World War II period.
  
  
• Vermont Jazz Ensemble
  The VJE will be a centerpoint of our special program tracing the evolution of jazz. They'll play for us big band numbers and will be the band for our performance of the original Paul Whiteman jazz band version of Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue with Daniel Bruce, piano soloist.
  
  
• Vermont Opera Theater
  
  
  
• Vermont Youth Orchestra
  The Vermont Youth Orchestra was the success story of the Vermont music world in the 1990's. These kids can play! Under the direction of the conductor and composer Troy Peters, the VYO will perform Bach's Concerto for 2 Violins and Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet Overture-Fantasy --certainly given Shakespeare's story-line, the Tchaikovsky is an appropriate piece for teenage performers.
  
  
• Maris Wolff and the Vermont Dance Collective
  
  
  
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