The weird and the wonderful

lira organizzata by Wolfgang Weichselbaumer

This strange-looking instrument copy of an 18th century instrument is called a lira, or lira organizzata. The composer Haydn wrote five lira concertos. This recording of the first movement of Haydn's Lira Concerto in C will give you some idea of what it must have sounded like.

Thierry Nouat and Matthias Loibner playing liras

In this photo of a rehearsal of The Ensemble Baroque de Limoges in 2005, you can see the two lira players turning cranks with their right hands, while manipulating sets of keys with their left. Matthias  Loibner says the instrument is an organised hurdy-gurdy. Harry Edwall's article in The Musical Quarterly gives more detail about how the instruments worked.

I'm going to play a couple of movements at Bathurst's U3A Music Appreciation class tomorrow. I hope the class will enjoy the unusual sound.

U3A welcomes people over 50 who are no longer working full time. We meet at Mitchell Conservatorium on the first six Mondays of Term 4 each year at 11 AM for a one hour varied program.

If you would like to hear a full program of Early Music, please come along to the Baroque Ensemble concert on Saturday, 3rd November at 7.30 PM, where you'll hear

Andrew Baker - violin
Philip Braithwaite - flute
Tracey Callinan - harpsichord
and Sybbi Georgiou

playing some wonderful music from the time of Purcell, Bach and Handel. Please ring 6331 6622 during office hours, Monday to Friday for more information about this delightful musical feast.

New director for Lachlan

Andrew Baker, B Mus (hons), L Mus A, A Mus A

Fiona Thompson, Executive Director of Mitchell Conservatorium, has announced the appointment of the new Director for the Lachlan Division:

I am delighted to announce that Andrew Baker will be the new Director of the Lachlan Division of Mitchell Conservatorium from the beginning of Term 3, 2012. Andrew Baker has demonstrated that he is well suited to this position; he has extensive experience in managing staff, students and events through his work at Orange Regional Conservatorium and has developed a high profile as a successful music educator, string teacher and performer throughout the Central West over the past 7 years. Andrew will retain a casual professional association with the ORC in the short term.

Andrew Baker began learning the violin at the age of 8 at his school, Barker College, where he ultimately became the school’s first captain of music. He studied violin performance at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music with Alex Todicescu and later in The Netherlands with Berent Korfker and Florian Donderer. Since 2005, Andrew has held the position of Assistant Director, Artistic Programs Coordinator and Head of Strings at Orange Regional Conservatorium in NSW where he has taught violin, string ensembles and school string programs, coordinated tuition and performance programs, and performed in around 20 concerts per year.
 Andrew is currently a Master of Philosophy candidate (String Pedagogy) at the Australian National University. He has presented his research through Violin Pedagogy Australia, The Australian String Teachers Association and The Music Teachers Association, and in December 2012 will present his research findings at the annual conference of the Musicological Society of Australia. Andrew and his wife, Helen, moved to the central west in 2005 to engage in the exciting music teaching and performing opportunities offered by the region. Now raising two young children, they are well embedded in the community and are proud to call themselves ‘locals.’ Andrew says

I take up the position of Lachlan Director, Mitchell Conservatorium, with great excitement. I look forward to working with the Conservatorium's professional staff to develop and maintain community-focused music education programs and resources in the Forbes and Parkes regions of NSW. I am especially committed to creating engaging music-making opportunities across the Lachlan Division’s communities.