Derek Chester and the Denton Bach Players.

Last night Emma, myself, and my mother-in-law, spent the evening in Denton, TX at a concert on the campus of the University of North Texas.  The concert was given for the benefit of the Denton Bach Society.  The program was arias, recitatives, sinfonias, and a complete cantata by Bach.  The tenor soloist, was Derek Chester, a superbly brilliant tenor! Derek is a doctoral candidate at UNT studying with Jennifer Lane.  He tackled some of the most demanding Bach arias with ease and managed to do so with a smile on his face.  The Denton Bach Players, under the direction of Andrew Justice, were a delight to hear perform;  the consort included two violins, cello, bass, transverse flute, and oboe d'amour with continuo.   The strings played with period bows and they were excellent.  The tempos were a little on the fast side, but the musicality of the players, especially Mr. Chester, offered a stunning performance of each piece!  There will be a repeat performance at Christ the King Catholic Church in Dallas in October. 

Overall, it was a delightful evening that ended with some Braums' soft-serve on the way home.  While on the road, we tuned into the local classic music station and they were playing Brahms' (coincidence: eating Braums while listening to Brahms) Requiem.  This was a recording done 9 days after 9/11 in New York at Avery Fischer Hall to commemorate the victims of the attacks.  'Twas a great evening indeed!