Submitted by the Salish Sea Early Music Festival.

Obbligato features renowned Chicago harpsichordist David Schrader with flutist Jeffrey Cohan playing Baroque music for obbligato harpsichord with flute on Saturday evening, April 1 at 7 p.m.at Brickworks at 150 Nichols Street in Friday Harbor.

Special guest Chicago harpsichordist, organist and pianist David Schrader has performed as featured soloist with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra under Neeme Järvi, with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Sir Georg Solti, Claudio Abbado, Daniel Barenboim, Pierre Boulez and Erich Leinsdorf, and with many other orchestras and for music festivals in Europe and throughout the USA and Canada.

David Schrader will perform works for solo harpsichord by Domenico Scarlatti and Johann Sebastian Bach, in addition to works for obbligato harpsichord with flute by Johann Sebastian Bach, Joseph Bodin de Boismortier, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, Georg Philipp Telemann and Georg Benda.

In the 18th century, the harpsichordist accompanying a flutist or other solo instrumentalist generally played from a single bass line for the left hand while the right hand improvised to the harmonies. Johann Sebastian Bach was the first to compose music for harpsichord with another soloist in which the so-called “obbligato” keyboard part is fully written out for both hands, often with a distinct melody in each of the harpsichordist’s hands, forming a trio with the flute.

About David Schrader:

A performer of wide-ranging interests and accomplishments, David Schrader is equally at home in front of a harpsichord, organ, piano, or fortepiano and has performed as featured soloist with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra under Neeme Järvi, and with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Sir Georg Solti, Claudio Abbado, Daniel Barenboim, Pierre Boulez and Erich Leinsdorf. He has appeared with the Grant Park Symphony under Carlos Kalmar, with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, El Paso Symphony Orchestra, and with many other orchestras throughout the USA and Canada.

David Schrader has appeared at numerous music festivals throughout the USA and Europe and has performed five separate programs as featured performer at the prestigious Irving Gilmore Keyboard Festival, as the Artist of the Year at the Oulunsalo Soi Music Festival in Oulu, Finland, as harpsichord soloist with the Nagaokakyo Chamber Ensemble in a tour of Japan under Yuko Mori, as soloist with the Canadian Baroque orchestra Tafelmusik in a European tour, for the Michigan Mozartfest with Roger Norrington, and at the Ravina Festival under the direction of Nicholas McGegan performing all six of J.S. Bach’s Brandenberg Concertos.

David Schrader’s numerous recordings include concerti of J.S. Bach with the Stuttgarter Kammerorchester, and with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for both recordings of Sir Georg Solti’s Creation, the St. Matthew Passion (BWV 244) and Messiah. He has many releases of solo repertoire including the music of J.S. Bach, Soler, Franck, Antonio Vivaldi, Dupré and Domenico Scarlatti.

A resident of Chicago, David Schrader is on the faculty of Roosevelt University, Chicago College of Performing Arts – Music Conservatory. From 1993 through 1995 he directed the Collegium Musicum at Northwestern University, and he has taught at the Music Institute of Chicago. For over thirty five years he was the organist of Chicago’s Church of the Ascension.

Admission is by suggested donation of $20 or $25 (a free will offering), and those 18 & under are free. For additional information please see www.salishseafestival.org/sanjuan