MAGNIFICAT                      

 

 

Magnificat is an ensemble of voices and instruments specializing in music of the Early Baroque era.  Magnificat's innovative programming, expressive performance style, and attention to original performance context have earned consistent critical acclaim over a decade of self-produced concerts.  The ensemble's repertoire ranges from fully staged operas to reconstructions of historical liturgies, and they have presented modern premieres of works by Marazzoli, Cazzati, Grandi, Cozzolani, Pacieri, and others. In addition to their own concert series, Magnificat has been presented by the San Francisco Early Music Society, the Seattle Early Music Guild, and the San Jose Chamber Music Society and the Carmel Bach Festival, and has been featured on the Berkeley Early Music Festival.

Over the past decade Magnificat's artistic director Warren Stewart has emerged as one of the most dynamic and creative early music specialists.  Stewart studied violoncello at the Eastman School of Music and the Royal Danish Conservatory, early music performance practice at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis in Switzerland, and musicology at Stanford University.   In addition to his work with Magnificat, he has been artistic director of the California Bach Society since 1998.  As a cellist he has performed with the American Bach Soloists, Philarmonia Baroque Orchestra, the Linde-Consort, and the Deutsche Handel-Solisten, recording for Harmonia Mundi, EMI/Angel, KOCH International, and Cadenza Records.