"Essentially, we're breathing life into music that hasn't readily been heard in a long time. There's a cool factor in that!"
Promoting and fostering interest in historical music performed on replicas of period instruments, the Raleigh Camerata presents music as it would have originally sounded hundreds of years ago. For instance, violins have gut strings rather than synthetic strings and woodwinds are designed differently than modern flutes, horns, and clarinets. A completely different timbre comes from these period instruments, making this music distinctive.
Raleigh Camerata's concert programs represent the wide variety of music available within the Baroque and Early Classical eras of music. Many people recognize major works by Beethoven, Mozart, and Bach but these composers wrote so much more music. In addition to the lesser-known works of these well-known composers, they also strive to introduce audiences to composers they may not recognize, but are as equally talented as those deemed "The Greats". "We'll pick pieces that haven't been recorded in some time, and I create modern editions so that we can perform them. Essentially, we're breathing life into music that hasn't readily been heard in a long time. There's a cool factor in that!" says Dr. Kelly Nivison, who co-founded the organization in 2013. She is also a Baroque flutist.
Raleigh Camerata also wants to expand awareness of this music and develop new audiences. They are planning joint performances with Voices of a New Renaissance, a historical based chorus group, and The Capital City Girl's Choir, a local children's choir. Audience enthusiasm and acclaim from music critics inspires Dr. Nivison. "What else can I program? What other music can I bring to Raleigh and Cary?'