Housatonic — On Saturday, February 7, Renée Anne Louprette, assistant professor of music and college organist at Bard College, will perform “The Baroque Dance Masters,” a program designed especially for the historic Johnson organ at the Unitarian Universalist Meeting of South Berkshire. Her program includes the Chaconne in G Minor, BWV 1179, one of two works recently attributed to a young J.S. Bach.
The program on Saturday is as follows:
- E-C Jacquet de la Guerre — Suite from Céphale et Procris, transcription by R.A. Louprette
- D. Buxtehude — Ciacona in E Minor, BuxWV 160
- G. Bōhm — Suite No. 2 in D Major
- J.S. Bach — Chaconne in G Minor, BWV 1179
- J.S. Bach — Prelude and Fugue in E-flat Major (“St. Anne”), BWV 552
Renée Anne Louprette is known for her work in recital and sacred music, having held both academic and church music positions. She has served in leadership and performance roles at the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola, Trinity Wall Street, the Unitarian Church of All Souls, and the Church of Notre Dame.
She is assistant professor of music and college organist at Bard College, where she directs the Bard Baroque Ensemble and leads an annual series of Bach cantatas. She has directed the organ program at Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University, since 2013. She has also taught at the Manhattan School of Music, The Hartt School, and Montclair State University.
Ms. Louprette’s performance career includes solo recitals and collaborations across the United States and Europe, with concert appearances at such venues as Royal Festival Hall in London, Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, and Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. The Berkshire Edge reviewed her favorably here.
She has appeared as soloist with orchestras including the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, and her recordings—including works by J.S. Bach and French organ repertoire—have drawn critical acclaim, with one recording named a “Critics’ Choice” by The New York Times. She is also director of the National Competition in Organ Improvisation and was a 2022 U.S.–Romanian Fulbright Scholar, conducting research on historic pipe organs in Transylvania.
In addition to her performance career, Ms. Louprette has conducted choirs and ensembles, and she brings extensive experience in both historical performance and modern collaborative work to her teaching and artistic leadership.
As the Berkshires’ oldest continuously operating membership-based music organization, the Berkshire Bach Society’s mission is to promulgate the wonders and pleasures of Baroque music through world-class performances and educational presentations in the Berkshires, Pioneer Valley, and Capital Region.
For more information, visit the Berkshire Bach Society website or call (413) 528-9555. Tickets are available here.
