American Bach Soloists
Encyclopedia
The American Bach Soloists ("ABS") is an American baroque orchestra
and early music
chorus
dedicated to preserving the heritage of early music
through historically informed performance
s on period instruments, community outreach through free educational programs, and the development of young artists through an annual summer Academy. The not-for-profit arts organization
frequently performs the cantatas, concerto
s, overture
s, oratorio
s, passion
s, and chamber music
of Johann Sebastian Bach
and his baroque period contemporaries including Vivaldi, Handel
, Monteverdi, and Telemann, as well as music by classical
composers including Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven. Performing forces typically range from 20 to 75 singers and instrumentalists, depending on repertoire. American Bach Soloists have made eighteen recordings on Koch International Classics, Delos International
, and their own American Bach Soloists label.
In conjunction with ABS' 15th Anniversary Season in 2003-04, Maestro Thomas announced the Bach Cycle, an ambitious plan to present all of Bach's major oratorios, including two Passions, the oratorios for Christmas and Easter, and the Mass in B Minor; the violin and harpsichord
concertos, Brandenburg concertos
, and orchestral suites; the major cantatas from Bach's years in Mühlhausen
, Weimar
, and Leipzig
; and the sonatas and suites for violin, flute, cello, and viola da gamba. The Chorus of the American Bach Soloists has shone in repertoire from the Baroque and early Classical eras. With the inception of the Choral Series in 2004, these fine singers have been featured on programs exploring over five centuries of choral music. To acknowledge this splendid work, the American Bach Soloists announced in 2006 a new name for their choral ensemble: American Bach Choir.
In addition to their regular subscription seasons, the American Bach Soloists have presented an annual "SummerFest" chamber music festival each July, featuring concerts, lectures, recitals, and related events presented in Belvedere, Davis and San Francisco. The ensemble has been presented at some of the world's leading early music festivals, and has also made appearances in Santa Fe, Pittsburgh, Singapore, and Hong Kong. In addition, ABS has developed a close relationship with Mondavi Arts which produces a prestigious concert series in the state-of-the-art Robert & Margrit Mondavi Center
for the Performing Arts on the campus of the University of California, Davis
. The American Bach Soloists Festival is presented annually in July at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music
and includes performances by members of ABS and its summer Academy.
Beginning in 2010, the competition was absorbed into the American Bach Soloists Academy, which offers emerging professionals and advanced conservatory-level singers and instrumentalist opportunities to study and perform Baroque music in a multi-disciplinary learning environment. The Academy is held at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music
.
American Bach Soloists present free public masterclasses at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music
, free choral workshops for amateur singers, free pre-concert "Insights" for all concert-goers, and offer free tickets to K-12 music educators
.
Bach: Vergnügte Ruh, beliebte Seelenlust! (BWV 170); Scarlatti: Salve Regina; Handel: Arias from Saul, Giulio Cesare, Orlando, Rinaldo, and Serse
Ian Howell with Corey Jamason and Debra Nagy; Jeffrey Thomas, conductor. AMERICAN BACH SOLOISTS (2009).
Bach: Brandenburg Concertos
John Abberger, Aldo Abreu, Elizabeth Blumenstock, John Butt, Judith Linsenberg, Anthony Martin, Sandra Miller, Cynthia Roberts, Jörg-Michael Schwarz, John Thiessen, Elly Winer; Jeffrey Thomas, conductor. AMERICAN BACH SOLOISTS (2007).
Bach Cantata Series: Vol. I - Solo Cantatas
Widerstehe doch der Sünde, BWV 54; Ich habe genug, BWV 82; Ich armer Mensch, ich Sündenknecht, BWV 55; Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen, BWV 51; Julianne Baird, Drew Minter, William Sharp; Jeffrey Thomas, music director. Original release on Koch International Classics 3-7138-2H1 (1992); re-released on AMERICAN BACH SOLOISTS (2007).
Bach Cantata Series: Vol. II - Trauerode
Laß, Fürstin, laß noch einen Strahl (Trauerode), BWV 198; Ich steh mit einem Fuß im Grabe, BWV 156; Liebster Gott, wann werd ich sterben, BWV 8; Julianne Baird, Judith Nelson, Judith Malafronte, Steven Rickards, William Sharp, James Weaver; Jeffrey Thomas, music director. Original release on Koch International Classics 3-7163-2H1 (1992); re-released on AMERICAN BACH SOLOISTS (2007).
Bach Cantata Series: Vol. III - Cantatas from Mühlhausen & Weimar
Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit, BWV 106; Tritt auf die Glaubensbahn, BWV 152; Komm, du süße Todesstunde, BWV 161; Christine Brandes, Drew Minter, William Sharp; Jeffrey Thomas, music director. Original release on Koch International Classics 3-7164-2H1 (1992); re-released on AMERICAN BACH SOLOISTS (2007).
Bach Cantata Series: Vol. IV - Early Cantatas for Holy Week
Christ lag in Todes Banden, BWV 4; Aus der Tiefen rufe ich, Herr, zu dir, BWV 131; Himmelskönig, sei willkommen, BWV 182; Julianne Baird, Christine Brandes, Judith Nelson, Judith Malafronte, Drew Minter, Daniel Taylor, Benjamin Butterfield, Kurt-Owen Richards, James Weaver; Jeffrey Thomas, music director. Original release on Koch International Classics 3-7235-2H1 (1995); re-released on AMERICAN BACH SOLOISTS (2007).
Bach Cantata Series: Vol. V - Cantatas from Mühlhausen & Weimar
Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen, BWV 12; Gleichwie der Regen und Schnee vom Himmel fällt, BWV 18; Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland, BWV 61; Julianne Baird, Drew Minter, Benjamin Butterfield, James Weaver; Jeffrey Thomas, music director. Original release on Koch International Classics 3-7332-2H1 (1995); re-released on AMERICAN BACH SOLOISTS (2007).
Bach Cantata Series: Vol. VI - "Favorite Cantatas"
Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme, BWV 140; Jesu, der du meine Seele, BWV 78; Ein feste Burg, BWV 80; Catherine Bott, Daniel Taylor, William Sharp; Jeffrey Thomas, music director. Original release on Koch International Classics 3-7234-2H1 (1996); re-released on AMERICAN BACH SOLOISTS (2006).
Bach: Harpsichord Concertos
Concerto for Harpsichord, Strings, and Basso continuo in D Minor, BWV 1052; Concerto for Harpsichord, Recorders, Strings, and Basso Continuo in F Major, BWV 1057; Concerto for Harpsichord, Flute, Violin, Strings, and Basso Continuo in A Minor, BWV 1044; Concerto in D Major, BWV 972, after Antonio Vivaldi's Concerto for Violin, op. 3, no. 9. Michael Sponseller, harpsichord; Hanneke van Proosdij, recorder; Judith Linsenberg, recorder; Sandra Miller, flute; Elizabeth Blumenstock, violin; Jeffrey Thomas, conductor. Original release on American Bach Soloists (2004); rereleasd on DELOS INTERNATIONAL DE-3359 (2005).
Bach: Mass in B Minor
Julianne Baird, Judith Nelson, Nancy Zylstra, Jennifer Lane, Zoila Muñoz, Steven Rickards, Patrick Romano, William Sharp, James Weaver; Jeffrey Thomas, conductor. Original release on Koch International Classics 3-7194-2 Y6x2 (1992); re-released on AMERICAN BACH SOLOISTS (2006).
Bach: St. Matthew Passion
Jeffrey Thomas, Evangelist; William Sharp, Christus. Catherine Bott, Tamara Matthews, Judith Malafronte, Dana Marsh, Benjamin Butterfield, David Munderloh, James Weaver, Nathaniel Watson; Jeffrey Thomas, conductor. KOCH INTERNATIONAL CLASSICS 3-7424-2 HI (2000).
Bach: Transcriptions of Italian Music
Concerto in A Minor for Four Harpsichords, BWV 1065; John Butt, Phebe Craig, Jonathan Dimmock, Jeffrey Thomas; Tilge, Höchster, meine Sünden, Psalm 51 (Pergolesi: Stabat Mater); Benita Valente, Judith Malafronte; Jeffrey Thomas, conductor. Original release on Koch International Classics 3-7237-2H1 (1995); re-released on AMERICAN BACH SOLOISTS (2007).
Beethoven: Ninth Symphony
Tamara Matthews, Judith Malafronte, Benjamin Butterfield, David Thomas; American Bach Choir, Pacific Mozart Ensemble, UC Berkeley Chamber Chorus; Jeffrey Thomas, conductor. AMERICAN BACH SOLOISTS (2007).
Corelli: Concerti Grossi
Concerto in D Major, opus 6, no. 4; Concerto in D Major, opus 6, no. 7; Concerto in D Major, opus 6, no. 1; Concerto in G Minor, opus 6, no. 8 "Fatto per la notte di natale"; Concerto in C Minor, opus 6, no. 3; Concerto in F Major, opus 6, no. 12. Dan Laurin and Hanneke van Proosdij, recorders; Elizabeth Wallfisch and Katherine Kyme, violins; Tanya Tomkins, violoncello; Michael Sponseller, harpsichord; Jeffrey Thomas, conductor. Original release on ABS (2004); re-released on DELOS INTERNATIONAL DE-3358 (2005).
Handel: Messiah
Arianna Zukerman, Daniel Taylor, Steven Tharp, William Sharp; Jeffrey Thomas, conductor. DELOS INTERNATIONAL DE-3360 (2005).
Haydn: Masses
Missa in Angustiis ("Lord Nelson Mass"); Missa brevis Sancti Joannis de Deo ("Little Organ-Mass"); Tamara Matthews, Zoila Muñoz, Benjamin Butterfield, David Arnold, Jonathan Dimmock, American Bach Soloists Choir, Pacific Mozart Ensemble; Jeffrey Thomas, conductor. Original release on Koch International Classics 3-7407-2H1 (1997); re-released on AMERICAN BACH SOLOISTS (2007).
Schütz: Choral and Vocal Works
Musicalische Exequien SWV 279-281; Kleine Geistliche Konzerte SWV 285, 283, 309, 310; Symphoniae Sacrae SWV 360, 356; Christine Brandes, Judith Nelson, Emily Van Evera, Judith Malafronte, Daniel Taylor, Jeffrey Thomas, Benjamin Butterfield, Nils Brown, James Weaver, Kurt-Owen Richards, American Bach Soloists Choir, San Francisco Bach Choir Concentus; Jeffrey Thomas, conductor. Original release on Koch International Classics 3-7432-2H1 (1998); re-released on AMERICAN BACH SOLOISTS (2007).
What Sweeter Music - Carols for Christmas
Works by Britten, Darke, Gibbs, Kodály, Lauridsen, Ord, Pearsall, Rutter, Vaughan Williams, Walton, Willcocks. Jeffrey Thomas, conductor. AMERICAN BACH SOLOISTS (2002).
Baroque orchestra
The Baroque orchestra is the type of orchestra that existed during the Baroque period, commonly identified as 1600-1750. Its origins were in France where Jean-Baptiste Lully added the newly re-designed hautboy and transverse flutes to his vingt-quatre violons du Roy...
and early music
Early music
Early music is generally understood as comprising all music from the earliest times up to the Renaissance. However, today this term has come to include "any music for which a historically appropriate style of performance must be reconstructed on the basis of surviving scores, treatises,...
chorus
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
dedicated to preserving the heritage of early music
Early music
Early music is generally understood as comprising all music from the earliest times up to the Renaissance. However, today this term has come to include "any music for which a historically appropriate style of performance must be reconstructed on the basis of surviving scores, treatises,...
through historically informed performance
Historically informed performance
Historically informed performance is an approach in the performance of music and theater. Within this approach, the performance adheres to state-of-the-art knowledge of the aesthetic criteria of the period in which the music or theatre work was conceived...
s on period instruments, community outreach through free educational programs, and the development of young artists through an annual summer Academy. The not-for-profit arts organization
Not-for-profit arts organization
A not-for-profit arts organization is usually in the form of a not-for-profit corporation, association, or foundation. Such organizations are formed for the purpose of developing and promoting the work of artists in various visual and performing art forms such as film, sculpture, dance, painting,...
frequently performs the cantatas, concerto
Concerto
A concerto is a musical work usually composed in three parts or movements, in which one solo instrument is accompanied by an orchestra.The etymology is uncertain, but the word seems to have originated from the conjunction of the two Latin words...
s, overture
Overture
Overture in music is the term originally applied to the instrumental introduction to an opera...
s, oratorio
Oratorio
An oratorio is a large musical composition including an orchestra, a choir, and soloists. Like an opera, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias...
s, passion
Passion music
In church music, Passion is a term for sung musical settings, normally at least partly choral, of the Gospel texts covering the Passion of Jesus, the events leading up to the Crucifixion of Jesus, and emphasising his suffering...
s, and chamber music
Chamber music
Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part...
of Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
and his baroque period contemporaries including Vivaldi, Handel
HANDEL
HANDEL was the code-name for the UK's National Attack Warning System in the Cold War. It consisted of a small console consisting of two microphones, lights and gauges. The reason behind this was to provide a back-up if anything failed....
, Monteverdi, and Telemann, as well as music by classical
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
composers including Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven. Performing forces typically range from 20 to 75 singers and instrumentalists, depending on repertoire. American Bach Soloists have made eighteen recordings on Koch International Classics, Delos International
Delos International
Delos International is an American record label. Based in Hollywood, California, it specializes in publishing classical music. The Delos recording label was founded in 1973 by Amelia S. Haygood , one of the most prominent figures in the classical recording industry...
, and their own American Bach Soloists label.
History
American Bach Soloists ("ABS") were founded in 1989 by Jeffrey Thomas and Jonathan Dimmock with the mission of introducing contemporary audiences to the cantatas of Johann Sebastian Bach through historically informed performances. The first concerts were given at St. Stephen's Church in Belvedere, CA—where the ensemble still serves as Artists-in-Residence—but by the fifth season, ABS had added regular performances in San Francisco and Berkeley. As their audience increased, so the artistic direction expanded to include Bach's purely instrumental and larger choral masterpieces, as well as music of his contemporaries and that of the early classical era. The American Bach Soloists present an annual subscription series with performances in Belvedere, Berkeley, Davis, and San Francisco. Their annual holiday performances of Handel's Messiah—presented each December before capacity audiences since 1992—have become a Bay Area tradition.In conjunction with ABS' 15th Anniversary Season in 2003-04, Maestro Thomas announced the Bach Cycle, an ambitious plan to present all of Bach's major oratorios, including two Passions, the oratorios for Christmas and Easter, and the Mass in B Minor; the violin and harpsichord
Harpsichord
A harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It produces sound by plucking a string when a key is pressed.In the narrow sense, "harpsichord" designates only the large wing-shaped instruments in which the strings are perpendicular to the keyboard...
concertos, Brandenburg concertos
Brandenburg concertos
The Brandenburg concertos by Johann Sebastian Bach are a collection of six instrumental works presented by Bach to Christian Ludwig, margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt, in 1721 . They are widely regarded as among the finest musical compositions of the Baroque era...
, and orchestral suites; the major cantatas from Bach's years in Mühlhausen
Mühlhausen
Mühlhausen is a city in the federal state of Thuringia, Germany. It is the capital of the Unstrut-Hainich district, and lies along the river Unstrut. Mühlhausen had c. 37,000 inhabitants in 2006.-History:...
, Weimar
Weimar
Weimar is a city in Germany famous for its cultural heritage. It is located in the federal state of Thuringia , north of the Thüringer Wald, east of Erfurt, and southwest of Halle and Leipzig. Its current population is approximately 65,000. The oldest record of the city dates from the year 899...
, and Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
; and the sonatas and suites for violin, flute, cello, and viola da gamba. The Chorus of the American Bach Soloists has shone in repertoire from the Baroque and early Classical eras. With the inception of the Choral Series in 2004, these fine singers have been featured on programs exploring over five centuries of choral music. To acknowledge this splendid work, the American Bach Soloists announced in 2006 a new name for their choral ensemble: American Bach Choir.
In addition to their regular subscription seasons, the American Bach Soloists have presented an annual "SummerFest" chamber music festival each July, featuring concerts, lectures, recitals, and related events presented in Belvedere, Davis and San Francisco. The ensemble has been presented at some of the world's leading early music festivals, and has also made appearances in Santa Fe, Pittsburgh, Singapore, and Hong Kong. In addition, ABS has developed a close relationship with Mondavi Arts which produces a prestigious concert series in the state-of-the-art Robert & Margrit Mondavi Center
Mondavi Center
The Mondavi Center, or Robert and Margrit Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts, is a performing arts venue located on the UC Davis campus in Davis, California...
for the Performing Arts on the campus of the University of California, Davis
University of California, Davis
The University of California, Davis is a public teaching and research university established in 1905 and located in Davis, California, USA. Spanning over , the campus is the largest within the University of California system and third largest by enrollment...
. The American Bach Soloists Festival is presented annually in July at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music
San Francisco Conservatory of Music
San Francisco Conservatory of Music, formerly the California Conservatory of Music, founded in 1917, is a music school, with an enrollment of about 400 students. It was launched by Ada Clement and Lillian Hodgehead in the remodeled home of Lillian's parents on Sacramento Street. It was called the...
and includes performances by members of ABS and its summer Academy.
Collaborations
- Performances at the Berkeley Festival and Exhibition, produced by CalPerformances at University of California, BerkeleyUniversity of California, BerkeleyThe University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
- Henry PurcellHenry PurcellHenry Purcell – 21 November 1695), was an English organist and Baroque composer of secular and sacred music. Although Purcell incorporated Italian and French stylistic elements into his compositions, his legacy was a uniquely English form of Baroque music...
's opera Dido and AeneasDido and AeneasDido and Aeneas is an opera in a prologue and three acts by the English Baroque composer Henry Purcell to a libretto by Nahum Tate. The first known performance was at Josias Priest's girls' school in London no later than the summer of 1688. The story is based on Book IV of Virgil's Aeneid...
with the San Francisco OperaSan Francisco OperaSan Francisco Opera is an American opera company, based in San Francisco, California.It was founded in 1923 by Gaetano Merola and is the second largest opera company in North America...
Center and The CrucibleThe Crucible (arts education center)The Crucible is a nonprofit industrial arts school in Oakland, California. Established in Berkeley in 1999, the institute was moved to its present location in 2003.The mission of The Crucible is to foster a collaboration of Arts, Industry and Community...
in Oakland, CA - Works by Claudio MonteverdiClaudio MonteverdiClaudio Giovanni Antonio Monteverdi – 29 November 1643) was an Italian composer, gambist, and singer.Monteverdi's work, often regarded as revolutionary, marked the transition from the Renaissance style of music to that of the Baroque period. He developed two individual styles of composition – the...
, George Frideric HandelGeorge Frideric HandelGeorge Frideric Handel was a German-British Baroque composer, famous for his operas, oratorios, anthems and organ concertos. Handel was born in 1685, in a family indifferent to music...
's Dixit DominusDixit Dominus (Handel)Dixit Dominus is a psalm setting by George Friederic Handel . It uses the Latin text of Psalm 110 , which begins with the words Dixit Dominus ....
, and Virgil ThomsonVirgil ThomsonVirgil Thomson was an American composer and critic. He was instrumental in the development of the "American Sound" in classical music...
's Four Saints in Three ActsFour Saints in Three ActsFour Saints in Three Acts is an opera by American composer Virgil Thomson with a libretto by Gertrude Stein. Written in 1927-8, it contains about 20 saints, and is in at least four acts...
with the Mark Morris Dance Group - George Frideric HandelGeorge Frideric HandelGeorge Frideric Handel was a German-British Baroque composer, famous for his operas, oratorios, anthems and organ concertos. Handel was born in 1685, in a family indifferent to music...
's Music for the Royal Fireworks with laser lighting displayLaser lighting displayA laser lighting display or laser light show involves the use of laser light to entertain an audience. A laser light show may consist only of projected laser beams set to music, or may accompany another form of entertainment, typically a dance concert or other musical performance.Laser light is...
by Lighting Systems Design, Inc. (Orlando, FL) in Grace Cathedral, San Francisco
Educational Programs
In 1998, in conjunction with the Fifth Biennial Berkeley Festival & Exhibition, ABS established the American Bach Soloists & Henry I. Goldberg International Young Artists Competition as a way to foster emerging musicians who wish to pursue a career in early music. The focus of the competition changed from year to year: harpsichord in 1998; violin in 2000, flute and oboe in 2002, voice in 2006, violin in 2008. The winners of the Laurette Goldberg First Prizes are Michael Sponseller (1998), Simos Papanas (2000), Debra Nagy and Amy Guitry (2002), Ian Howell (2006), Andrew Fouts and Johana Novom (2008).Beginning in 2010, the competition was absorbed into the American Bach Soloists Academy, which offers emerging professionals and advanced conservatory-level singers and instrumentalist opportunities to study and perform Baroque music in a multi-disciplinary learning environment. The Academy is held at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music
San Francisco Conservatory of Music
San Francisco Conservatory of Music, formerly the California Conservatory of Music, founded in 1917, is a music school, with an enrollment of about 400 students. It was launched by Ada Clement and Lillian Hodgehead in the remodeled home of Lillian's parents on Sacramento Street. It was called the...
.
American Bach Soloists present free public masterclasses at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music
San Francisco Conservatory of Music
San Francisco Conservatory of Music, formerly the California Conservatory of Music, founded in 1917, is a music school, with an enrollment of about 400 students. It was launched by Ada Clement and Lillian Hodgehead in the remodeled home of Lillian's parents on Sacramento Street. It was called the...
, free choral workshops for amateur singers, free pre-concert "Insights" for all concert-goers, and offer free tickets to K-12 music educators
Music education
Music education is a field of study associated with the teaching and learning of music. It touches on all domains of learning, including the psychomotor domain , the cognitive domain , and, in particular and significant ways,the affective domain, including music appreciation and sensitivity...
.
Discography
1685 & The Art of Ian HowellBach: Vergnügte Ruh, beliebte Seelenlust! (BWV 170); Scarlatti: Salve Regina; Handel: Arias from Saul, Giulio Cesare, Orlando, Rinaldo, and Serse
Ian Howell with Corey Jamason and Debra Nagy; Jeffrey Thomas, conductor. AMERICAN BACH SOLOISTS (2009).
Bach: Brandenburg Concertos
John Abberger, Aldo Abreu, Elizabeth Blumenstock, John Butt, Judith Linsenberg, Anthony Martin, Sandra Miller, Cynthia Roberts, Jörg-Michael Schwarz, John Thiessen, Elly Winer; Jeffrey Thomas, conductor. AMERICAN BACH SOLOISTS (2007).
Bach Cantata Series: Vol. I - Solo Cantatas
Widerstehe doch der Sünde, BWV 54; Ich habe genug, BWV 82; Ich armer Mensch, ich Sündenknecht, BWV 55; Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen, BWV 51; Julianne Baird, Drew Minter, William Sharp; Jeffrey Thomas, music director. Original release on Koch International Classics 3-7138-2H1 (1992); re-released on AMERICAN BACH SOLOISTS (2007).
Bach Cantata Series: Vol. II - Trauerode
Laß, Fürstin, laß noch einen Strahl (Trauerode), BWV 198; Ich steh mit einem Fuß im Grabe, BWV 156; Liebster Gott, wann werd ich sterben, BWV 8; Julianne Baird, Judith Nelson, Judith Malafronte, Steven Rickards, William Sharp, James Weaver; Jeffrey Thomas, music director. Original release on Koch International Classics 3-7163-2H1 (1992); re-released on AMERICAN BACH SOLOISTS (2007).
Bach Cantata Series: Vol. III - Cantatas from Mühlhausen & Weimar
Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit, BWV 106; Tritt auf die Glaubensbahn, BWV 152; Komm, du süße Todesstunde, BWV 161; Christine Brandes, Drew Minter, William Sharp; Jeffrey Thomas, music director. Original release on Koch International Classics 3-7164-2H1 (1992); re-released on AMERICAN BACH SOLOISTS (2007).
Bach Cantata Series: Vol. IV - Early Cantatas for Holy Week
Christ lag in Todes Banden, BWV 4; Aus der Tiefen rufe ich, Herr, zu dir, BWV 131; Himmelskönig, sei willkommen, BWV 182; Julianne Baird, Christine Brandes, Judith Nelson, Judith Malafronte, Drew Minter, Daniel Taylor, Benjamin Butterfield, Kurt-Owen Richards, James Weaver; Jeffrey Thomas, music director. Original release on Koch International Classics 3-7235-2H1 (1995); re-released on AMERICAN BACH SOLOISTS (2007).
Bach Cantata Series: Vol. V - Cantatas from Mühlhausen & Weimar
Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen, BWV 12; Gleichwie der Regen und Schnee vom Himmel fällt, BWV 18; Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland, BWV 61; Julianne Baird, Drew Minter, Benjamin Butterfield, James Weaver; Jeffrey Thomas, music director. Original release on Koch International Classics 3-7332-2H1 (1995); re-released on AMERICAN BACH SOLOISTS (2007).
Bach Cantata Series: Vol. VI - "Favorite Cantatas"
Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme, BWV 140; Jesu, der du meine Seele, BWV 78; Ein feste Burg, BWV 80; Catherine Bott, Daniel Taylor, William Sharp; Jeffrey Thomas, music director. Original release on Koch International Classics 3-7234-2H1 (1996); re-released on AMERICAN BACH SOLOISTS (2006).
Bach: Harpsichord Concertos
Concerto for Harpsichord, Strings, and Basso continuo in D Minor, BWV 1052; Concerto for Harpsichord, Recorders, Strings, and Basso Continuo in F Major, BWV 1057; Concerto for Harpsichord, Flute, Violin, Strings, and Basso Continuo in A Minor, BWV 1044; Concerto in D Major, BWV 972, after Antonio Vivaldi's Concerto for Violin, op. 3, no. 9. Michael Sponseller, harpsichord; Hanneke van Proosdij, recorder; Judith Linsenberg, recorder; Sandra Miller, flute; Elizabeth Blumenstock, violin; Jeffrey Thomas, conductor. Original release on American Bach Soloists (2004); rereleasd on DELOS INTERNATIONAL DE-3359 (2005).
Bach: Mass in B Minor
Julianne Baird, Judith Nelson, Nancy Zylstra, Jennifer Lane, Zoila Muñoz, Steven Rickards, Patrick Romano, William Sharp, James Weaver; Jeffrey Thomas, conductor. Original release on Koch International Classics 3-7194-2 Y6x2 (1992); re-released on AMERICAN BACH SOLOISTS (2006).
Bach: St. Matthew Passion
Jeffrey Thomas, Evangelist; William Sharp, Christus. Catherine Bott, Tamara Matthews, Judith Malafronte, Dana Marsh, Benjamin Butterfield, David Munderloh, James Weaver, Nathaniel Watson; Jeffrey Thomas, conductor. KOCH INTERNATIONAL CLASSICS 3-7424-2 HI (2000).
Bach: Transcriptions of Italian Music
Concerto in A Minor for Four Harpsichords, BWV 1065; John Butt, Phebe Craig, Jonathan Dimmock, Jeffrey Thomas; Tilge, Höchster, meine Sünden, Psalm 51 (Pergolesi: Stabat Mater); Benita Valente, Judith Malafronte; Jeffrey Thomas, conductor. Original release on Koch International Classics 3-7237-2H1 (1995); re-released on AMERICAN BACH SOLOISTS (2007).
Beethoven: Ninth Symphony
Tamara Matthews, Judith Malafronte, Benjamin Butterfield, David Thomas; American Bach Choir, Pacific Mozart Ensemble, UC Berkeley Chamber Chorus; Jeffrey Thomas, conductor. AMERICAN BACH SOLOISTS (2007).
Corelli: Concerti Grossi
Concerto in D Major, opus 6, no. 4; Concerto in D Major, opus 6, no. 7; Concerto in D Major, opus 6, no. 1; Concerto in G Minor, opus 6, no. 8 "Fatto per la notte di natale"; Concerto in C Minor, opus 6, no. 3; Concerto in F Major, opus 6, no. 12. Dan Laurin and Hanneke van Proosdij, recorders; Elizabeth Wallfisch and Katherine Kyme, violins; Tanya Tomkins, violoncello; Michael Sponseller, harpsichord; Jeffrey Thomas, conductor. Original release on ABS (2004); re-released on DELOS INTERNATIONAL DE-3358 (2005).
Handel: Messiah
Arianna Zukerman, Daniel Taylor, Steven Tharp, William Sharp; Jeffrey Thomas, conductor. DELOS INTERNATIONAL DE-3360 (2005).
Haydn: Masses
Missa in Angustiis ("Lord Nelson Mass"); Missa brevis Sancti Joannis de Deo ("Little Organ-Mass"); Tamara Matthews, Zoila Muñoz, Benjamin Butterfield, David Arnold, Jonathan Dimmock, American Bach Soloists Choir, Pacific Mozart Ensemble; Jeffrey Thomas, conductor. Original release on Koch International Classics 3-7407-2H1 (1997); re-released on AMERICAN BACH SOLOISTS (2007).
Schütz: Choral and Vocal Works
Musicalische Exequien SWV 279-281; Kleine Geistliche Konzerte SWV 285, 283, 309, 310; Symphoniae Sacrae SWV 360, 356; Christine Brandes, Judith Nelson, Emily Van Evera, Judith Malafronte, Daniel Taylor, Jeffrey Thomas, Benjamin Butterfield, Nils Brown, James Weaver, Kurt-Owen Richards, American Bach Soloists Choir, San Francisco Bach Choir Concentus; Jeffrey Thomas, conductor. Original release on Koch International Classics 3-7432-2H1 (1998); re-released on AMERICAN BACH SOLOISTS (2007).
What Sweeter Music - Carols for Christmas
Works by Britten, Darke, Gibbs, Kodály, Lauridsen, Ord, Pearsall, Rutter, Vaughan Williams, Walton, Willcocks. Jeffrey Thomas, conductor. AMERICAN BACH SOLOISTS (2002).