Dr. April Lynn James

I grew up singing Bach, Handel, Mozart, Brahms, et al, in my church choir, but it was the music of Antonio Vivaldi that set my heart on fire and drew me deeply into the world of 18th-century music. My esteem for him grew when I discovered that many of his most famous works, such as his "Gloria", were written for the all-female choir and orchestra of Venice's Ospedale della Pietà. Check out the wonderful work that Vivaldi's Women is doing to recreate the sound of Vivladi's Figlie di Coro that includes female tenors and basses on their YouTube channel.

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Over time, I realized that much baroque music was dance-inspired or for dancing. Longing to be able to move to these works in a historically-informed manner, for over a decade I studied  with American experts in the style, including Ken Pierce, Thomas Baird, and Dorrie Olson. I've also taken classes with Catherine Turocy's New York Baroque Dance Company.

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Want to know more about my baroque dance research? Check out my article, Variations on a Matelotte, which explores various choreographies of this 18th-century sailor dance.