The third and final of this year’s Concerts at the Barn series at Ramsaysburg Historic Homestead in Knowlton Township features the Michael Jorgenson Classical String Trio on Saturday, August 31, 2019. The unusual program features three prominent string players performing a unique version of J. S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations in the work’s entirety.
Leading the performance is Michael Jorgensen, head of Violin Studies at Lehigh University and one of the Lehigh Valley’s leading musicians. He is joined by Violist Hannah Levinson and Cellist Christopher Gross.
National Public Radio characterizes the piece: “Johann Sebastian Bach’s Goldberg Variations has become an iconic monument in Western music. On one level, it’s simply a beautiful keyboard work, and on another, it’s a Rubik’s Cube of invention and architecture.”
As arranged by Dimity Sitkovetsky for String Trio, Bach’s masterpiece is revealed in a dramatic new light. The music’s individual voices are colored and shaped by three individual performers using all the virtuoso resources of violin, viola and cello.
The Ramsaysburg Homestead is a twelve-acre historical park along the Delaware River in Knowlton Township. The property and the structures on it — a tavern, barn, cottage, smokehouse and shed — were built from 1800 to 1870, and represent the activity that occurred at the homestead during its heyday. The spacious triple-bay English barn offers an inimitable space that fosters intimacy with performing musicians. A natural amphitheater stretches from the historic structure to the bank of the Delaware River, a serene setting for picnics and relaxed listening.
This is not the first time that the high ceilings and aged wooden beams of the historic country barn have reverberated with the emotive organic sounds of classical strings. The Knowlton Twp. Historic Commission has previously hosted The Baroque Orchestra of New Jersey, Andrew Pecota Baroque Trio, The Bohemian Quartet, and Simply Brass.
Gates open at 5 p.m. and music will start at 6 p.m. Guests are welcome to arrive early and bring a picnic with beverage of their choice. Indoor, outdoor and cabaret seating is available, or bring your own lawn chair or blanket. There is a suggested donation of $10.
The Ramsaysburg Homestead is located on Route 46 east at the intersection with Ramseyburg Rd. in Delaware, NJ. For more information please check the website, www.ramsaysburg.org or on Facebook.
The concert series is supported in part by a grant from the Warren County Division of Cultural and Heritage Affairs under the Warren County Department of Land Preservation. Knowlton Township Historic Commission is grateful for the continued support of Warren County over the last five years. The Knowlton Twp. Historic Commission received an operating support grant from the Warren County Division of Cultural and Heritage Affairs with funds from the New Jersey Historical Commission, a division of the Department of State.
Ramsaysburg Homestead Summer Music at the Barn: Michael Jorgenson Classical String Trio
The last of this Summer 's Concerts in the Barn series, Michael Jorgenson Classical String Trio will be performing J.S. Bach's Goldberg Variations rain or shine at historic Ramsaysburg!
Ramsaysburg Homestead
Historical park. The public may access the river here for fishing or to launch small watercraft such as canoes or kayaks.