The group Harmonious Blacksmith comes to the Indianapolis Early Music Festival 2009 for a concert titled "Zimmerman's Coffee House" featuring music of Bach, Telemann and others.
George Walker talked with the group's guest, violinist Allison Edberg. She's the Concertmaster of the Indianapolis Baroque Orchestra. First he asked her how she'd gotten into playing baroque violin. "Well I had always played the modern violin, But a friend brought me an instrument and said that she'd like me to play it in a group with her. I did study the instrument and even worked with IU's Stanley Ritchie for a year, but that was the genesis."
"Zimmerman's Coffeehouse is a great title for a concert of this music. In Bach and Telemann's time, there were no public concert halls. Sacred music of course had plenty of venues, but secular music didn't have regular sites until the next century. Actually, one of Bach's son's, "Johann Christian," was a pioneer in establishing a concert hall in England. But Bach the father and his compatriots had to make do with informal places like cafes and coffee houses."
"Actually, this is going to be a pretty exciting concert for me. I've heard a lot about Harmonious Blacksmith. Mark Cudek, the Artistic Director of the Indianapolis Early Music Festival put this concert together. But, we'll we getting together for the first time during the week just before we play."