Personal Summary / Bio
Voice(s) and Continuo.
The Vinaccesi Ensemble was founded in 2008 by Kindra Scharich, Nanette McGuinness, and Bruce Wetmore, and first performed as part of the 2008 Berkeley Early Music Fringe Fest. The Ensemble focuses on music of the Baroque for solo voice (or voices) and continuo, especially (but not exclusively) that of the Italy and the Veneto, and of course, Italian composer Benedetto Vinaccesi (1666-1719)—for whom the ensemble is named. The Ensemble consists of Nanette McGuinness, soprano; Kindra Scharich, mezzo-soprano; Jonathan Smucker, tenor; Kirk Eichelberger, bass; Hallie Pridham, Viola da Gamba and Baroque cello; and Susie Fong, harpsichord. In June 2013, they are pleased to announce the addition of Adam Cockerham, lutenist and Baroque guitarist.
The Ensemble’s first CD, Benedetto Vinaccesi: the Solo Cantatas, is scheduled to be released in April 1, 2013 on Centaur Recordings. Consisting of the complete extant solo cantatas by the group’s namesake, Benedetto Vinaccesi, the recording was made possible through the Musical Grant Program, which is administered by the San Francisco Friends of Chamber Music and supported by the Heller Foundation, the Hewlett Foundation, the San Francisco Foundation, and San Francisco Grants for the Arts.