Artistic direction: Seth Taylor and Monica Ripamonti
Native San Franciscan Seth Taylor studied violin at the San Francisco Conservatory and at the Juilliard School of Music in New York under Dorothy Delay, where he received his Masters' Degree. He was an active member of Menuhin's master class. He conducted advanced chamber music studies with Norbert Brainin, first violinist of the legendary Amadeus String Quartet. He served as concertmaster of the Juilliard Philharmonia and of the Conservatory Chamber Orchestra for its extended Mexico Tour, and served under such conductors as Georg Solti and Aaron Copland. A frequent participant at Lincoln Center's Mostly Mozart Festival and as member of the New York Chamber Orchestra, he founded the Lafayette String Trio, with which he performed in numerous major American and European Cities. Presently he is concertmaster of the Landeskapelle Orchestra of Eisenach.
Bachhouse
Monica Ripamonti, a native of Italy, earned her Diploma in Piano at the Verdi Conservatory of Milan. She won second prize at the International Stresa Competition. With broad solo and recital repertoire she has appeared throughout Europe, Thailand and in America, where she plays annually. With duo-partner Seth Taylor she has concertized in Washington, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Vancouver, Mexico City, Paris, Rome, Munich, Copenhagen, Oslo, Stockholm, Amman, Bangkok, and Dubrovnik, and performed the Mendelssohn Double Concerto at the Wartburg Castle and in Switzerland. She is a founding member of the Eisenacher Klaviertrio and the Barock-Ensemble Eisenach (BA-CH). She instructs Piano at the Bach School of Music in Eisenach. In 2003 she performed Prokofiev's first Piano Concerto in Zurich.
Since 1991 the ENSEMBLE BACH-EISENACH has been performing throughout Germany, appearing regularly in the castles, palace halls and Kurhauses of the land where music is heard. As leading proponent of Eisenach's rich musical heritage reaching beyond Bach and Telemann, its popular "Burgkonzerte" with historical instruments have become tradition. Performances of countless works from Bach to Shostakovitch, from solo to quartet, have generated raving press reviews. The Ensemble is also integral to the activities at the Wartburg Castle, (a UNESCO site in demand for international fairs, festivals and ceremonial events,) and in the Bachhaus (Bach's birthplace), where they have played the complete cycle of Bach's Duo-sonatas. The Ensemble has become indispensable for its private concerts integral to the travel itineraries of leading international tourist agencies.
