INTERNATIONAL FORTEPIANO SALON: “Dancing the Minuet to the Fortepiano”

The Baroque minuet contained all the musical attributes that would make it remain as the most popular dance form- whether to be danced or not- throughout the 18th century: a pleasing character, a simple texture, and regular, clearly delineated phrases. When playing minuets on the fortepiano, how do you make them dance? By asking a choreographer of course! Join choreographer Julia Bengtsson and fortepianist Patricia Garcia Gil in an exploration of the inherent connection between dance and music.

Swedish-born Julia Bengtsson has choreographed over 20 ballets, operas and films for venues including Carnegie Hall, UN Headquarters and Bruno Walter Auditorium at Lincoln Center. Her stage direction of Opera Lafayette's production of Venus and Adonis was praised by The Washington Post as “a fine evening's entertainment”. She has presented her work and dance research at seminars and conferences at Temple University, NYU, Cornell University and University of Pittsburgh. She is based in New York, but performs nationally and internationally as a soloist and with The New York Baroque Dance Company. In 2021 she was the first dancer chosen for Early Music America's Emerging Professional Leadership Council. She is a mentee of Bessie-awarded director/choreographer Catherine Turocy and a graduate of Royal Swedish Ballet School. http://www.juliabengtsson.com/

Winner of international competitions, Patricia Garcia Gil collaborates with prestigious early music institutions all over the world. With her repertoire choices and research, she strives for IDEA by enhancing the profiles of underrecognized female composer-pianists and outreaching to audiences who tend to connect rarely with classical music. Recent highlights include being named “Early Music America Emerging Artist”, performances at the Berkeley and Bloomington Early Music Festivals, and at the Cornell Center for Historical Keyboards, the publication of her article on Latin American and Spanish music preserved by women, and the release of her album “Cuaderno de Viaje” featuring the complete piano works of Pauline Viardot. She serves on the Board of Directors of HKSNA, the DEI Committee of the Westfield Center for Historical Keyboard Studies, and the EPLC- EMA team. Patricia has just become a co-host of the International Fortepiano Salon. www.patriciagarciagil.com