Salish Sea Early Music Festival features Irene Roldàn

The Salish Sea Early Music Festival is honored to feature Irene Roldàn from Spain, one of Europe’s prominent young prize-winning harpsichordists, who will perform with flutist Jeffrey Cohan in Bach & Scarlatti on Saturday, July 12 at 4:30 p.m. at Grace Episcopal Church on Lopez Island.

The program will feature four solo harpsichord sonatas by Domenico Scarlatti, three sonatas for harpsichord and flute by Johann Sebastian Bach and a new transcription of Scarlatti’s sonatas for flute and harpsichord. Roldàn, winner of the prestigious Bach Prize at the XXXIII International Bach Competition in Leipzig, Germany, among other competitions, has performed at major early music festivals in Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and around Europe. These will be her first performances in the United States.

Both born in 1685 and both incomparable virtuosos, as reflected in their music, Bach and Scarlatti had wildly divergent styles and most likely never met. Living in Spain for much of his life, Scarlatti’s 555 sonatas for solo keyboard frequently incorporate elements of Spanish folk music and dance. Bach wrote twice as many works but rarely left central Germany and was relatively unknown during his lifetime.

Roldàn’s participation in these performances has been made possible with help from the Honorary Consulate of Spain in Seattle and from the Programme for the Internationalisation of Spanish Culture of Acción Cultural Española, which seeks to promote Spanish culture through the inclusion of Spanish artists and creators residing in Spain in the programming of cultural events outside of Spain.

The concert, presented in collaboration with Grace Episcopal Church, takes place on Saturday, July 12 at 4:30 p.m. at Grace Episcopal Church at 70 Sunset Lane on Lopez Island. The concert begins at 4:30 p.m. and not 6 p.m. due to the ferry schedule. Admission is by suggested donation (a free-will offering) of $20-$30, and all are welcome regardless of donation. Those 18 and under are free. For additional information. please see www.salishseafestival.org/lopez.

Please see our complete schedule of performances of this program on San Juan, Lopez and Orcas Islands below.

About Irene Roldán:

Award-winning harpsichordist Irene Roldán was born in southern Spain in 1997. Described by the press as one of the most prominent Spanish harpsichordists on the international scene (ABC Sevilla), Roldán currently lives and works in Basel, Switzerland. She gained international recognition in 2021 when she won first prize, never previously awarded in this competition, as well as the audience prize at the III International Harpsichord Competition Città di Milano. In the same year, her ensemble Flor Galante secured the first prize at the IV International Bach Competition in Berlin. One year later, Roldán was honored with the prestigious Bach Prize and an additional special award at the XXXIII International Bach Competition held in Leipzig, Germany.

Roldán cultivated a profound passion for the harpsichord when she was 7 years old and has studied in Spain, the Netherlands and Switzerland with Jacques Ogg, Menno van Delft, Andrea Marcon and Jörg-Andreas Bötticher. She received a special award for her exceptional closing Master’s performance at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, where she is pursuing an additional specialized Master’s degree in Basso Continuo and Maestro al cembalo.

Roldán has performed in solo recitals for festivals across Europe, such as Seville Early Music Festival, Urbino Musica Antica, Val di Zoldo International Early Music Festival, Mars en Baroque, Amici della Musica di Padova, Roma Festival Barocco, Fundación Juan March, Académie d’Orgue de Fribourg (Les Canisius), FEMUBA and others. She has had the honor of performing as soloist with several orchestras and under the direction of Maurice Steger, Jacques Ogg, Alfredo Bernardini and Eduardo López Banzo. Her own ensemble, Flor Galante, focuses on reviving unexplored 18-century music from the Galant period. Her debut album, “Scarlatti & Beyond” was recorded in June 2023 with the the support of Fondazione Cariverona.

Complete schedule in the San Juans for Bach & Scarlatti:

San Juan Island: Saturday, July 12, noon (revised from 12:30 p.m. due to ferries); St. David’s Episcopal Church, 780 Park Street in Friday Harbor; www.salishseafestival.org/sanjuan.

Lopez Island: Saturday, July 12, 4:30 p.m. (revised from 6:30 p.m. due to ferries); Grace Church, 70 Sunset Lane; 360-468-3477; www.salishseafestival.org/lopez.

Orcas Island: Wednesday, July 16, 5 p.m.; Orcas Adventist Fellowship Church, 107 Enchanted Forest Road in Eastsound; 360-376-6683; www.salishseafestival.org/orcas.

The Salish Sea Early Music Festival presents early chamber music on period instruments around the Salish Sea. The Salish Sea Early Music Festival is proud to be an affiliate organization of Early Music America, which develops, strengthens and celebrates early music and historically informed performance in Canada and the United States.