LES AGRÉMENTS DE MUSIQUE was founded by Minju Lee and John Burkhalter to survey the grandeur and intimacy of the musical riches associated with the courts of Louis XIII, his son and heir Louis XIV and, in turn, his great-grandson Louis XV. The ensemble specializes exclusively in the field of French Baroque music and performs repertory on period-instrument-copies of recorders and harpsichord at the Paris-Versailles pitch of a'=392.
MINJU LEE earned her bachelor's degree in Music Composition at Hanyang University in Korea, her master's degree and Doctor of Musical Arts in Harpsichord Performance under Arthur Haas at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, and her Artist Diploma at Oberlin Conservatory of Music under Lisa Crawford. She has many years of experience teaching harpsichord music, theory and basso continuo in the Korea National University of Art, Hanyang University and elsewhere. Ms. Lee has performed widely in Korea and the United States.
JOHN BURKHALTER studied the performance of early music at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston under Daniel Pinkham and the performance of Baroque music at Harvard University under the noted Dutch recorder virtuoso, scholar and conductor, Frans Bruggen. In addition, he received valuable instruction from the distinguished Swiss Baroque oboist and recorder player Michel Piguet.
ABIGAIL CHAPMAN, a graduate of Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York and the Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, is a soprano known for her opera and oratorio style and has appeared as a soloist throughout the United States. For many years, she was active in the Denver, Colorado early music scene. Currently, she is a professional member of the choir at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Philadelphia. Ms. Chapman has recorded for Toccata Classics music of Henri Hardouin.
KERRY HEIMANN, harpsichordist, earned his doctoral degree in harpsichord and early music from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with a minor in choral conducting and literature. His principal teachers included Charlotte Mattax, Michael Farris, Chet Alwes, Fred Stoltzfus, and Nicholas Temperley. During his academic programs, he received several awards and honors, including the Gerald M. Crystal Fellowship and the prestigious Theodore Presser Award, as well as being inducted into Pi Kappa Lambda National Honor Society in Music. A widely sought-after accompanist, conductor, and collaborator, Mr. Heimann has played at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and Kennedy Center and has performed at festivals throughout Europe and North America. He has performed at national and regional conferences for such organizations as the American Choral Directors Association and the Society for Seventeenth Century Music. In addition, he serves as Operations and Patron Services Manager for Princeton University Concerts and as Associate Minister of Music for Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Trenton, NJ.
For booking and other information, please contact John Burkhalter (609) 480-8092, johnburkhalter3@aol.com.