Yesterday I received an email from someone who shared the same piano teacher when I was an undergraduate. She wrote, "Could you recommend a book on musical ornamentation in Rameau and Couperin?"
Earlier this year, I received a copy of “By Heart: the Art of Memorising Music” by harpsichordist and blogger Paul Cienniwa. Published in 2014, this little gem is exactly the…
Through the collaboration of violist da Gamba Carol Lewis and music director Dr. Paul Cienniwa, First Church in Boston, located at 66 Marlborough St., has been awarded the 2015 Gian Lyman Silbiger Grant…
On Thursday, July 30 at 6:30pm at the Paquachuck Inn (2056 Main Rd., Westport, MA), mezzo-soprano Allison Messier and harpsichordist Paul Cienniwa will give their debut concert as ALLISON, a new ensemble dedicated to…
Over the weekend, I learned that my first harpsichord teacher, Roger Goodman, died from AIDS-related renal failure. I studied with Roger in Chicago from 1991 till I left Chicago for Boston in 1995.
LITTLE COMPTON, R.I. — On Saturday, June 13 at 6:30 at St. Andrews-by-the-Sea, mezzo-soprano Allison Messier and harpsichordist Paul Cienniwa will collaborate on a program that elevates many of today’s
Last Sunday, the Choir of First Church in Boston performed Vivaldi's Gloria under my direction during the service. An audio recording of the performance is now on YouTube: https://youtu.be/uTAjcfOjRnA
About a year ago, violinist EmmaLee Holmes-Hicks and I premiered a work by Karl Henning. What a great piece! There are three sections: Introduction, Passacaglia, and Toccata. The video (below) highlights them quite clearly. Give it a listen!
Paul Cienniwa, DMA, has been appointed director of the Collegiate Chorale at Stonehill College, a liberal arts college in Easton, MA, founded by the Congregation of the Holy Cross. He will continue as Chorus Master of the New Bedford Symphony…Read more
Last night, I learned that Richard Rephann passed away yesterday morning. I studied harpsichord with Richard at Yale from 1995-1998. From 1998-2003, when I was a DMA candidate, Richard took on an advisory role.
Back in 1991, I worked with Chicago poet Michele Fitzsimmons to create a theater piece based on her poetry. My piano/keyboard accompaniment was improvised to her picturesque poems. The following review was in the Chicago Tribune.
November 10, 2014 Classical music has been a staple of Boston entertainment and culture for hundreds of years. In fact, it is now more so than ever. So many talented professionals and accessible institutions offer up classical music in the…Read more
The November 2014 issue of The Diapason includes a review of one of the two services that I led at First Church in Boston for the 2014 National Convention of the American Guild of Organists. The review neglects to mention…Read more
The second gem was Johann Sebastian Bach’s Concerto for Cembalo No. 4 in A Major, BWV 1055. For this segment the battery of wind and percussion players left the stage, leaving two dozen…Read more