The Bach’s Lunch Series continues on May 7th with a lecture by Daniel Beller-McKenna entitled “From Scotland to America: Barbara Allen’s Travels.” On May 14th, Jane Berlin Pauley, Peggo Horstmann Hodes and Hannah Schramm Murray, together with pianist Calvin Herst, will present a Bach’s Lunch concert entitled “Americana.” Bach’s Lunch programs are free, and take place in the Music School’s Recital Hall, 23 Wall St., downtown Concord, from 12:10 to 12:50 p.m.

In his May 7th lecture, Mr. Beller-McKenna will trace the traditional British Isles ballad “Barbara Allen” from its roots in Scotland, to its appearance as an Appalachian folk song in American colonial times, to modern American representations of the tune and its story. This traditional ballad is just one example of the American musical “melting pot” that has influenced our country’s music through the centuries. The following Thursday, May 14th, Trillium, a trio comprised of Concord Community Music School voice faculty members Jane Berlin Pauley, Peggo Horstmann Hodes and Hannah Schramm Murray, will offer a retrospective of American music including some early Appalachian songs, spirituals, folk songs and standards, including songs by Aaron Copland, George Gershwin and Peggo Horstmann Hodes.

The Bach’s Lunch Series received a 2007 Best of NH Award from New Hampshire Magazine, named as an Editor's Pick - “best place to bring a brown-bag lunch.”

The Bach’s Lunch series is sponsored by The Duprey Companies; The Couch Trusts, TD Banknorth, N.A., Trustee; and The Timothy and Abigail B. Walker Lecture Fund. Call 603-228-1196 for information, or visit the website www.ccmusicschool.org.

About the artists:
Daniel Beller-McKenna is Associate Professor of Music at the University of New Hampshire where he has been on the faculty since 1998. He has published widely on the music of Johannes Brahms and (less widely) on John Lennon and the Beatles. Beller-McKenna is President of the American Brahms Society and performs in various musical ensembles in the New Hampshire seacoast region.

Jane Berlin-Pauley, soprano, received her bachelor of music in performance from Rutgers University’s Mason Gross School of the Arts and her master’s degree from the New England Conservatory of Music. She pursued further studies at Westminster Choir College, Manhattan School of Music, Aspen Opera Theater Center and the Tanglewood Music Center. Her opera and concert engagements include Rutgers Summerfest, New England Lyric Operetta, Dartmouth Handel Society, Longwood Opera and Opera D’amore. Her teachers include Susan Clickner, Bruce Kolb, Cynthia Hoffman and William Sharp.

Peggo Horstmann Hodes, soprano, holds master’s degrees in Elementary Education from Lesley College and Vocal Pedagogy from the New England Conservatory. Peggo has been soloist with the New Hampshire Symphony, the Granite State Symphony, the Concord Chorale and the Musicians of Wall Street. In recital, she has premiered works written for her by William Fletcher and Thomas Oboe Lee. Horstmann Hodes is a founding member of femme m’amie, the seven-woman a cappella ensemble, which has recorded two highly acclaimed CDs. She is also half of the duo Peggo & Paul, the New Hampshire recording artists who have gained an international reputation for their original family recordings, two of which won Parents’ Choice Awards. Horstmann Hodes teaches a workshop called Vibrant Voice, which combines creative singing and writing to free the voice and soul. She has led workshops in Hawaii, California, New York, Maine, and New Hampshire. At the Music School, she is a member of the voice faculty and leads the vocal ensemble Karitas.

Hannah Schramm Murray, soprano, earned her master’s in music from Westminster Choir College. Additional studies include Connecticut College (B.A.), the Royal academy of Music in London, and Middlebury College’s Deutsch fur Sängerin program. Mrs. Murray has been a member of the voice faculty at CCMS since 2000, and is currently a music faculty member at St. Paul’s School. She has also taught at Endicott College, Boston Conservatory outreach program, and the Community Music School of Springfield. Mrs. Murray has performed throughout the Northeastern United States, been a soloist for the Nashua symphony, and the Paul Madore Chorale, Trinity United Methodist Church in Springfield, and The Opera Circle. Mrs. Murray is an active member of NATS