Summary!
Hello!
My name is Joshua Romatowski and I am gearing up to
collaborate with some of North America’s top Baroque specialists to create a
wonderful recording of six flute sonatas by Swedish composer Johan Helmich
Roman.
These rarely recorded and performed pieces are full of
character and provide a unique experience for listeners. Johan Helmich Roman was coined the “Swedish
Handel” and brings a multitude of unique and dazzling sounds and ideas to the
fore.
Preparing these pieces has been an exquisite experience, and
I dream of being able to share my work with everyone I know!
As my first recording project, I am excited to pour all of
my energy into this and to make sure that it is well done. That is why I have worked to find the best and
most experienced people to help me make this project a reality.
Joshua Romatowski, Baroque Flute
Byron Schenkman, Harpsichord
Nathan Whittaker, Baroque Cello
What
We Need
I am going to need a total of $7600
to make this project happen. Here is a
breakdown of the costs!
$2000 – Artist Fees
$1500 – Engineer/Producer Fee
$2500 – Transportation
$300 – Hall Rental
$300 – Harpsichord Rental/Tuning
$600 – Food
$400 – Lodging
If I do not reach my entire goal,
funding will first go to for the artists and engineer. I am also planning to contribute a
substantial amount of money to the project to make sure everyone gets the
payment and experience they deserve!
The
Impact
Swedish Baroque music is a unique
experience. As baroque music listeners,
people are very much accustomed to hearing the magnificent works of J.S. Bach,
Handel, Vivaldi, and Telemann. What is
unique about Johan Helmich Roman is that his style of composition is not
entirely German, Italian, or French but a pleasant blend of all three, with his
own unique personality thrown into the mix.
I find that music from Sweden is
very much under-represented in modern day performance spaces. I hope to use this project as a way to inject
this music back into the repertoire of performing artists and to bring its
beauty and uniqueness to the countless number of aspiring performers appearing
on the scene. On top of that I find that
audiences really enjoy these pieces, which makes it all the more relevant.
Challenges
The challenges of this project are
numerous. As modern day classical
musicians, we have a responsibility to these composers to make their music come
alive. That being said, baroque
composers left a lot of opportunity within their compositions for performers to
be unique and bring a lot of their personality to the table. Making sure to present a well balanced
performance of these pieces is key. I
have worked to make sure that everyone working on this project is of the
highest professional quality, which makes a lot of this easier to
accomplish. Everyone involved in this
project has had top of the line training and extensive professional experience
in this type of music.
Other
Ways You Can Help
Any amount of assistance is greatly
appreciated! Please send this out to
anyone you think will find it interesting!
