Salish Sea Early Music Festival: Irene Roldàn plays Bach & Scarlatti
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 Wednesday, July 16 at 5:00 PM at the Orcas Adventist Fellowship Church on Orcas 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. Irene 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.
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), Irene 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, Irene was honored with the prestigious Bach Prize and an additional special award at the XXXIII. International Bach Competition held in Leipzig, Germany.
Irene 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.
Irene has performed in solo recital for festivals across Europe, such as Seville Early Music Festival (FEMÁS), 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 eighteenth-century music from the Galant period. Her debut album, “Scarlatti & Beyond” which was recorded in June 2023 with the the support of Fondazione Cariverona.
