If it ain’t Baroque ...

Young Chang

Se-Eun Lim chose a simple word to describe the complicated sound of

the organ.

“Huge,” the 29-year-old organist said.

While rehearsing at St. Michael and All Angels Church this week for

her Sunday performance as part of the Baroque Music Festival Corona del

Mar, the award-winning organist said the sound of her instrument is so

massive that it fills an empty sanctuary as if inflating it.

The music sounds so sacred that it’s fitting to lift to God, added

Lim, an organist for Oriental Mission Church in Los Angeles.

But as a featured soloist for the Baroque festival, running Sunday

through June 30, the organist said the music is also enjoyable just for

music’s sake and without religious overtones.

“I’m going to play Baroque music from different countries -- Italy and

Germany, old pipe music,” said the University of Southern California

student. “It sounds very attractive.”

The Baroque period was between 1600 and 1750, a time during which the

music was characterized by highly embellished melody lines.

Lim will perform concertos by Bach, Marcello, Tartini and Vivaldi with

three other soloists Sunday. She will give a recital of organ works by

Bach and Reger on Monday.

“I thought having a young and emerging virtuoso organist and someone

who happens to be working on a doctor’s degree at USC might be convenient

for any conferences that have to be made between the composer and the

soloist,” said Burton Karson, artistic director of the festival.

Karson founded what is now the 22nd annual event to offer Baroque

flavor in Newport Beach. More than two decades ago, Newport-Mesans were

driving to Los Angeles to get their musical fill.

“While we have small venues, intimate venues that don’t hold too many

people, we’re known far and wide,” said Karson, also a conductor in the

festival. “I travel far distances in California and outside [of

California], and I’m constantly amazed at how many people know of this.”

The concerts will take place at St. Michael and All Angels Church and

Sherman Library & Gardens. Featured musicians include oboist Marianne

Pfau and a host of other instrumentalists and vocalists. The Baroque and

neo-Baroque program includes arias, masterworks by Bach and Vivaldi,

concertos, and trio sonatas.

The musicians come from all over the country.

“It’s very gratifying for me, for our marvelous volunteer board of

directors, to realize that so many people enjoy performing for us,”

Karson said.

FYI

WHAT: Baroque Music Festival Corona del Mar

WHEN: 4 p.m. Sunday, 8 p.m. Monday, 8 p.m. Wednesday, 8 p.m. Friday

and 4 p.m. June 30.

WHERE: St. Michael and All Angels Church, 3233 Pacific View Drive,

Corona del Mar, on Sunday, Monday and June 30. Sherman Library & Gardens,

2647 E. Coast Highway, Corona del Mar, on Wednesday and Friday.

COST: Call for prices

CALL: (949) 760-7887