Speculum Musicae’s goals are to preserve and present the classic musical works of our time, to participate in the development and expansion of the repertoire by collaborating with living composers, and to educate the musicians and audiences of the future. To reach these goals, the ensemble has held residencies at some of this country’s finest academic institutions, including Brandeis University, Columbia University, Harvard University, and Rice University.
About the Performers
James Baker, conductor
 James Baker is conductor for Speculum Musicae, and is also a composer of music for the theater, dance, film, and concert stage. His works have been performed by the Opera Ballet de Lyon, the Netherlands Dance Theater, the Cannes Festival, and elsewhere around the globe. He has been a member of the American Composers Orchestra, the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and the Concert Royal Baroque Orchestra for many years, and also performed as a drummer/percussionist with several Broadway shows and jazz and pop performers including Tony Bennett, Dizzy Gillespie, Dave Brubeck, Herbie Hancock, Carly Simon, Aretha Franklin, and others.
Eric Bartlett, cello
 A native of Marlboro, Vermont, Eric Bartlett is recognized as a leading performer of contemporary music. He has participated in more than 60 premieres since 1980, with ensembles such as Speculum Musicae, the New York New Music Ensemble, the Group for Contemporary Music, and the Columbia String Quartet. He has served, alternately, as artist-president and vice-president of Speculum Musicae since 1990. Bartlett has also performed at the Mostly Mozart, Marlboro, Aspen, Adirondack, Grand Teton, and Waterloo festivals, and has been the principal cellist of Mostly Mozart and co-principal of Orpheus since 1984.
Allen Blustine, clarinet
 Allen Blustine is a member of the Speculum Musicae, New York Chamber Soloists, and the Festival Winds. An active proponent of new music for the clarinet, he has performed with virtually every musical organization in New York, including the New York Philharmonic, New York City Ballet Orchestra, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. Blustine played principal clarinet with the American Ballet Theater Orchestra and was principal clarinetist with the Paul Taylor Dance Company for more than a decade. He is currently on the faculty of Columbia University and a founding member of the North Country Chamber Players.
Chris Finckel, cello
 A dedicated performer of new music, Chris Finckel has been involved in New York City’s contemporary music scene for more than 20 years. Through his affiliations with such organizations as Speculum Musicae, the New York New Music Ensemble, Parnassus, and The Contemporary Chamber Ensemble, he has participated in the premieres of the works of more than 100 composers. Finckel is currently the cellist of the Manhattan String Quartet with whom he performs on major chamber music series throughout the United States and Europe.
Daniel Druckman, percussion
 Percussionist Daniel Druckman is active as a soloist, chamber and orchestral musician, and recording artist, concertizing throughout the United States, Europe, and Japan. He is a member of Speculum Musicae and the New York New Music Ensemble, and has made numerous guest appearances with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Da Capo Chamber Players, the Group for Contemporary Music, and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. Druckman is currently associate-principal percussionist of the New York Philharmonic and is on the faculty of the Juilliard School, where he serves as chair of the percussion department and director of the percussion ensemble.
Maureen Gallagher, viola
 Maureen Gallagher is a longtime member of Speculum Musicae and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, with whom she records and tours both internationally and domestically. She is also a member of the St. Luke’s Chamber Ensemble, as well as co-principal of the Orchestra of St. Luke’s. Gallagher performs for several weeks twice a year as a member and co-principal of a chamber orchestra in Mito, Japan. She has played chamber music as a guest with the Tokyo, Emerson, Orion, and Cleveland String Quartets. She currently teaches privately and at Columbia University.
Aleck Karis, piano
 For more than twenty years Aleck Karis has been one of the leading pianists in the New York contemporary music scene. Best known for his work as pianist for such groups as Speculum Musicae, the Contemporary Music Group, the League-ISCM Chamber Players, and SONOR, he has received a solo recitalist's fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts and two Fromm Foundation grants “in recognition of his commitment to music of our time.” Karis is currently a professor of music at the University of California, San Diego.
Curtis Macomber, violin
 Curtis Macomber is considered to be one of the most versatile soloists and chamber musicians before the public today, and has for many years been recognized as a leading advocate of the music of our time. A member of Speculum Musicae since 1991, he has also appeared with the New York New Music Ensemble, the Group for Contemporary Music, and the Sea Cliff Chamber Players, as well as in chamber music series across this country and in Europe. Macomber is a member of the chamber music faculty of Juilliard and the violin faculty of Manhattan School of. He holds his BM, MM, and DMA degrees from Juilliard, where he was a scholarship student of Joseph Fuchs and winner of the Morris Loeb and Walter Naumburg prizes.
Susan Nidel, flute
 Flutist Susan Nidel is currently the principal flutist of Speculum Musicae, the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and American Composers Orchestra. She has also served as soloist and principal flutist for many groups, including the Martha Graham and Paul Taylor Dance companies; the Stuttgart, Netherlands, and Royal Ballets; the Madeira Bach Festival; Oregon Bach Festival; and the Santa Fe Opera. Nidel is a graduate of the University of Michigan and the Juilliard School. She is currently on the faculty of Columbia University and recently joined the faculty of New Jersey’s Montclair State University.
Pablo Rieppi, percussion
 A native of Uruguay, Pablo is a highly sought-after musician in New York City, where he performs a wide range of music with some of the world’s leading artists. He performs with classical, new music, pop, and world music groups including Speculum Musicae, the New York New Music Ensemble, DaCapo, Ensemble 21, and the Gotham Chamber Ensemble. Rieppi is professor of music at Columbia University and Hofstra University, where he teaches privately and is director of the percussion ensemble. He is also a teaching artist for the Lyric Chamber Music Society of New York and the American Composers Orchestra. He has a master’s degree and professional studies certificate from the Juilliard School, and a bachelor’s degree from George Mason University.
David Starobin, guitar
 David Starobin was recently called by Soundboard magazine “arguably the most influential American classical guitarist of the twentieth century.” He has performed throughout the world, collaborating with ensembles including Speculum Musicae, the New York Philharmonic, National Symphony, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and the Emerson and Guarneri Quartets. David Starobin's recordings have received numerous honors including a Grammy nomination for his CD, Newdance, which won the Association for Independent Music’s Indie Award for best classical CD of 1999.
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