Perhaps no musicians we’ve heard from in Notes from the Fires so far have lost so much … yet retained so much optimism.
Perhaps no musicians we’ve heard from in Notes from the Fires so far have lost so much … yet retained so much optimism. Alex Opsahl and Ian Pritchard, founders of the Baroque ensemble Tesserae, were in Europe with their two young boys on January 7.
Alex Opsahl and Ian Pritchard at their rental home in Sierra Madre with their two boys.
John Rabe
They’d been in Norway over Christmas to be with Alex’s father in his final days; he died around New Year's. On their way back to LA, their flight delayed in London, they learned about the fires. Because of the SNAFU over evacuation orders, they delayed asking a friend to go to their house in Altadena, so when their house burned to the ground, it also took their rare instruments … and their four cats.
Some of the items rescued from the ashes of Alex and Ian’s home.
John Rabe
Alex Opsahl with the rack that held a calendar, a family keepsake.
John Rabe
While they were still in England, a friend started a GoFundMe for them, and Alex and Ian stopped it at $100,000! Because of the money, they were able to rent a lovely historic house in Sierra Madre, have rented a harpsichord, have been able to keep their kids in their same school … and have now adopted two cats.
A friend brought Ian Pritchard some CDs. One of their two new cats preferred the box the CDs came in.
John Rabe
Thank you to Alex and Ian for being part of Notes from the Fires. The piece you heard at the end of today's episode is the Sonata Sopra "Sancta Maria, Ora Pro Nobis" from Monteverdi's Vespers of 1610 featuring the Boston Baroque, conducted by Martin Pearlman.
