Beantown Baroque
Early Music Ensemble of Boston
Est. 2024
Meet the Musicians
Darwin Chang, violin
Darwin began violin lessons at the age of 4 and entered The Yehudi Menuhin School when he was 12 years old where he studied with Diana Galvydyte, Ning Kam, Ioan Davis and David Dolan. He has performed a wide range of repertoire around London and abroad; most notably with Joji Hattori, as well as Lelend Cheng and the Sinfonia Varsovia in the Warsaw Opera House.
An avid chamber musician, Darwin has performed in venues including NEC’s Jordan Hall, the Menuhin Hall, BBC Radio, and King’s Place London; alongside pianists Ashley Wass and Charles Owen. With a keen interest in historical instruments and early music, Darwin also plays Baroque violin and has been studying with Susanna Ogata from the Handel and Haydn Society and was most recently part of the Connecticut Early Music Festival.
Darwin is currently pursuing his bachelor's degree at the New England Conservatory, under the tutelage of Donald Weilerstein, and has participated in Yellow Barn's Young Artist Program, Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, and Mahler Academy Orchestra.
Jordan Hadrill, violin
Jordan is a British-Australian violinist and educator who specializes in classical, Baroque, and avant-garde music. She has performed in recitals and as a featured soloist with orchestras in concert halls across three continents, including at the Philharmonie Berlin’s Kammermusiksaal, Philharmonie Luxembourg, Kleiner Konzertsaal at the Gasteig in Munich, Symphony Hall in Boston, and Victoria Concert Hall in Singapore after winning 1st place at the 2015 Singapore National Piano and Violin Competition. She has also been a prizewinner at the 21st Century Art Competition and the International Young Musician Competition in Barletta. She obtained both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from New England Conservatory, where she studied with Paul Biss and Ayano Ninomiya.
Jordan is deeply passionate about modern music; she joined the Berlin Camerata to give the German premiere of Andrew Norman’s Gran Turismo and performed Der Geist am Berg by Fabian Müller with François-Xavier Poizat as part of the Winners and Masters concert series. After moving to Boston, she collaborated with Steven Mackey to present his works in BSO’s What I Hear Prelude concert and joined New England Conservatory’s new music ensemble [nec]shivaree to present Ligeti’s Chamber Concerto in Symphony Hall for the BSO’s celebration of Ligeti’s 100th birthday. She has also been coached by Christian Wolff to present his Small Duos for Violins, and has collaborated with Donald Berman along with her peers at New England Conservatory as part of a project to perform the complete Ives sonatas. In 2024, Jordan was a recipient of NEC’s John Cage Award for Outstanding Contribution to Contemporary Performance. She has also worked with multiple established and student composers at soundSCAPE and the Summer Institute for Contemporary Performance Practice, and has multiple new music works dedicated to her.
Jordan studied Baroque performance practice with Adriane Post through the Pratt Early Music Residency, and has performed with the Baroque Chamber Orchestra at New England Conservatory as both a member and soloist. She has been coached by Guy Fishman, Ingrid Matthews, and Joseph Lanza. Most recently, she is excited to be a founding member of Beantown Baroque, an up-and-coming Baroque ensemble in the Boston area.
As an educator, she has worked with Tufts University’s Community Music program, New England Conservatory’s Preparatory School, The Croft School, and Boston Music Project, as well as with Immigrant Family Services Institute through New England Conservatory’s Community Performances & Partnerships program. She has attended the Castleman Quartet Program, the Aspen Music Festival and School, the Boston University Tanglewood Institute, and the Bowdoin International Music Festival and School.
Nate Kim, violin & viola
Nate is a versatile Boston-based violinist and violist specializing in historically informed performance. His deep fascination with period-specific approaches has shaped his artistry, allowing him to breathe new life into works from the Baroque period and beyond. Currently a member of the Harvard Baroque Orchestra, Nate’s passion for early music has been further enriched through masterclasses with renowned Baroque musicians Monica Huggett and Julie Andrijeski.
In 2023, Nate had the honor of performing and studying with Emmanuel Music as part of their Bach Institute. He also performed at the 2023 Early Music America Summit in Boston as a member of the Harvard Baroque Orchestra. His commitment to blending the past with the present is reflected in his performances of avant-garde contemporary works on Baroque violin, such as Jane O'Leary's Fantasia an Hommage to Bach. This showcases his curiosity about how historical instruments and techniques can revitalize modern compositions.
In addition to his work in early music, Nate is an active performer in the New England music scene. He has played with prominent groups such as the Boston Philharmonic and Cape Symphony, and has participated in numerous other local chamber and orchestral projects. His solo and chamber music performances have also taken him to Cremona, New York, and Washington, D.C.
Nate holds two Master's degrees in Historical Performance and Violin Performance from the Longy School of Music of Bard College in Cambridge, MA, where he studied with Sarah Darling (baroque violin/viola), Paula Majerfeld (violin/viola), and also dabbled in viol playing with Jane Hershey. Moving seamlessly between modern and early music worlds, Nate brings a unique intellectual and emotional depth to his performances, drawing on both historical traditions and contemporary innovations.
Zach Larson, cello
Zach is a graduate of the Boston University School of Music, where he received both his Performance Diploma (2023) and BM in Cello Performance (2019). While at BU, Zach studied with renowned pedagogue and cellist of the Muir String Quartet, Michael Reynolds. Zach often held principal positions in the university’s ensembles, including serving as principal cellist in Boston University Symphony Orchestra’s April 2023 performance of Mahler’s “Resurrection” symphony at Boston Symphony Hall. In-between his studies at BU, Zach was awarded a MA from the University of Central Florida (2021), where he was a Graduate Assistant and member of the newly formed UCF Pegasus String Quartet.
Raised in the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota, Zach has long had a connection to music. He began playing both the tuba and cello in grade school, and has refused to give either one up since. In high school he was a founding member of Quartz Quartet, and attended both Interlochen Arts Camp, and the Boston University Tanglewood Institute. His abilities on both instruments has led him to have a reputation as the “double threat” among colleagues. In addition to his cello experience, Zach also holds a BM in Tuba Performance from BU where he studied with Boston Symphony Orchestra Principal Tubist, Mike Roylance.
Sought after on both instruments, Zach has had the privilege to perform in some of the world’s most prestigious concert halls across the United States, South America, and Europe; including Carnegie Hall, the Musikverein in Vienna, and Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw.
Zach has also taken an avid interest in early music; under the tutelage of Sarah Freiburg, he has performed with the Boston University Baroque Orchestra, Marsh Chapel Choir, and most recently Boston’s very own Handel & Haydn Society at Symphony Hall.
Not only an active performer, Zach has also been dedicated to teaching the next generation of young artists. In his past teaching, whether with the Boston Youth Symphony’s ICP program or the Chamber Music Festival of The Black Hills, he has always strived to cultivate a learning environment for students which can be characterized by discipline, legacy, fun, and most importantly a loving curiosity. He currently teaches private lessons at Maestro Musician’s Academy in Lexington and Sharon Massachusetts.
Zach’s principal cello teachers include Michael Reynolds, David Bjella, Sarah Freiburg, and Jurgen de Lemos. Additionally, he has worked with artists such as the Dover String Quartet, Benjamin Zander, Zuill Bailey, Melissa Kraut, Mihail Jojatu, and Peter Zazofsky.
Pablo Kennedy, theorbo, lute & double bass
Pablo is a Boston-based multi-instrumentalist with a special interest in historical performance on double bass, theorbo, and other lute-family instruments. He earned his Bachelor of Music in Performance from Boston University, studying double bass with Edwin Barker and lutes with Catherine Liddell. Pablo's recent engagements include collaborations with the Ashmont Hill Bach Project, Cappella Clausura, the Marsh Chapel Collegium, and the Worcester Chorus. He frequently also performs as a recital accompanist. While studying at Boston University, Pablo was awarded the Musicology and Ethnomusicology Departmental Award for his studies on the theorbo. He has participated in various festivals and classes, such as the American Bach Soloist’s Academy, the Tafelmusik Baroque Summer Institute, the Amherst Baroque Academy Opera Project, and the Portland Bach Experience.
Benjamin Rechel, viola da gamba & violone
Benjamin is a freelance historical bass and violone specialist, violist da gamba, and organist based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. A graduate of the Longy School of Music of Bard College, they have appeared with numerous period ensembles including Grand Harmonie, Eudaimonia, La Fiocco, and Harvard Baroque, and is co-director of the Rare Byrds Ensemble and a frequent collaborator at the First Lutheran Church in Boston. They serve as music director at Trinity Parish (Episcopal) in Melrose, MA.
Kurt Collins, Artistic Director, harpsichord & organ
Kurt is a Boston based Airline Pilot with a passion for Early Music. Prior to switching careers to aviation, Kurt was a Church Organist and Music Director. He served for over 15 years in various Churches in Delaware and Maryland. His last appointment was at Aldersgate United Methodist Church in Delaware, where he served as Organist and Assistant Director of Music for over 7 years.
Kurt began his organ studies at the age of 12 with Dr. William Wharton of Easton, Maryland. Later he went on to study harpsichord with Karen Flint, professor of harpsichord at University of Delaware and artistic director of Brandywine Baroque. During this time he participated in several masterclasses with Arthur Haas and Davitt Moroney on period harpsichords at the Flintwoods Collection.
In addition to providing sacred music for worship, Kurt has also appeared as a soloist and accompanist in Delaware for various churches and ensembles. He has been a guest organist for the Newark Symphony Orchestra as well as participating in University of Delaware’s Early Music Ensemble - Collegium Musicum under the direction of Dr. Russell Murray.
When Kurt isn’t flying the Airbus A320 or playing Early Music, he enjoys exploring nature through hiking, making traditional Chinese tea in the Gong Fu Cha style, as well as studying meditation and Zen.