The New Blondes

John Alleyne was born in Barbados and raised in Canada where he trained as a dancer at The National Ballet School of Canada. In 1978 he joined the Stuttgart Ballet where he took part in choreography workshops. The Stuttgart Ballet premiered his work, Wiederkehr, in 1985. Mr. Alleyne danced with the National Ballet of Canada where he was Resident Choreographer. Mr. Alleyne was the Artistic Director of Ballet British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada until 2009. His Bet Ann's Dance was performed by New York City Ballet during the 1992 The Diamond Project.
 
Although Johann Pachelbel (1653-1706) never left Germany, during his lifetime his reputation extended beyond his homeland. For centuries he was considered one of the greatest and most productive composers of his time and each new generation of musical scholars has accorded him a key place in the musical development culminating in Bach. Until recently he was remembered mostly as a composer of organ and other keyboard music; however, recent research bolstered his reputation as a leading composer of Protestant church music. From early childhood Pachelbel showed a gift for music and became a leading organist, composer and teacher, writing for the organ, harpsichord, chamber ensembles and various vocal media. Some of his compositions were created as a result of contractual obligations to the various churches that employed him as an organist. Pachelbel's greatest contribution was in the field of organ chorales, although he composed in other genres, including fugue, toccata, prelude, ricercare, fantasia, chaconne and suites.

26 minutes