Twilight Zone at Montclair Civic Center Performers

Baroque Violin, Harpsichord (Paul Primus)
Violinist Paul Primus grew up in the Chicago and Cleveland areas, before attending Indiana University and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He received his Bachelors and Masters degrees in music from UWM. Paul won an audition with the Denver Symphony in 1984, and was promoted to Principal Second Violinist in 1985, the position he still holds. He coordinated the chamber music program at Denver School of the Arts from 2013-2018. Paul is a founding member of the Colorado Chamber Players, which he and his wife Barbara Hamilton began in 1993. He performs approximately 30 concerts a year with the CCP, and can be heard frequently on Colorado Public Radio. Mr. Primus has performed numerous unaccompanied violin recitals over the years, most memorably one of the complete Paganini Caprices in 1986. Paul is an active teacher in the Denver area and has also taught and performed at Eastern Music Festival, Rocky Ridge, and the Lamont Pre-College Academy at DU. He is a frequent coach for the DYAO.
Viola d'amore, Baroque Violin (Barbara Hamilton)
Barbara Hamilton is Artistic Director and Violist/Violist d’Amore with the Colorado Chamber Players, a position she has held for 28 years. She served as principal violist with Eastern Music Festival 1990-2005. Barbara played as principal violist/soloist with Colorado Symphony, Orquesta Ciudad de Barcelona & Orquesta de Valencia (Spain). She was in the New York Philharmonic for one season. Dr. Hamilton received a DMA from Yale School of Music in 1992, where she studied with Jesse Levine and taught in 1998. She was a prize winner in the Fischoff, Aspen Festival and Woolsey Hall Competitions, as well as the Young Artists of YM-YWHA (New Jersey). In the 1990’s, she toured Europe with the Orquesta Ciudad de Barcelona, the NY Virtuosi and the American Sinfonietta, concerts in the Grosse Saal/Vienna, the Concertgebauw, Leipzig Gewandhaus. She performed the complete Brandenberg Concerti with BCOC on baroque viola in 2018.
Viola da gamba, cello (Sarah Biber)
Headshot Image for sarah-biber-musician Sarah Biber has played viola da gamba and cello across the United States, Australia and China. In recent collaborations with dance, she has been featured with the Paul Taylor Dance Company performing solo Bach for the company’s first performance with period instruments. Ms. Biber earned her doctorate from Stony Brook University after double-degree studies at Oberlin Conservatory and College and the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. She recently relocated to Golden, Colorado where she teaches and plays with the Baroque Orchestra of Colorado, Colorado Bach Ensemble and Byrd on a Wire, her viol consort. Sarah plays an 1815 Lockey Hill cello and a 2015 gamba by François Danger. She enjoys playing both Baroque and Modern styles. A Colorado native, she has been delighted to be a part of the growth of Early Music in this beautiful state. Sarah has performed with the Colorado Chamber Players since 2019.
Viola da gamba (Karl Reque)
Karl Reque is very active in the local Denver classical musician scene. Playing in baroque and classical orchestral settings alike, he brings a breadth of knowledge and experience to the Colorado Chamber Players. Karl received his BA in Music Education and Viola Performance from Arizona State University and studied Early Music Performance at Windham College. He maintains a large studio of violin and viola students. Karl performs with Byrd on a Wire viol consort, Seicento Baroque Ensemble, and previously performed with the Baroque Chamber Orchestra of Colorado.
Viola da gamba (Sarah Graf)
Sarah Graf plays the cello and viola da gamba and is an avid chamber musician, soloist, and teacher. Since moving to Colorado in 2007, Sarah has performed extensively in recitals and concert series across the state. She earned her undergraduate degree and Performer’s Certificate from the Eastman School of Music, studying with Alan Harris and Steven Doane, and focusing on performing with the Ossia New Music Ensemble the Collegium Musicum. Sarah has attended festivals including the Freiburg Baroque Academie in Freiburg, Germany, the National Orchestral Institute, and Aspen Music Festival. Sarah has performed in the Colorado Bach Ensemble, as principal cellist of the Aspen Choral Society and the Grand Junction Symphony Orchestra, and has appeared as a soloist with the High Country Sinfonia. As a teacher, Sarah has a private studio and coaches students of the Roaring Fork Youth Orchestra, of which she is also Executive Director. Now based in the Roaring Fork Valley region, Sarah grew up in Frederick, Colorado.