About Us

Perform

“Highly unique…always original”  (Democrat & Chronicle)
Pegasus presents an annual series of concerts by world-class performing artists.  Our concerts encompass over 400 years of music – from medieval to romantic – played on period instruments.  Pegasus Early Music delivers music of the past with expressive relevance today.

To the musicians who perform in this series, early music is a living art form, with its dynamic tradition of improvisation and innovation; its spirit of intense collaboration; its incredible ability to communicate sophisticated human instincts and emotions; and its chamber-style direct intimacy. We are passionately convinced that early music can be meaningful within the context of contemporary society, and we want to share that with our audience.

Educate

Pegasus Early Music emphasizes the human side of music-making, the “reach out and touch it” approach to make music accessible, meaningful, and engaging to audiences.  Each Pegasus event includes opportunities for interaction between performers and audiences through pre-concert talks, exhibits and demonstrations, social receptions, and master classes with area students. Our student interns from the Eastman Arts Leadership Program learn as they help us grow. Our Developing Artist opportunities help to foster young professionals playing alongside experienced colleagues. Pegasus Rising is our series for emerging young early music performers; we mentor them through the process of putting together a concert which we offer to the public in unusual venues, and for free.

Collaborate

Since its creation in 2005, Pegasus has collaborated with Downtown Arts Link, the Eastman School of Music, Nazareth College, MECA, the Memorial Art Gallery, the Rochester City Ballet, the University of Rochester’s Humanities Project, and NYS Baroque. More collaborations next year!

There are many opportunities to participate in events with us, as volunteers, Board or Committee Members, artist sponsors, and as enthusiastic audience members.  We welcome your ideas and involvement. Please join us for next season!

Meet the Board of Directors

Barbara Consler, President: Barb is a native Rochesterian, long active with various arts and cultural organization as President, Secretary or Treasurer of their Boards. She has a BS from Allegheny College, an MBA from the University of Rochester Simon Business School and is retired from full-time finance work. She joined the Pegasus Board in 2009 and was elected Treasurer in 2010.   Not content to just play with numbers, Barb is a pianist and mezzo-soprano.   She is the Alto Section Leader at The Lutheran Church of the Incarnate Word, a position she has held for over 20 years. She also serves them part-time as Assistant Financial Secretary.   Barb sings with Scivias Medieval Ensemble and First Inversion:  she longs to sing with Voices.  She resides in the Cobbs Hill area with her two feline, furry children: Black and Decker. 

Deb Koen, Secretary, Senior Consultant and Professional Development Coach, joined the Board in 2023. As a recognized leader in the field of career management and leadership development, she has been a columnist for The Wall Street Journal’s WSJ.com and the business section of Rochester’s Democrat & Chronicle.  Her previous Board commitments include The Nature Conservancy and Rochester Global Connections.  After facilitating a strategic planning retreat for Pegasus, Deb eagerly accepted the opportunity to contribute to this talented and dynamic organization, whose musical performances she has enjoyed and admired for years.

Ron Epstein is a family physician, writer and researcher at the University of Rochester, and author of Attending: Medicine, Mindfulness, and Humanity. His love of early music dates to the 1970s when he studied harpsichord in the USA and the Netherlands before he went to medical school, and he continues to study and play music. He has been a supporter of Pegasus since its inception.

Caroline (Carrie) Hunt Riby is an award-winning strategic advertising professional experienced in all forms of account leadership and media planning. She specializes in communication integration, strategic planning, media strategy, audience/market research, social media, negotiation and agency education.

Riby has been in the communications business for over 40 years and is now teaching full-time at Syracuse University as a Visiting Professor.  

Having been an adjunct professor for Syracuse University for the last 18 years, she was also the marketing director for one of the fastest growing distilleries in America, Black Button Distilling. Previous agency experience includes strategic account director for Butler/Till Media, media director for Roberts Communications, vice president, business-to-business worldwide communication director for Saatchi and Saatchi and media planner for Mullen Advertising.

A long-time friend of Pegasus, Alida Merrill was delighted to have the opportunity to join the Board. With a background in strategic planning and program development in the not-for-profit sector, she is gratified by using these skills towards audience development and expanding the reach of Pegasus. As a former “cello mom” of an RPYO principal cellist, Alida takes great pleasure in once again being immersed in the world of music and supporting the work of Pegasus. Alida’s previous Board and volunteer work includes being President of the Children’s Institute and volunteering with Isaiah House, Camp Good Days and Special Times, and as a Rootz mountain biking “roll model” for kids.

In Memoriam: Andrew Nagel was on the board of Pegasus from 2009 until his death in 2021. He was a passionate music lover from the age of four, and active in the Rochester music scene as a performer, impresario, board member, supporter, and audience member since his arrival here in the early 70s. He sang in many groups, both amateur and professional, and served as a church choir section leader for thirty years. In his hours not devoted to music, Andy enjoyed a career teaching high school science in the Rochester City School District.

Meet the Artistic Director

Deborah Fox is a lutenist with a span of repertoire ranging from medieval to baroque music, as a soloist, chamber music player, and baroque opera continuo. She has performed with the major early music ensembles and festivals from Newfoundland to Australia, including the Carmel Bach Festival, Glimmerglass Opera, Les Violons du Roy (Montreal), Spoleto Festival, Opera Atelier (Toronto), Pinchgut Opera (Sydney), Concert Royal (NY), Haymarket Opera and Third Coast Baroque (Chicago), and others. She graduated cum laude from Smith College, and received the Certificate of Advanced Studies in Early Music at London’s Guildhall School, specializing in the improvised accompaniment practices of the baroque. Her teachers have included Paul O’Dette, Pat O’Brien, and Nigel North. She has been a Teaching Artist for the Aesthetic Education Institute. She is the founder and director of Pegasus Early Music in Rochester, NY, and the director of NYS Baroque in Ithaca and Syracuse, NY.

Meet our Administrative Manager

Peggy Murray, a dancer, scholar, instructor, and administrator, holds a Ph.D. in performance studies from Ohio University’s School of Interdisciplinary Arts.  A former ballet and jazz dancer, Murray is now dedicated to historical dance.  She works extensively with Renaissance and Baroque dance, and studies the role and development of dancing in Europe and the Americas during the colonial period. She has performed and taught in the United States, Mexico, Colombia, Peru and Argentina. She regularly teaches at the Amherst and Madison Early Music festivals and guest lectures in several university music and dance departments.
Peggy also takes an active administrative role organizing international early dance conferences and has past experience in municipal communications and auditing.

Meet our Social Manager

Vidita Kanniks is a creative professional with a passion for fostering community. She identifies as a multi-faceted vocalist whose skillset traverses chamber ensemble music & historical performance. With her dual background in Indian and Western classical music she aims to engage in unique, personal projects that challenge cultural and musical boundaries. Vidita has performed notably with Montreal-based Infusion Baroque Grammy-nominated Seraphic Fire,  the VOCES8 Foundation, Cincinnati Vocal Arts Ensemble, Cincinnati Bach Ensemble, Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra & Collegium Cincinnati.

In addition to performance Vidita is active as an educator in both Western and Indian classical disciplines. She also weaves her love for digital media into her work through social media management roles for a number of classical non-profit organizations including Collegium Cincinnati, Pegasus Early Music, NYS Baroque, American Composers Orchestra, fivebyfive, and Soli Music Society

Vidita is currently based in Cincinnati, OH and holds Bachelor’s degrees in Vocal Performance and Music History from the University of Cincinnati-CCM (2018) and a Master’s degree in Early Music Performance from McGill University in Montreal (2020). She is currently pursuing a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Cincinnati

Meet our Eastman Arts Leadership Program Intern

Pedro Sperb is currently a student in the doctoral program at Eastman School of Music under the mentorship of Paul O’Dette, Pedro Sperb’s study of early plucked strings and modern guitar has granted him many years of experience as a performer and educator. While a variety of Musical experiences intertwine, Pedro is currently dedicated to instruments of the Lute family, performing either solo or Basso Continuo in Early Opera and chamber music productions. In searching for historical music awareness, Pedro entered the early music scene under Dr. Silvana Scarinci. Pedro’s Brazilian origin guides his mission of representing diverse demographics in his performances, especially mixed-race Latin-American Baroque music composers. As educator, Pedro currently holds a position of Secondary Professor at Eastman School of Music and has given Early Music Appreciation lectures at Universities in South Carolina and Colorado, while also serving as higher education Teacher Assistant the for classes of Counterpoint, Harmony, Analysis, Music Aesthetic, Chamber Music, Symphonic and Wind Orchestras. As a modern musician, Pedro had collaborated with compatriot composers in debuting contemporary guitar pieces with the Porto Alegre Contemporary Music Ensemble and at age 17, Pedro won the second prize in Souza Lima Guitar Competition (SP-Brazil). In 2018, Pedro received his Master of Arts in Music performance at Azusa Pacific University of Southern California and in 2022, Pedro graduated as a Master in Arts Lute/Guitar under John Schneiderman at the University of California, Irvine. Representing a versatile musicianship are Pedro’s works as multi-instrumentalist for commercial pop/folk artists. 

211 Cobbs Hill Drive Rochester, NY 14610
www.PegasusEarlyMusic.org
585-703-3990   info@PegasusEarlyMusic.org
Pegasus Early Music is a 501c3 non-profit organization