Lyle Nordstrom, Co-Artistic Director

 

Mountainside Baroque artistic co-director, lutenist and conductor Dr. Lyle Nordstrom has been a strong influence in the early music field for the past several decades, particularly in the area of early music education at the collegiate level. In the course of his college teaching career, he has led the early music programs at Oakland University in Michigan, Clayton State College and University in Atlanta and, most recently, the University of North Texas, being nominated for teaching awards at each institution

 

 In 2000 he was given the Thomas Binkley Award by Early Music America for his work on the collegiate level and in 2009 the Paul Riedo Award by Dallas Bach Society for his contributions to early music in the Dallas-Fort Worth Area. Nordstrom was chosen by the national early music organization, Early Music America, to receive the prestigious Howard Mayer Brown Award for lifetime achievement in the field of early music, in recognition of his ability to inspire and mentor students, musicians, and ensembles throughout his fifty-year career. In fact, an upcoming article by Jolle Greenleaf in the Fall issue of EMag features his role as a mentor to many students.

 

Nordstrom is co-founder of The Musicians of Swanne Alley, a group he directed with lutenist Paul O’Dette from 1976 to 1996, performing with them at nearly every major early music festival in North America and Europe, and contributing his performing and editing talents to recordings of the group on Focus, Harmonia Mundi and Virgin Classics. In 1997, Lyle also founded the Atlanta Baroque Orchestra and is now the Director Emeritus. He also co-founded the 17th century ensemble Armonia Celeste.

 

A DMA graduate of Stanford University, he is known for his scholarly contributions to various early music journals as well a book on the wire-strung bandora and articles in the New Grove Dictionary of Music & Musicians.