Lute Society of America - New York Chapter is excited to team up with Baroque Opera Workshop at Queens College to bring you this fabulous one day workshop on Figured Bass. Figured Bass or Basso Continuo is a practice of interpreting the harmonic and contrapuntal possibilities above a written bass line, this was historically achieved on Lutes and Harps, but it can be done on today’s modern Guitars, Ukuleles, Banjos, Mandolins, Melodicas, or anything else that can strike a chord or play a melody. If you are a guitar player who is interested in learning about the Lute, or perhaps finding your own place in an orchestral setting - then this is the skill you need to learn.
Using figured bass, we will learn about grounds and improvisation, as well accompany some of the songs written by G.F.Handel for the Beggar’s Opera which will be performed in full this June by the Baroque Opera Workshop QC. Participants are welcomed to discuss the instruments, try a lute out for size, and especially ask about the Opera Workshop.
~This event is sponsored in part by a grant from the Lute Society of America. ~

Please join us

This one-day workshop will focus a bit on reading figured bass notation, but it will serve us to help in the improvisation portion. The same way that a jazz musician is free to improvise on the melody, because the harmonies are so clear. We will also be playing ground basses, which have survived today in the style of a ‘12-bar blues’ where we can improvise on our instrument while not having music in front of us at all. This event is in March for Early Music Month 2026, and will provide the opportunity to bring Lutes/early instruments to new audiences.

Lastly, we will be using our skills to play some songs from Handel’s famous opera - The Beggar’s Opera which will be performed June 2026 as part of Baroque Opera Workshop at Queens College summer workshop.