‘Sublime music’: Kontrapunktus to perform at Our Lady Queen of Angels Catholic Church

Aubree Oliverson feels classical music still has a lot to offer, even as new innovations are made in the musical world every day.

Oliverson, 24, began playing the violin when she was 5, after her father, inspired by watching her listen to a master’s violin recital, bought her the instrument.

Her mother signed up her for lessons, and that was that, or so the story goes.

The Utah native, who moved to Los Angeles to attend the Colburn Music Academy when she was 15, said she feels people don’t talk about classical music enough, while she spends nearly every single day engaged in it.

“The richness of this genre is kind of unparalleled. It’s just a shame to not bring it to more people who haven’t heard it before. It’s enriched my life so much, so I want everybody to find the joy in it that I find,” Oliverson said.

“It sort of grapples with the deepest emotions, not that other genres can’t do that as well, but classical music has been doing that for centuries, and there’s so much tradition and there’s something for everyone because so many composers have written so many different types of compositions,” she said. “It’s hard to put it into words because it’s such a part of me.

“I really do believe that maybe not everybody will love [classical music], but if more people are aware of it, some people will fall head over heels in love with it that never would’ve known about it before.”

Oliverson will be playing as a soloist violinist for Kontrapunktus, a baroque chamber orchestra composed of young musicians, at Our Lady Queen of Angels in Newport Beach on Saturday, May 27. It will be her fourth such performance as a guest soloist with the group.

The concert will be the orchestra’s fifth of its newest production, “The Begotten Son: Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach” — celebrating works by the second surviving son of the much more well-known Johann Sebastian Bach. Hannah White will lead the ensemble.

“From an artistic perspective, Kontrapunktus established a new mantra in which we strive to revive the neglected. In doing so, we’re able to present to the public exquisitely sublime music that they’re not going to find anywhere else, even with large symphony orchestras,” said executive director Raymond Jacobs.

“The music of Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach is a prime example of this fact,” Jacobs said. “His music inspires awe, yet few know about him or his music because it’s largely neglected in favor of his father’s music, which is already popular and far easier to sell because of name recognition.”

Kontrapunktus was founded in 2015 and includes artists from some of the country’s most prestigious music conservatories, including Julliard, Colburn and Yale. The ensemble focuses on baroque music in particular, a style dominant between about 1600 and 1750.

Kontrapunktus has found a following in Los Angeles and Orange counties. In January, the chamber orchestra played at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Orange and Laguna Presbyterian Church in Laguna Beach. Oliverson joined as a guest in January as well.

“We’re doing this Newport Beach show on May 27 to remain engaged with our growing Orange County fan base. The people of O.C. truly appreciate exceptional live music, and we’re here to deliver just that,” Jacobs said.

Oliverson transcribed “Flute Concerto in D Minor, H.484.1, Wq. 22” to violin to play for her solo and noted a version of it also exists for the harpsichord.

“It’s a phenomenal piece. It’s one of the best concertos for a string orchestra accompaniment that I’ve ever played,” Oliverson said. “It works very well in violin. The last movement is incredibly fast, a lot of sixteenth notes, but it’s just a thrill and I hope the audience likes it. I’m really excited about it.”

The concert begins at 7:30 p.m., and tickets are on sale for $25 at bit.ly/42QWVqd.