October 12, 2025 * Connable Recital Hall, Light Fine Arts Building, Kalamazoo College
Program
Performer Biography
Supporters
Board of Directors
2025–2026 Season Events
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Program
François Couperin, from Quatrième Ordre
La Marche des Gris-vétus
Les Bacchanales
La Pateline
Le Réveil-matin
Louis Couperin, Four Pieces from Four Suites
Zarabande from Suite in D minor M.60
Zarabande from Suite in A minor M.113
Chaconne from Suite in B-flat M.121
Zarabande from Suite in E minor M.65
Armande-Louis Couperin, Les Quatre Nations
L’Italienne
L’Angloise
L’Allemande
La Françoise
George Frideric Handel, Partita in C minor HWV 444
Prelude
Allemande
Courante
Gavotte
Minuet
Johann Sebastian Bach, from The Well-Tempered Clavier Book One
Prelude No. 4 in C-sharp minor
Antonio Soler, Fandango (arr. Mahúgo)
Double-manual harpsichord after Taskin/Blanchet by William Dowd, 1970, kindly lent by the Department of Music at Kalamazoo College.
Performer Biography
Madrid-born Yago Mahúgo is recognized as one of Spain’s foremost musicians in the field of historically informed performance. Selected by critic Rubén Amón of El Mundo newspaper as “Spanish Artist of the Year 2013” and acclaimed by El País for one of the year’s best recordings, Mahúgo first studied piano with Ana Guijarro before dedicating himself fully to the harpsichord.
He holds a Ph.D. in Arts, awarded cum laude with the Extraordinary Doctoral Prize from Rey Juan Carlos University, and earned a degree in historical keyboard instruments (harpsichord, fortepiano, and organ) from the University of Music in Freiburg, Germany. There, he studied under Robert Hill with a scholarship from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, and also received guidance from renowned maestros such as Christophe Rousset, Kenneth Gilbert, and Malcolm Bilson.
Mahúgo has received numerous distinctions, including awards at the 35th International Harpsichord Competition in Budapest (Hungary) and the 13th Harpsichord Competition in Bruges (Belgium), two of the most prestigious competitions in early music. In 2025, he was honored with three Gold Medals at the US Global Music Awards (Best of Show, Best Instrumentalist, and Best Sound Mixing) for his recording of François Couperin’s First Book of Harpsichord Pieces and at the UK World Classical Music Awards with a Platinum Prize for his F. Couperin CD recording.
His concert career includes appearances in major venues across Europe and the Americas, notably Carnegie Hall and The Frick Collection in New York. He is frequently invited to perform continuo with professional orchestras and, as a soloist, has appeared at the Palacio de Festivales de Santander, the Auditorio Nacional de Madrid—where his interpretations of Manuel de Falla have stood out, having been chosen by the Teatro Real de Madrid to perform El Retablo de Maese Pedro on twelve occasions, as well as Falla’s Concerto for Harpsichord during the 400th anniversary of the death of Miguel de Cervantes—the Juan March Foundation, and the Real Coliseo Carlos III in San Lorenzo de El Escorial.
The virtuoso is also a regular presence at major international festivals, including Expo ’98 in Lisbon, the Bachfest Leipzig, the International Festival of Music and Dance of Granada, the Santander International Festival, and the Quincena Musical Donostiarra, among others.
He has recorded extensively for television and radio in Spain, Hungary, and the Czech Republic, and has released thirteen albums to date. All of his solo recordings—on both harpsichord and fortepiano—have been highly praised, including The Complete Works of Royer, Pièces de clavecin en concert (Rameau), Marchand/Clérambault, The Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross (Haydn), Favorite Works of F. Couperin, The Complete Works of A. L. Couperin, and F. Couperin, Vol. I. His album Éclectique was selected by Revista Scherzo among the world’s best recordings of 2021. Several of his releases have been designated “Exceptional Disc of the Month” by Scherzo, and he currently records for Brilliant Classics while working under contract with CMY Baroque to record the complete harpsichord works of François Couperin (11 CDs).
Mahúgo also places strong emphasis on 20th‑ and 21st‑century repertoire. He has recorded works by Bartók, collaborated with the Proyecto Gerhard ensemble, and inspired several contemporary composers who have dedicated works to him.
He is the founder and director of the historically informed ensemble Ímpetus, with which he has released three acclaimed albums: Ímpetus Live! in Madrid, Pièces de clavecin en concerts (Rameau), and Geistliche Oden und Lieder mit Melodien by C. P. E. Bach. The latter two received widespread recognition from both Spanish and international critics, winning awards from Ritmo, Melómano, and Scherzo. The Rameau CD was nominated for the 2015 International Classical Music Awards (Baroque Instrumental category) and was named Recording of the Year by Melómano magazine in 2014.
In addition to his extensive performing career, both in Spain and abroad, Mahúgo is an active educator. He has served as Professor of Harpsichord and Historical Performance Practice and is regularly invited to lecture at institutions such as the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and the University of Michigan. He is a Full Professor of Music and Performing Arts at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Madrid and has also taught at the Superior Conservatory of Seville. For over a decade, he has been a guest harpsichordist at the Reina Sofía School of Music.
In 2025, Mahúgo marks his 44th career anniversary with an ambitious international tour covering sixteen countries across Europe, the Americas, and Asia, alongside the release of a commemorative album with the CMY Baroque label.
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2025–2026 Supporters
EMM thanks the Irving S. Gilmore Foundation, the Harold and Grace Upjohn Foundation, and our individual and institutional donors for their generous support! We are also very grateful to Dr. Andrew Koehler and the Department of Music at Kalamazoo College for their generosity in making this concert possible.
Individual Donors
Alexander and Anne Lipsey
Supporters’ Circle
Robert and Barbara Davis
Will and Bess Fitzgerald
Barbara Gustin
Jan Solberg
Business/Institutional Supporters
Harold and Grace Upjohn Foundation
Your support of Early Music Michigan through concert attendance and donations helps to ensure that our unique form of music will continue to be available in Kalamazoo at a reasonable price. A tax-deductible donation can be made by writing a check and mailing it to us or by clicking on the PayPal donation button located below. Donation envelopes are also available on the table at the entry to the concert and can either be mailed to us or left with us in our donations box.
Learn about how else you can support EMM, including through qualified charitable distributions, by volunteering at our concerts, or serving on our Board of Directors!
Board of Directors
Jan Solberg, President
Ilse Schweitzer VanDonkelaar, Vice President
Will Fitzgerald, Treasurer
Luke Conklin, Artistic Director
Becky Straple-Sovers, Administrative Director and Secretary
Christopher Brodersen
John Fink
Marjorie Harrington
Alice Margerum
Ginny Shilliday
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EIN: 38-3296106