Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra & Chorale
Celeste Winant is a seasoned classical vocalist and musician with significant experience in various musical ensembles and church settings. Since 2010, Celeste has been a chorale member of the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra & Chorale and an artist with Volti, specializing in challenging vocal compositions. Between 2000 and 2014, Celeste served as a freelance classical vocalist, primarily performing with small vocal ensembles and chamber choirs. Additional roles include church musician at St. Ignatius Catholic Church of San Francisco, personnel manager at Pacific Collegium, and part-time administrator and research programmer at UC Berkeley. Prior to this, Celeste worked as an Associate Specialist in Radiology at UCSF and as a postdoctoral fellow at Lawrence Livermore National Security, contributing to advancements in nuclear physics instrumentation. Celeste holds a PhD in Physics from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Bachelor’s degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra & Chorale
Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra and Chorale’s mission is to present audiences throughout the world with historically-informed performances of music from the Baroque, Classical, and Early Romantic periods, as well as new music, using period instruments and vocal techniques that capture the style, spirit, and distinctive sound of that time. We share our music through live performances and recordings, and actively reach new audiences through our educational offerings and training programs for the next generation of musicians. Philharmonia’s pursuit of its mission is based upon three fundamental convictions: 1. Great music is universal. It is a timeless medium that impacts quality of life on an emotional, social, spiritual, and intellectual level. 2. Period-instrument performance, executed at the highest level, creates a distinct sound and singular listening experience. Historically-informed performance means more than playing music in the style in which it was written; it also means performing music with a passion, joy, and vitality that provide a meaningful contemporary artistic experience for today’s audience. In addition, this experience enriches appreciation of history and provides a valuable perspective in preserving and understanding the orchestral tradition. 3. The opportunity for audiences today to hear great works and authentic instruments from the past is, in itself, a legacy that must be preserved for the benefit of future generations.