Renz, Frederick

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Renz, Frederick

Renz, Frederick , American harpsichordist and conductor; b. Buffalo, July 27, 1940. He studied at the State Univ. of N.Y. at Fredonia (graduated, 1962) and at Ind. Univ. (M.M. in conducting, 1964; M.M. in harpsichord, 1966), then studied harpsichord with Gustav Leonhardt on a Fulbright fellowship in Amsterdam (1967–69). After performing as a keyboard player with the N.Y. Pro Musica (1969–74), he founded his own Ensemble for Early Music in N.Y. (1974), with which he toured widely. His repertoire extends from the 12th to the early 19th century.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire