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    Musica Viva, an exciting young chamber ensemble that has been performing in California and  Mexico since 2003, will be offering their first Bakersfield concert on Sept. 20 at 4 p.m. in the sanctuary of First Congregational Church, 5 Real Rd.  Their program will range from the Baroque through the 20th Century, including Donizetti, Leoncavallo, Saint-Saens, and Pilley.
    The group features cellist Dieter Wulfhorst, violinist Susan Doering and harpist Laura Porter.  Musica Viva was founded by Wulfhorst and Doering, who is his wife, in 2002.  All are on the faculty of Fresno Pacific University and perform professionally in other venues.
     Wulfhorst came to the U.S. from Germany in 1985 to study with David Soyer and the Guarneri Quartet.  His favorite musicians include cellists Anner Bylsma, Steven Isserlis and Pieter Wispelwey and gambist Jordi Savall.
    “I love to listen to historical recordings, especially singers,” he said in a recent interview.  “We listen to nonclassical music and love to play in all styles.”  Musica Viva recently performed with Smokey Robinson, the Motown group Spectrum and IlDivo. Their recording with the vocal ensemble Conspirare was recently nominated for two Grammy awards.
    Doering has extensive performance background throughout the Americas as well as in Europe, the Middle East and the Far East.  Her public radio broadcasts have included NPR’s “Performance Today.”  In the summers she has taught and performed in Sweden and at music festivals and camps throughout the U.S.  She also is a music therapist.
    Doering grew up in a family of six children, four of whom are now professional musicians.  “My parents always encouraged us to play a variety of instruments and to explore the world of sound,” she said.  She started out playing piano at age 7, then switched to the Suzuki violin program through the public schools.
    “I liked the piano, but I loved the violin from the moment I first heard it and then held it in my arms.  She enjoys all kinds of music, including world music from South Africa and South America.
    Porter migrated 20 years ago to Fresno from Tucson after winning the principal harp audition for the Fresno Philharmonic.  She also plays for the Bakersfield Symphony in the same position and performs for weddings and social or corporate events.  “My parents are musical,” she said.  “So music was something that was everywhere in my early life.  The sound the harp is so immediate.  When you pluck a string, there is nothing between you and the string.  It is magical.”
    Porter has frequently appeared in concert with her friend, flutist Nancy Ayala, from Bakersfield. They perform as Duo Cantilena.
    The Musica Viva event  is the first concert of the new season of the Fred and Beverly Dukes Memorial Concert Series at First Congregational Church.  “We hold these concerts in our sanctuary because of its excellent acoustics,” said concert chairperson Helen Rummelsberg.  “This is our fourth season of offering exceptional music free of charge to the community.”
    Other concerts in the series will feature Banshee in the Kitchen on Nov. 1, the Southside Chicago Seven on Nov. 22,  Violinist Gordon Mehling and pianist Rachel Chao on  March 7, and the Young Artists of Kern on May 2.  All concerts are on Sundays at 4 p.m.