Chatham Baroque, the local early music trio, has hired its first musician in more than a decade in baroque violinist Andrew Fouts of San Francisco. Fouts succeeds violinist Julie Andrijeski.

"We are extremely excited," said the group's theorbo player, Scott Pauley. "He is a catch, and I feel confident he will fit in with the group."

Fouts, who regularly performs with American Bach Soloists, Indianapolis Baroque Orchestra and the Napa Valley Symphony, turned a gig with Chatham Baroque a few weeks ago into a successful audition.

"We played with him in a concert in Sewickley," said Pauley. "The audience seemed to love him, and there was a real click. He has a nice presence on stage and is completely unafraid of performing."

Chatham Baroque was particularly enamored by his ability to learn music quickly. "He came in with a different E minor Corelli sonata than we were playing, and in less than a day he had the other one down," said Pauley. "He is a formidable player but played in a way that worked as a team."

Fouts will debut as a member with Chatham Baroque at its annual Twelfth Night Gala on Jan. 5 at the Pittsburgh Golf Club but will join the ensemble full time on July 1. He studied violin at the Eastman School of Music and at Indiana University in Bloomington, where he was a student of Stanley Ritchie.

"He is one of the current crop of new talent specializing in early-music practice," said Jeffrey Thomas, music director of the American Bach Soloists.

Fouts will move to Pittsburgh and, like the other two members, will be a co-artistic director of Chatham Baroque and member of the board.

In 1996, Andrijeski was the last musician to join the group.