EarlyMusicNews.Org

"The Spirit of Gambo is a Chicago area viol consort featuring Ken Perlow, Phillip Serna & Russell Wagner. The Spirit of Gambo performs music throughout the rich viol consort repertoire. Programs are built around providing historical context as well as variety in the repertoire to produce a stirring musical experience.

The Spirit of Gambo – a Chicago Consort of Viols was formed in 2005 to address a growing deficiency of viol consort performers in the Midwest region, especially in the Chicago area. All being professional performers, the Spirit of Gambo are passionate advocates of the performance of music for early instruments, especially music composed for viols.

The Spirit of Gambo’s members have performed on period instruments with varied groups including Ars Antigua, Ars Musica Chicago, Bella Voce, the Boston Early Music Festival, the Bottom Line Continuo Consort, the Catacoustic Consort, Chicago Early Music Consort, Chicago Opera Theater, the Classical Arts Orchestra, Comic Intermezzo, Early Music Chicago, Ensemble Musical Offering, the Forces of Virtue Ensemble and Choir, the Janus Ensemble, the Newberry Consort, the Second City Musick, and the Evelyn Dunbar Memorial Early Music Festival at Northwestern University. " See website for more details. (ed.)

Added on: Feb 16, 2008 | Hits: 393

"claimed as an ensemble of “imaginative” programming and “delicate, flawlessly-played music”, the Chicago Early Music Consort recreates the rich and diverse sounds of the late Renaissance and early Baroque chamber repertoire in a historically-informed manner. Founded by Gary Berkenstock, the consort performs throughout the Chicagoland and Wisconsin areas.

The core ensemble consists of a “broken” consort of viola da gamba Phillip W. Serna, soprano Stephanie Sheffield, lute/theorbo Joel Spears, and recorders Gary Berkenstock, but the ensemble is supplemented as needed by the dictates of the music. Programs are built around historical themes in order to provide modern audiences with a meaningful social context that will enrich their musical experience. " See website for more details. (ed.)

Added on: Feb 16, 2008 | Hits: 491

"LA MORRA performs European music of the period roughly defined by the dates 1300 and 1500 (traditionally referred to as 'late Medieval' and/or 'early Renaissance') with occasional escapades outside this time frame. The ensemble pays particular attention to the secular art song, sacred para-liturgical genres and instrumental music.

Formed in 2000, LA MORRA (named after Heinrich Isaac's famous instrumental fantasia) has rapidly made its way on to the stages of Europe's most prestigious early music festivals and concert series (including 'Festival van Vlaanderen', 'Netwerk' and 'Holland Festival Oude Muziek', 'Rencontres de Musique Médiévale du Thoronet', 'Freunde Alter Musik in Basel' and 'Il Canto delle Pietre'). Numerous live performances, broadcasts and the four CD releases that have appeared to date (see Discography) have contributed to establishing LA MORRA as one of the leading formations in the field, with a reputation for both varied, evocative and thoroughly researched programs and "virtuoso", "seductive" and "plausible" (Diapason) interpretations.

The ensemble is based in Basel (North-West Switzerland), home of the prestigious Schola Cantorum Basiliensis where the performance and theory of 'early music' have been taught for over 70 years. LA MORRA consists mainly of former students of the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis (usually four to eight vocalists and instrumentalists) and adapts to the requirements of each new concert or recording project. " See website for more details. (ed.)

Added on: Feb 18, 2008 | Hits: 413

"The Krauka group takes you on a musical journey back in time to an era when the Norse culture blossomed over the North Atlantic region, the time when the Vikings were setting out on perilous sea voyages from Scandinavia across the Faroes, Iceland and Greenland to Vinland (New Foundland).

Krauka was formed in 1999 around the idea of combining storytelling and music from the Viking Age. First they did research on what kind of instruments existed in the north of Europe during the Viking Age. From this information they built their own instruments, but using modern strings that made the music more powerful.

From the beginning Krauka was a band inspired by the Viking-age instruments and sagas, playing acoustically for about 100 persons. Later they have taken part in big festivals, for instance: in 2000 at a festival in Greenland, celebrating the 1000th year of Leif the Lucky's finding Vinland; and in 2001 at a Viking festival on the Faroe Islands. The same year they had their first school concert tour in Denmark and played in different Viking festivals in DK. In 2002 they played at a festival at Fjorukrain, outside Reykjavik in Iceland and at different locations in Iceland. This year they have also made two school-concert tours.

The musicians in Krauka are: Gudjon Rudolf: vocals, jew's harp and percussion; Jens Villy Pedersen: flutes, lyre, rebec and vocals; Aksel Striim: bowed lyre, shawm, flute and vocals. "

Visit website for more details. (ed.)

Added on: Feb 18, 2008 | Hits: 362

"he cultural association Ensemble Baschenis takes its name from the well-known XVIIth century painter Evaristo Baschenis, who is considered the most accomplished painter of musical instruments in figurative art. Affiliated to the association are few selected Groups and Ensembles of high quality performers. Ranging from music from the Renaissance to XVIIIth century music for mandolin, the association organizes concerts of Early Music at the highest level of philological research, from both a musical and a technical point of view. Different formation and fields of interest characterize our Association's vast repertory: from a duo for voice and lute, to the Ensemble Salomone Rossi which has a specialized interest in the repertoire of Jewish music from the Baroque period. ... " See website for more details. (ed.)

Added on: Feb 18, 2008 | Hits: 365

"Sfera Armoniosa specialises in performance of music from the seventeenth century. The ensemble's name is derived from a work commissioned for a seventeenth century noble marriage, published for voice and basso continuo.

The group is based around an unchanging core of continuo players. Vocal soloists are then added to the ensemble according to the demands of the repertoire. The more commonly heard basso continuo combination of lute and viola da gamba is enriched by the use of less well known instruments such as the lirone and the baroque guitar.

In addition to the music of famous composers such as Monteverdi and Lully, the ensemble undertakes research into the manuscripts and printed works of Italian, French, Spanish, English, German and Dutch libraries in order to provide a rich spectrum of music from lesser known composers. " See website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Feb 18, 2008 | Hits: 304

"The Newcastle Players perform Renaissance, Medieval, Celtic and British folk music on lute, baroque guitar, theorbo, viola da gamba, recorders, whistles and other period instruments. The Baltimore based ensemble was formed in 1994 when as members of the Peabody Renaissance Ensemble they collaborated to form a smaller group. Each member has extensive experience with early music perfomance on period instruments. " See website for more details. (ed.)

Added on: Feb 18, 2008 | Hits: 384

"Altramar, in the Occitan language of the troubadours, was the name given to the Near Eastern lands that lay "over the sea;" the lands where Crusade and trade resulted in the rich cultural interchange of East and West.

Altramar is an ensemble specializing in music of the Medieval Era, sharing historical repertory in the context of human experience, and evoking the vibrant tapestry of medieval culture. Altramar combines a process of collaborative partnership with a commitment to scholarship and expression. Since 1991, Altramar has been presenting their unique blend of song and story, drama and rhetoric, and voices and instruments to audiences throughout North America.

Altramar's members arrived at their medieval meeting place by way of diverse musical paths: Jann Cosart plays bowed string instruments from the twelfth to the twentieth centuries. Her varied performing and teaching experience has taken her throughout North America and the Orient. David Stattelman, a native Iowan, received his earliest musical training through participation in the Roman Catholic liturgy, in which he is still plays an active part. In addition to Altramar, he maintains interests in chant and medieval polyphony, and performs with Magnificat and Theatre of Voices. Chris Smith is a jazz guitarist and ethnomusicologist, specializing in performance traditions of the Near East and the African Diaspora. He is a faculty member at the Indiana University School of Music, and produces the program "One World" for National Public Radio affiliate WFIU in Bloomington. Angela Mariani is a specialist in the performance practice of medieval music, whose career has included experience in rock, folk, and traditional styles. She produces the nationally-syndicated early music program Harmonia at WFIU in Bloomington, and has taught and performed in Boston, Bloomington, Amherst, and Vancouver. " See website for more details. (ed.)

Added on: Feb 18, 2008 | Hits: 257

"The Camerata Hungarica is one of the best known Hungarian ensembles in Europe and overseas. Their repertoire covers the European music of the Middle Ages through the Baroque. The ensemble is known as the best performer of the Hungarian and East and West European music of these centuries.

The Camerata Hungarica recorded secular music in Buda Castle of the 16th century the first time ever. They also made first recordings from the music of Transylvania and that of the historical Hungarian territories from the 16-18th centuries. One of these recordings, the double album of the Vietoris Manuscript, won the Grand Prix of the Paris Academy in 1975.

The ensemble performs its rich repertoire on an extremely high level of musicality and technical skills. This is based on the versatile and virtuoso treatment of the instruments.

The Camerata Hungarica has been concertizing abroad continually since the first tour to Italy in 1973. They participated in numerous early music festivals and gave concerts in a long list of countries, from Mexico to Japan, from Sweden to Sicily. " See website for more details. (ed.)

Added on: Feb 18, 2008 | Hits: 348

"Albuquerque Baroque Players was formed in the summer of 1997 by six Albuquerque musicians who found that they had in common a desire to play Baroque music on the instruments of the period. They held a common belief that such performances would offer a greater understanding and depth of expression to music written over 250 years ago. After two years of infrequent performances, ABP was reborn with the current four members and has been performing a regular series of concerts at Los Altos Christian Church and the Historic Old San Ysidro Church in Corrales, along with appearances at the Cathedral Church of St. John, the Albuquerque Museum, and the Albuquerque Public Library. To date, ABP has been financial assisted by New Mexico Arts, the City of Albuquerque Urban Enhancement Trust Fund , the Garcia Automotive Group, Van Dyke Software and the Walter A. Brooks & Marilyn Gulley Brooks Foundation, as well as many private sponsors. " See website for more details. (ed.)

Added on: Feb 18, 2008 | Hits: 290

"Istanpitta is a United States based ensemble performing music of the 10th to 14th century Middle Ages including many traditional Middle Eastern dance tunes. The ensemble consists of 3-5 musicians playing a variety of period instruments including oud, lute, saz, early percussion, shawms, recorders, transverse flutes, krummhorns, vielles, Medieval harp, bagpipes and voice. The ensemble performs live at formal concert venues, universities, and festivals. " See website for more details. (ed.)

Added on: Feb 18, 2008 | Hits: 385

"Ensemble Anonymus was formed in Québec City in 1978 by a group of young professional performers under the leadership of Claude Bernatchez, the group’s founder and musical director. Their passionate interest in early music led them to attempt to recreate the musical traditions of medieval Europe. Today, the long list of their concerts and original shows, along with a series of high-quality recordings, testifies to their achievements and the level of artistic excellence they have attained. " See website for more details. (ed.)

Added on: Feb 18, 2008 | Hits: 429

"The Karmína Ensemble concentrates on the interpretation of old Czech folk songs and music of Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque periods - both secular and sacred.

The wide range of different replicas of historical musical instruments that are used by the ensemble give the performance authenticity and richly coloured interesting sound. The atmosphere at concerts is emphasised by folk or period costumes and it can be also accompanied by the historical dance group.

Miroslav Sekáč, the founder and artistic leader of the ensemble searches old collections for music that he arranges in an unusual and non-traditional way. Miroslav Sekáč works closely with Czech Radio and Czech Television. " See website for more details. (ed.)

Added on: Feb 23, 2008 | Hits: 392

"Tiburcio Tapia was a rancher in southern California in the early 1800s. According to legend, he buried a treasure to safeguard it against thieves. Some say it was a chest of gold coins, buried beneath the roots of a great tree. His treasure was never recovered.

Tapia's Gold brings to life the music of past ages, a treasure for today's world. We specialize in the music and musical instruments of the European Renaissance and Middle Ages, with forays into the music of early California and other periods. We appreciate historical authenticity, but are not bound by it, for the past touches the present in many ways. " See website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Feb 23, 2008 | Hits: 345

"The Anitquarian Funks is a musical group specializing in authentic musical performances of rarely heard works from the Renaissance and Early Baroque periods. Based in Santa Cruz, California, The Antiquarian Funks were founded in 1971 by Head Funk William G. Mathews, and have been performing ever since in a wide variety of combinations and venues. The Funks perform with reproductions of original antique instruments.

Music of the 17th century and earlier was usually composed and performed for the church or European courts. A particular challenge in performing this early music is the absence of tempo and dynamic notation. Musicians of this time were expected to improvise embellishments on the original score, rather like modern jazz.

The aim of this website is to introduce you to both the Antiquarian Funks, as well as the amazing music, instruments and some of the composers we have featured over the years. Enjoy! " See website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Feb 23, 2008 | Hits: 302

"The Dufay Collective has been performing and recording its unique brand of early music for twenty years. During this time the group has performed at major festivals and toured throughout the world, receiving critical acclaim from Cairo to Carlisle. The group has made a series of successful recordings of a wide ranging repertoire of instrumental and vocal music from the Middle Ages and Renaissance, including the Grammy nominated 'Cancionero'.

They can also be heard on the soundtracks of several feature films including. The Dufays have just recorded their second disc for Harmonia Mundi USA, being 'The Play Of Daniel'. To mark their twentieth anniversary, the group has embarked upon a series of long term projects, including the forthcoming ‘Alchemy’ project with Andalusian ensemble Al Quimia. " See website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Feb 23, 2008 | Hits: 402

"Performers of Medieval & Renaissance Music ... The Everyman Guild was founded in 1977 and is an ensemble of friends (none an original member) who sing and play a wide variety of early instruments.

Performing in renaissance costume, we recreate early dances, and use poetry and drama to build informative, theatrical and engaging programs. The simple elegance of this music, with its complementary melodic lines, clean, spare harmonies, poetic texts and engaging rhythms make it relevant and accessible today. An Everyman Guild concert is music sung and played by a small group of musicians who work together closely on interpretation, and who know each other well. This offers the musicians and the audience a personal and direct musical experience. Renaissance music is an authentic living history of people of the past, and perhaps the most intimate way we can connect with them. We hear in their music the same elemental feelings, emotions, and rhythms that we experience in our own lives. Come with us into the Renaissance, and be moved to a deeper understanding of our world today. " See website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Feb 23, 2008 | Hits: 390

"THE GOLIARDS present authentic medieval music in a lively and entertaining style. We perform on reproductions of actual medieval instruments and sing in the various dialects and languages of the period. We wear costumes based on the clothing of period musicians, completing the feeling of long ago.

The music is a wide variety of medieval tunes, chiefly from the 13th and 14th centuries. Selections can range from bouncy dances and drinking songs to hauntingly beautiful devotional and art melodies. In the style of medieval musicians, large sections of music are improvised, adding an unforgettable excitement to the songs. The Goliards can play, lead and teach dances to allow the audience to completely experience the music as it was originally presented. We have in the past worked with other performers in poetic and dramatic recitations. " See website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Feb 23, 2008 | Hits: 414

"THE KING'S CONSORT is one of Europe's leading period instrument orchestras. Founded in 1980, TKC and its equally renowned Choir of The King's Consort have toured in five continents and appeared in almost every European country, in Japan, Hong Kong and the Far East, as well as North and South America. With 95 CDs in the catalogue, and more than one million CD sales, TKC is one of the world's most-recorded historical instrument orchestras. " See website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Feb 23, 2008 | Hits: 324

“The ensemble Syntagma is an early music ensemble, created in 1996 by Alexander Metz Danilevski, a lutenist and composer of Russian origin.

This group is dedicated to forgotten repertoire from the Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque eras. The ensemble consists of singers, wind instruments and strings.”

Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Feb 23, 2008 | Hits: 292

"For more than a decade Passacaglia has offered a refreshingly different approach to baroque music. Blending the sweet, articulate sound of recorders and baroque flute with the ravishing sonorities of viola da gamba and harpsichord, Passacaglia provides new insights into familiar music, whilst rediscovering a wealth of beautiful but neglected master works. " See website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Feb 23, 2008 | Hits: 316

"The ensemble recreates the elegant sounds of the official, professional wind bands of the late Medieval and Renaissance periods as well as the rustic entertainments of the peasantry. Audiences from Seattle to Spoleto, Italy, have marveled at the virtuosity of the ensemble, its precision and impeccable intonation, but most of all its vitality and enthusiasm. Shawms, sackbuts, dulcians, recorders, krumhorns, bagpipes, lutes, guitars and percussion provide the fascinating aural dimensions to an entertaining Piffaro performance. Piffaro has recorded extensively and can be heard on the Newport Classic, Deutsche Grammophon's Archiv Produktion, Wyndham Hill, Passacaille, and currently on Dorian Recordings labels. "

See website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Feb 23, 2008 | Hits: 292

"RONDELLUS was formed by Maria and Robert Staak in 1993 to perform and promote medieval and renaissance music. Depending on the specific programme, the ensemble varies between two and six singers and instrumentalists, who perform on replicas of period instruments. All members of the group are professional musicians with years of experience in Estonia's finest early music groups.

RONDELLUS has performed numerous concerts in the Baltic States, Scandinavia, Poland, Hungary, Germany, Italy, France, Spain and Switzerland - Riga and Vilnius Early Music Festivals, Medieval Week in Gotland, Stockholm Europe Week, Chamber Music Festival in Norrtälje, Kalmar Renaissance Days, Bornholm Summer Music Festival, "European Middle Ages" festival in Hürsens, "Komponistinnen und ihr werk" in Kassel, Festival Montalbane in Freyburg, "Musica Antiqua Europae" in Bydgoszcz, Festival Of Monophonic Music in Plock, Sopron Early Music Festival, Festival of Medieval and Renaissance Theatre in Anagni, Festival "Recontres Internationales de Musique Medievale" in Thoronet, Festival of Medieval Theatre and Music in Elche, etc. "

Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Feb 23, 2008 | Hits: 292

"SARBAND means connection - just as the name, which stems from Oriental music theory and denotes to an improvised linking of two compositions within a musical suite. Musical director Dr. Vladimir Ivanoff, who founded SARBAND in 1986, both as a scholar and a musician, connects cultures, people and epochs: His programmes unite musicians from the most different cultures and backgrounds and mediate between past and present, Early Music and living traditions.

In the world of SARBAND, musicians from Bulgaria, Turkey, Lebanon, Iraq, Sweden, Great Britain, Italy and Germany perform together. The co-operation in the ensemble is no fashionable crossover session, but conceived as a continuous dialogue on equal terms. All artists unrestrictedly contribute their native traditions, their personal histories and their own creativity to the programmes. While today the religious, economic, cultural and political differences between the Orient and Occident are in the focus of attention, Sarband endeavour to show that music was always not only mere decoration, but an enlightened means of mutual respect and can still be that today: an example for understanding and acceptance, a model of peace. The ensemble takes its audience on a journey through space and time, through religions and cultures. It is a journey, on which you can leave behind the customary ways of thinking and the traditional concert experience. ... "

Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Feb 23, 2008 | Hits: 323

"His Majestys Sagbutts and Cornetts is a group of virtuoso wind players who specialise in playing early music in authentic styles on original instruments. The noble sound of cornetts and sackbuts was among the most versatile instrumental colours available to composers of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. It was heard in many musical contexts: in consort or in alternation with voices in the extravagant liturgy of the great Italian and Spanish churches - above all the Basilica of St Mark's in Venice; in aristocratic entertainments such as the intermedii of northern Italy or the masques of Jacobean England; and in the ceremonial and devotional music for the courts and free cities of Lutheran Germany. " See website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Feb 23, 2008 | Hits: 327