EarlyMusicNews.Org

" I am a Brisbane harpsichordist with 10 years experience of performing professionally. I studied with Huguette Brassine at the Queensland Conservatorium and have received lessons from Christophe Rousset (musical director of the movie Farinelli), Geoffrey Lancaster, Colin Tilney, Peter Hagan, Alison Crum and Roy Marks, Tommie Andersson (on vihuela), and Michael O'Loghlin (continuo). I co-founded, with Gregory Rogers, the series "Theatre of Craft and Harmony", which involved period performance of all eras. This was a free monthly series and included music, dance, various demonstrations and talks.

I have performed in 4MBS Festival of Classics and broadcast on 4MBS Classic fM, and performed as a soloist and with various ensembles including New Holland Baroque, Jack-in-the-Pulpit, Chamber Ensemble Queensland, Conservatorium Baroque Orchestra, the Brisbane Baroque Orchestra, Appassionata, and the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra (Queensland). " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Jul 31, 2008 | Hits: 486

"Claude Nadeau holds a first prize of a harpsichord Conservatoire National french obtained in 1999 in the class of Joel Pontet, and a diploma in early music at McGill University in Montreal (1998) where she earned "A" in harpsichord by unanimous jury. She worked with harpsichordists such as Luc Beauséjour, Kenneth Gilbert or Bob van Asperen.

Seventh generation of church musicians in her family, she hass also been very active as an organist for more than twenty years. She can be heard at the organ on the disc "Er Roué Stevan" with Roland Becker and the Orchestre National Breton, ...

Young conductor especially appreciated for her work with voices, she led the chorus of Radio-France Outremer from 2003 to 2004, and works regularly with the federation A Coeur Joie in the field of early music. In January 2007, it was her "debut" as a harpsichord soloist at the Opera National de Paris in a concert of contemporary music, where she assured the world premiere of "Toccate" Graciane Finzi, ... In March 2007 she was on a tour of Japan sponsored by Air France and with the assistance of the Embassy of France in Tokyo. Artist versatile, addressing both the music and medieval Gregorian chant to traditional music and contemporary creation, it was able to see the film and television in the role of a ... harpsichordist. ... " (Google translation) Visit website for more information.

Added on: Jul 24, 2008 | Hits: 350

"... * you can watch me tune and play harpsichords! My doctorate is in harpsichord. *I've written various essays and articles (mostly about music) *St Olaf College has a streamed video recording of a concert I gave there with Martin Hodel, 26 September 2007. It's trumpet and organ music. *My research on Johann Sebastian Bach's tuning is one of my big projects from 2004 to present. Here are the academic papers, the simpler explanations, and the hands-on instructions. There is also a list of recordings using that tuning system. ... " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Jul 23, 2008 | Hits: 413

"Menno van Delft, born 1963 in Amsterdam, studied harpsichord, organ and musicology at the Sweelinck Conservatory in Amsterdam, the Royal Conservatory in The Hague and the University of Utrecht. Amongst his professors were Gustav Leonhardt, Bob van Asperen, Piet Kee, Jacques van Oortmerssen and Willem Elders. During his studies Menno van Delft sang Gregorian chant in de “Schola Cantorum Amsterdam” under the inspiring and formative leadership of Wim van Gerven. In 1988 Menno van Delft was a finalist at the C.Ph.E. Bach Competition in Hamburg and won the clavichord prize. Subsequently he made his debut at the Holland Festival Early Music Utrecht. He has given concerts and master classes throughout Europe and the U.S.A. and made numerous recordings for radio and television. He has been a guest at several Bachfeste of the Neue Bachgesellschaft.

As a continuo player and soloist Menno van Delft performs with Marion Verbruggen, Jaap ter Linden, Pieter Wispelwey, Bart Schneemann, Lucia Swarts and Jacques Zoon and with the Nederlandse Opera, Al Ayre Español, the Nederlands Blazersensemble, Cantus Cölln, the Koninklijk Concertgebouworkest, the Nederlands Kamerkoor and the Nederlandse Bachvereniging. He has recorded for labels such as Globe, Deutsche Harmonia Mundi, Chandos, Channel Classics, Capriccio, EMI and Decca. ...

Together with Siebe Henstra he forms the clavichord duo Der Prallende Doppelschlag and with Stefano Demicheli the harpsichord duo La Bassa Fiamenga. Since 1995 Menno van Delft has taught harpsichord, clavichord, basso continuo and ensemble playing at the Conservatory of Amsterdam (formerly the Sweelinck Conservatorium). ... " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Jul 16, 2008 | Hits: 390

"After completing his modern piano degree at the Royal Conservatory at The Hague in 1983, Bart van Oort studied fortepiano with Stanley Hoogland, also at the Royal Conservatory. In 1986 he won the first prize and the special Audience prize at the Mozart Fortepiano Competition in Brugges, Belgium, and he subsequently studied with Malcolm Bilson at Cornell University (Ithaca, NY), receiving a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Historical Performance Practice in 1993. He has performed at festivals in Utrecht, Florence, Berlin, Antwerp, Brugges, Melbourne, Brisbane, York, Montpellier, Moscow, and Esterhaza, in the USA and New Zealand, and has given lectures and master classes at the conservatories of Brussels, Paris, Moscow, Helsinki, Oslo, Bucharest, Sofia, Moscow, Stavanger, Perugia, Sydney, Adelaide, Wellington, Melbourne, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Juilliard, Bloomington, and Western Ontario. Since 1997 Van Oort has made more than forty recordings of chamber music and solo repertory, including the prize-winning 4-CD box set The Art of the Nocturne in the Nineteenth Century, the Complete Haydn Piano Trios (10 CDs) with his ensemble the Van Swieten Society, and with four other fortepianists, the Complete Haydn Piano Sonatas. In 2005 Bart van Oort completed a ten-year, 14-CD recording project, the Complete Works for Piano solo and Piano four-hands of Mozart, which was released during the Mozart Year 2006. Bart van Oort teaches fortepiano and is a lecturer in Historical Performance Practice at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague (The Netherlands). " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Jul 16, 2008 | Hits: 541

"Vital Julian Frey is considered the trailblazer of a new generation of harpsichordists. Technical mastery and a high degree of musicality are as much his trademarks as a convincing stage presence and a good rapport with his audience.

Vital Julian Frey is a highly active concert performer. His artistic activities include concerts as a soloist with orchestras such as Capriccio Basel, the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra or the Leipziger Concert, children’s concerts with commentary, and solo recitals as part of internationally famous concert series and at festivals, including the Menuhin Festival Gstaad, Les Muséiques Basel, Bach Festival Leipzig, Lucerne Festival, MDR-Musiksommer, Orpheum Musikfesttage Zurich, Bratislava Music Festival, Murtenclassics, Bachwochen Thüringen, Festival van Vlaanderen Brugge. As a chamber musician, Frey collaborates with performers such as Kristin von der Goltz, José Vazquez, Christine Schornsheim, Fiorenza de Donatis, Sabrina Frey, Sergio Azzolini and Reinhard Goebel. ...

Vital Julian Frey trained at the academies of music in Freiburg im Breisgau and Munich, where he completed his Concert and Soloist diplomas under the tutelage of Robert Hill and Christine Schornsheim. Frey also received important artistic stimuli during tuition with Christophe Rousset, Gustav Leonhardt, Kenneth Gilbert, Christiane Jaccottet and Andreas Staier. ... " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Jul 16, 2008 | Hits: 437

"Francesco Corti was born in Arezzo, Italy, in a musical family in 1984. As a young child, he was taught by his mother, Anna Seggi, and then by Giordano Giustarini.

He studied organ in the class of Wijnand van de Pol at the Conservatorio Morlacchi in Perugia, where he graduated with highest marks and mention in 2004.

He then studied harpsichord at the Conservatoire de Musique of Geneva with Alfonso Fedi. He is currently continuing his studies at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam with Bob van Asperen (harpsichord). He has also attended masterclasses with C. Rousset, G. Leonhardt, M. Meyerson, B. Winsemius, E. Kooiman, L. Tamminga, L. F. Tagliavini at important musical institutions such as the Zomerakademie voor Organisten of Haarlem, the Académie Musicale de Villecroze and the Accademia Chigiana di Siena (where he received a "Diploma di Merito"). From 2000 to 2004, he was organist at the Chiesa di Santa Maria della Pieve in Arezzo.

He was awarded in international competitions for harpsichord, organ, and chamber music and in 2006 he obtained the first prize of harpsichord at the XV International "Johann Sebastian Bach" Competition in Leipzig. In 2007 he was awarded the second prize at the Bruges Harpsichord Competition.

As a soloist, he has appeared in numerous concerts all over Europe, in the USA, in Mexico and in New Zealand. He plays with famous early music groups suc as Ensemble les Musiciens du Louvre (M.Minkowski), Le Concert des Nations (J. Savall), Zefiro (A. Bernardini), Ensemble Elyma (G. Garrido), and Musica ad Rhenum (j. Wentz).

His first solo recording (Harpsichord suites by Lous Couperin, recorded on the original Ruckers Harpsichod conserved in Neuchâtel, Switzerland) has been published in 2007 by the label Genuin. "

Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Jul 16, 2008 | Hits: 421

"French pianist Claire Chevallier (°1969) combined the study of the piano at the musical academies of Nancy, Strasbourg (Hélène Boschi) and Paris (Bruno Rigutto) with her traditional studies in mathematics and physics.

She then continued her musical education at the Conservatoire Royal de Bruxelles with Jean-Claude Vanden Eynden and Guy Van Waas, where she was awarded first prize in piano and chamber music. She became fascinated with the fortepiano during her studies via a master class given by Jos van Immerseel. She began to concentrate on the historical background and the evolution in the "construction" of the fortepiano, and for a number of years studied the specific characteristics and maintenance requirements (tuning, strings, etc) of the instrument completely on her own. She thus developed extensive expertise in historical keyboards as fortepiano specialist and as pianist.

As musician-researcher, she began her own collection of French historical keyboards, which has grown in the meantime to 5 instruments covering the time span 1842-1920. ... " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Jul 16, 2008 | Hits: 592

"Susanne Pumhösl lives in Vienna, where she works as a freelance musician and teaches at Konservatorium Wien University. She began her career as a soloist in 1996, after taking first place at the International Johann Heinrich Schmelzer Competition at Melk Monastery with the virtuoso baroque aria “Vo far Guerra” from G.F. Handel’s opera “Rinaldo”.
br> Her solo and chamber music activities—with the ensembles Capella Leopoldina and Private musicke—have been documented in numerous CD and radio recordings and have received several awards. ... " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Jul 14, 2008 | Hits: 530

"Andrea Chezzi, born in Colorno (PR) in 1975, graduated in organ and composition from the Conservatory A. Boito in Parma, and then studied harpsichord in Amsterdam under the guidance of Bob van Asperen. He followed courses in performance practice of early music with L. F. Tagliavini, W. van de Pol, Ch. Stembridge, G. Murray, A. Marcon, Ch. Rousset at the Accademia Chigiana in Siena. ... " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Jul 06, 2008 | Hits: 388

"Marco Vitale was born in Palermo (Italy) in 1980. He studied piano, organ, harpsichord and composition at Palermo’s “V. Bellini” Conservatory. He took the piano diploma in 2001 and the organ diploma in 2002 with full marks and “Cum Laude”. He took part in many international master-classes where he developed his skills and taste for baroque music.

His concert life began at age of 15, with performances as a soloist and chamber musician. He has performed as a continuo player with well-known orchestras and conductors. In 2002 he moved to The Netherlands where he studied at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague. Marco Vitale took degrees in organ with Jos van der Kooy, and Early Music (harpsichord) with Ton Koopman and Tini Mathot.

Marco Vitale is the co-founder and musical director of “Contrasto Armonico”, a baroque orchestra specialized in the performance of music in italian stytle and baroque operas; in 2008 started a cooperation with the Dutch label Brilliant Classics, for whom he recorded already the serenata “Aci, Galatea e Polifemo” by Handel. For he will record, in October 2008, the Handel’s oratorio “La Resurrezione”, which will be released in the first half of the Handel year 2009. In addition to performing, he also works as teacher, giving master-classes throughout Europe and teaching Harpsichord at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague (Netherlands). " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Jul 02, 2008 | Hits: 327

"Gabriele Catalucci was born in Amelia in 1958 where he studied piano with Pina Ardizzone.

Some years later he graduated in Organ and Composition under Wijnand van de Pol and in Harpsichord after studying with Annaberta Conti e Maria Teresa Garatti at the Conservatorio "F.Morlacchi" of Perugia.

He studied conducting as well and took part at courses for organ with Luigi Ferdinando Tagliavini at the Accademia per organo of Pistoia and for harpsichord with Kenneth Gilbert at the “Fondazione Cini" of Venezia.

He attended the Scuola di Paleografia e Filologia Musicale in Cremona (Pavia University). At the end of his studies he started giving concerts as organ, harpsichord and fortepiano soloist and as conductor in festivals and many theatres in Italy and abroad (Argentina, Austria, France, Germany, Norway, Spain, Switzerland).

He recorded several works for Bongiovanni, Eco, Frequenz and for RAI Radio3 and revised and published operas and instrumental and sacred-vocal music of XVII - XIX centuries.

He teaches Harmony and analysis and Historical Keyboards at the "G.Briccialdi" Music School in Terni and is conductor of the Corale Amerina, plays in duo with Wijnand van de Pol (two organs-two harpsichords) and Andrea Di Mario (natural trumpet) with whom founded the ensemble of natural trumpets, baroque ketteldrums and organ Les Trompettes des Plaisirs and is deputy organist at All Saints' Anglican Church in Rome. ... " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Jul 02, 2008 | Hits: 402

"David graduated with distinction from the Royal College of Music in 2003 where for two consecutive years he won the Richard the Third and Century Fund Prizes. In the same year he also won first prize in the prestigious Broadwood Harpsichord Competition - an international event held biannually at London’s Fenton House, home of the historic Benton Fletcher collection of early keyboard instruments, where he subsequently became artist in residence.

Born in Bethnal Green in the East End of London, David Wright received no musical training as a child and taught himself to play ‘by ear’. It wasn’t until he was sixteen that he had his first piano lesson and learned to read music, later going on to study harpsichord, organ, and viola da gamba as an undergraduate at Trinity College of Music, where he won the Ella Kidney prize for early music.

David works regularly with some of the world’s leading ensembles and musicians. He has directed concerts from the harpsichord including the first modern performance of Thomas Arne’s ballad opera ‘The Blind Beggar of Bethnal Green’. David is engaged regularly amongst the artists at Dartington International Summer School and as repetitieur with the English Touring Opera and The English Bach Festival, with whom he has been assistant musical director for several operas. David’s radio and television broadcasts include performances as a finalist in the York Early Music Competition and soloist at the Handel House Museum London (both for BBC Radio3) and more recently a recital as part of the Belfast Music Festival, broadcast on BBC Northern Ireland. As a continuo player and soloist David performs regularly with the London Concertante, who tour extensively worldwide.

David has a keen interest in instrument building and restoration, and has recently completed a copy of a 17th century English harpsichord which he uses regularly for concerts. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Jun 24, 2008 | Hits: 422

"Michael Borgstede lives in Tel Aviv and works as both Middle East correspondent for the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung as well as a harpsichordist and organist. As a soloist and member of the ensemble Musica ad Rhenum he has toured almost all European countries, the United States, Asia, South America and the Middle East. Michael Borgstede regularly performs at venues like the Wigmore Hall in London, the Konzerthaus in Vienna and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.While still a student at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague he won the BenWeber Award and the York Early Music Competition. He has participated in morethan twenty CD-productions, among which are the Complete Chamber Music of Francois Couperin with the ensemble Musica ad Rhenum. Summer 2006 saw the release of the Complete hrpsichord music of Couperin on the Brilliant Classics label (11 CDs), which was praised by the press and received several distinctions. Apart from his extensiveconcert activities Michael Borgstede is invited regularly to hold masterclasses und give lectures on controversial aspects of Historical Performance Practice. He always strives for an interpretation full of contrast and dramawhich does justice to the rhetoric and affect of baroque music. This search haslead him to “crack some dogmas of Historically Informed Performance Practice”(Tagesanzeiger). The results are “sometimes unusual, but always inventive, lively and musicologically sound interpretations” (El Pais). He has also published a book on the ethnic diversity of Israeli society. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Jun 22, 2008 | Hits: 531

"Biagio Terracciano, pianist, choir and orchestra Director, has a diploma with distinction in piano at the Academy of Music "S.Pietro a Majella" in Naples and a honours degree with a historical musicologic specialization in Italian Literature. Since 1984 he has been studying and doing research on ancient music, specializing in the practice of the renaissance and baroque polyphony both sacred and secular. In the same year he founded the vocal group "Dimensione Polifonica" which he has been instructing and directing since then. Having distinguished himself during international courses of specialization both for orchestration and choir conduction organized by the Directors D.Bartolucci (Director for life of the Cappella Sistina), R.R. Duarte, J. Jurgens, B. Zagni he has also participated to the International Courses of Urbino for the vocality and the execution of the baroque music. He has published many articles and essays on ancient music and on sacred polyphony. In 1997 he revised L. Leo's unpublished "Dixit Domus" donating the score of it to Maestro R. De Simone of the Academy of Music of Naples. In 1988 he founded the Cultural Association "Dimensione Polifonica", an organization of regional importance, of which he is the President. As an expert of liturgical music he cooperates with the Cathedral of Naples. In 1990 he played the organ during the John Paul IInd celebration of the High Mass in Piazza del Plebiscito. Since 1991 he has been the Director of the Schola Cantorum of the Cathedral of Naples, which performs during the most important liturgies, celebrated by the Cardinal Michele Giordano. He is the founder and instructing director of the choir of white voices "S. Maria della Rotonda". He is the Secretary of the Diocesan Commission of sacred music, conductor of many chamber groups and artistic director of many musical happenings. ... " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: May 20, 2008 | Hits: 313

"James M. Guthrie (D.M.A., Louisiana State University, composer, performer, and music educator), currently serves as Assistant Professor of Music, and as Artistic Director of the Meherrin Chamber Orchestra at Chowan University. Dr. Guthrie serves as the area coordinator for the Music Industry Track. In addition to course work in the music industry, his teaching duties include Applied Strings, Organ, Theory, Aural Skills, and Composition. Guthrie coordinates the annual Music Industry Day event, as well as two New Music Day concerts at Chowan.

Dr. Guthrie has been active in the research and performance practices of music from early periods in music history. He founded the Chowan University Collegium Musicum in 2007, and performs on a variety of period instruments, including the harpsichord, virginal, viola da gamba, and recorder. He has performed with the LSU Collegium Musicum, the Delta Viol Consort, the ULL Collegium Musicum, the Chowan University Collegium Musicum, the Meherrin Chamber Orchestra, the Chowan Chorus, the Cantata Chorus, the Acadiana Symphony Orchestra and the Virginia Symphony Orchestra. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: May 10, 2008 | Hits: 471

"Named “Performer of the Year” in 2004 by the Conseil québécois de la musique, harpsichordist and organist Luc Beauséjour has long been thrilling audiences with his expressive and brilliant performances. He has played in many countries and has regularly teamed up with eminent musicians such as sopranos Agnès Mellon, Donna Brown and Karina Gauvin, contralto Marie-Nicole Lemieux, conductor and harpsichordist Hervé Niquet, violinist James Ehnes and trumpet player Paul Merkelo. For Analekta, Naxos and other labels, he has recorded some twenty CDs. Heard regularly on public radio, Luc Beauséjour was awarded this year’s Listeners’ Award of the Chaîne culturelle de Radio-Canada. In July 2004, Luc Beauséjour recorded Book I of Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier (Naxos). " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: May 04, 2008 | Hits: 398

"

• 1973-1976 The New England Conservatory of Music, Boston, Massachusetts Bachelor of Music Degree, Piano

• 1977-1979 The New England Conservatory of Music, Boston, Massachusetts Masters of Music Degree, Harpsichord

• 1976-1977 Studied conducting with Dr. Antonia Brico, Denver, Colorado

• 1982-1983 Studied harpsichord with Ton Koopman, Amsterdam, The Netherlands "
  

Added on: May 04, 2008 | Hits: 402

"Skip Sempé, virtuoso harpsichordist and founder of Capriccio Stravagante, is at the forefront of today's musical personalities in Renaissance and Baroque music. Sempé grew up in New Orleans, studied music, musicology, organology and the history of art in the United States at the Oberlin Conservatory and completed his training in Europe with Gustav Leonhardt in Amsterdam. His distinctive harpsichord playing, musicianship and interpretive flair were immediately recognized as the invention of an exotic, multi-dimensional and uncompromising musical personality. Sempé remained in Europe to embark on his own pioneering reconsideration of well and lesser-known repertoire ranging from 1500 – 1750. "

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Added on: Apr 27, 2008 | Hits: 388

"He was born in São Paulo and started his music studies trough the piano in 1983. In 1994 he went to the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP) where he earned his Bachelor degree in conducting and studied harpsichord with Edmundo Hora.

He participated in many Festivals in Brazil, studying Composition, Conducting, Piano, Baroque Violin, Organ and Harpsichord, as well as in the XIX Cursos Internacionais de Música da Casa de Mateus (Portugal). He has attended Master Classes with Olivier Baumont, Nicolau de Figueiredo, Rudi van Straten and Cristophe Rousset and courses on baroque music with Homero de Magalhães Filho and Manfred Kraemer. In 1999, he was awarded at the IX Rotary Competition of Instrumental Music for Youngsters in Campinas.

In Brazil, he was member of the Chamber Orchestra of the "Sociedade Musical Campinas" (violinist and assistant conductor), "Seicento" (specialized in 17th century music), "Camerata Novo Horizonte", "Jardim Musical", "La Bagatelle", "Lexis" and "Armonico Tributo" - Campinas Baroque Orchestra (dir. Edmundo Hora) - all early music ensembles. He played also with the ensembles "Vox Brasiliensis" (dir. Ricardo Kanji) and "Orquesta Barroca del Mercosul" (Uruguay - dir. Cristina Banegas), and as soloist with the Chamber Orchestra of the State University of São Paulo. He took part in the Orchestra of the "Académie Baroque Européenne" in 2002 (dir. Rinaldo Alessandrini) and 2005 (dir. William Christie).

Currently he works with the ensembles "Companhia de Música" (director) - Brazil, "LOTUS", "Giardino Musicale" and "COLLEGIUM MUSICUM Den Haag" (director) - Europe, and as guest teacher at the Royal Conservatoire - The Hague. Claudio also works as accompanist at the Early Music International Festival of Juiz de Fora. "

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Added on: Apr 27, 2008 | Hits: 469

"He has based most of his piano and fortepiano activity on the results of his personal research. He gained his diploma at the Conservatorio di Musica di Foggia and his diploma with merit at the Accademia Chigiana of Siena in piano (1984) and in chamber music (1985). Having studied the main piano treatises, he has since concentrated his studies on rediscovering and re-evaluating 19th century Italian instrumental music. His repertoir includes Hummel, Clementi, Dussek, Moscheles, Cramer, Czerny, Kalkbrenner, Ries and Mueller as well as the most representative authors of the 19th century. Thanks to his researches he rediscovered and performed transcriptions of Haydn, Beethoven and Mozart’s sinfonies and concerts by Hummel, Moscheles, Ries, Czerny, Cramer and Clementi. He is curator and member, for Ut-Orpheus in Bologna-urtext, of the scientific committee for Muzio Clementi’s opera omnia, now available in the most important Libraries throughout the world. In 2002, in association with the Italian Society of Musicology (S.I.d.M.), he contributed to the organization of the conference “Muzio Clementi: compositore-(forte)pianista-editore” held in Perugia. He is regularly invited to hold conferences in Conservatories, Istitutes, musical associations and academies such as the Hungarian Academy during the International Conference “From Liszt to Ligeti “ in 2002 and the conference on Clementi organized by the Austrian and the German Historical Institutes in Rome. ... " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Apr 27, 2008 | Hits: 322

"ANSSI MATTILA began his piano and organ studies in the Helsinki Conservatory. He studied organ, piano, harpsichord and musicology in the Sibelius Academy, Helsinki from 1972 and finished his organ diploma in 1979. He continued harpsichord studies in the Utrecht Conservatory, Holland from 1984 and finished his diploma in 1987. Anssi Mattila has been performing as harpsichordist, organist and conductor in the Scandinavian countries, the Netherlands,Germany, France and Japan among others. He has been steadily working as a harpsichordist and conductor with several Finnish orchestras and is a frequent visitor as a conductor specialising in baroque and early classical music. He founded 1989 The Sixth Floor Orchestra, a Finnish baroque orchestra playing with original instruments. Anssi Mattila is professor of harpsichord and early music in the Sibelius Academy. He has recorded on disc with the Finnish groups The Sixth Floor Ensemble, The Sixth Floor Orchestra and Avanti!. He is also an active writer on music and has made for the Finnish Broadcasting Company besides numerous solo and chamber music recordings also talk programmes. His solo album "URANIA" is from spring 2000. The Music News of the Finnish Broadcasting Company awarded Anssi Mattila and the operatic group "Taite" for their production of the opera "Ulysse" by Jean-Féry Rebel as "The Musical Achievement of the Year 2000". " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Apr 27, 2008 | Hits: 306

"Mitzi Meyerson was born into a musical family in Chicago, where she began her concert career at the age of seven. After completing her university and graduate studies in Chicago and Oberlin, she moved to London to co-found the ensemble Trio Sonnerie (with Monica Huggett and Sarah Cunningham), with whom she performed and recorded extensively.

Ms. Meyerson has released over fifty recordings, among them solo albums of Buxtehude, Duphly, the complete works of Forqueray and JKF Fischer, all to excellent critical acclaim. This last, entitled "Musicalischer Parnassus" (MDG), won the Diapason d'Or. Her recent releases include two double-CD sets of Georg Böhm and CB Balbastre (Glossa); both productions were awarded the prestigious Deutsche Schallplatten Kritik prize for the best recordings of the year on an international level. She also released a solo recital of mixed repertoire for the Musik Instrumenten Museum in Berlin, four complete Ordres from the 4th Book of Francois Couperin (Glossa), and a collaboration with Nigel Kennedy and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (EMI). She is currently preparing another double-CD set of Theofilo Muffat for the Glossa label.

In addition to her solo work, Mitzi Meyerson is the founder of "The Bottom Line", a variable ensemble devoted to repertoire for bass and continuo instruments, which appears in major festivals across Europe. The most popular form of "The Bottom Line" is the Berliner Cembalo Ensemble, a group of three to five harpsichords, which has a continually growing repertoire. She is full Professor of Harpsichord at the Universität der Künste in Berlin; this was the very first university to offer the study of the harpsichord, a position created especially for Wanda Landowska. She specializes in working with modern pianists to obtain a baroque-style perspective in the performance of Bach, developing an awareness of articulation, harmonic structure, and many other aspects.

Mitzi Meyerson divides her time between a busy teaching schedule and many concert engagements throughout the world. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Apr 27, 2008 | Hits: 488

"ANNAMARI PÖLHÖ studied harpsichord at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki and at the Utrecht Conservatory. In 1989 she received her soloist diploma. Later she has studied with Mitzi Meyerson and Jesper Christensen (continuo-playing). She received her doctor's degree at the Sibelius Academy on French and Italian thorough-bass practise in 1994.

Annamari Pölhö has performed as soloist and chamber musician in Finland and abroad. She is the keyboard player of Battalia ensemble and she plays often with the Sixth Floor orchestra and Avanti!. She has made solo and ensemble recordings for the Finnish Radio and Alba recording company.

Annamari Pölhö works as a teacher at the Sibelius Academy and at the Helsinki Conservatory. Her dissertation about the French and Italian continuo styles has been published in the series of the Sibelius Academy Music Research Centre. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Apr 27, 2008 | Hits: 313

"Paul Simmonds, born in London in 1949, was brought up in South Africa where he completed his initial musical studies (Bachelor of Music) at the Witwatersrand University with organ as principal instrument. The award of a scholarship enabled him to concentrate on the harpsichord under Stanislav Heller at the Freiburg Conservatoire in Germany. He continued his studies with Colin Tilney in London, with subsequent tuition from Gustav Leonhardt and Kenneth Gilbert.

After a successful debut at London's Purcell Room in 1979 he embarked on a career as a freelance soloist and continuo player and has performed throughout Europe and beyond. In 1982 he moved to Basel, Switzerland, where he worked for eight years as an organist at one of the city churches. During this time he taught harpsichord and chamber music at the conservatoires of Karlsruhe and Mannheim in Germany, and at Biel (CH) where he also acted as external examiner for harpsichord diploma examinations.

As a continuo player he has performed with many of Europe's leading early musicians. He performs regularly as a duo with the recorder and musette player Marianne Mezger and, with the addition of the gambist Ekkehard Weber, has given numerous recitals with Trio Basiliensis (CD and radio recordings). ... " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Apr 26, 2008 | Hits: 371