EarlyMusicNews.Org

“Born in Basel, Switzerland in 1972, into the heart of a family of Catalan musicians, Arianna Savall, after an initial stage of general and musical education, began to study classical harp at the age of ten, and after returning to Barcelona, continued under the direction of Magdalena Barrera. She concurrently began to study voice at the Conservatory of Terrassa with María Dolores Aldea in 1993. She was awarded her professional qualification in harp from the Conservatory of Terrassa in 1996, and that of voice in 2000. In 1992, she began studies in historical performance with Rolf Lislevand at the Conservatory of Toulouse (France), and took several courses under the tutorship of Andrew Lawrence-King and Hopkinson Smith, as well as that of her parents, Montserrat Figueras and Jordi Savall. …”

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Added on: Oct 03, 2011 | Hits: 207

“One of America’s leading baroque violinists, Robert Mealy has been praised for his “imagination, taste, subtlety, and daring” by the Boston Globe; the New Yorker recently called him “New York’s world-class early music violinist.” He has recorded over 50 CDs of early music on most major labels, ranging from Hildegard of Bingen with Sequentia, to Renaissance consorts with the Boston Camerata, to Rameau operas with Les Arts Florissants. At home in New York, he is a frequent leader and soloist with the New York Collegium, Early Music New York, the Clarion Society, and the ARTEK early music ensemble. ”

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Added on: Sep 17, 2011 | Hits: 205

“Born in Florida, Carter received a rigorous but conventional training as a classical guitarist with Bruce Holzman at The Florida State University before falling in love with the earlier plucked instruments and the world of historical performance. Following initial guidance from Pat O’Brien in New York City, he travelled to London as a Fulbright Scholar where he studied the Lute with Nigel North and quickly established himself as one of the leading players on old instruments.

Added on: Nov 25, 2011 | Hits: 204

“ORLANDOviols is a viol consort, inspired by the historical context of consort music but also by the sounds of our modern communication society.

Added on: Jan 20, 2011 | Hits: 203

“Jonathan Talbott began to play the violin at the age of 4, made his solo debut at 16, and now performs a repertoire that spans more than 800 years. He has led baroque orchestras on four continents and is known for his performances on renaissance and  baroque violins, rebec and medieval fiddle.

As co-director of the violin consort Ensemble Braccio, his research into early violins, their repertoire, and playing styles has led to concerts and recordings which have generated acclaim throughout the world, as well as to a redefinition of the sound of early stringed instruments.  

His distinctive playing can be heard on recordings by Il Concerto Barocco, Ensemble Braccio, The Boston Camerata, Super Librum and Currende. Also well known as a teacher, he gives lectures and masterclasses on such diverse topics as medieval improvisation and renaissance polyphony at universities and summer courses in his native United States, as well as in Africa and Europe.

Talbott holds degrees from the Royal Conservatory in The Hague, where he studied with Sigiswald Kuijken and Monica Huggett, and the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, where he studied violin with Peter Salaff of the Cleveland String Quartet and early music with lutanist Paul O'Dette. His early training in Portland, Oregon was with Carol Sindell (a pupil of Jascha Heifitz) and Catherine Petersen (who followed the pedagogic approach of Paul Rolland). Further study was with the early violin expert David Douglass and the medieval strings guru Margriet Tindemans. …”

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Added on: Nov 25, 2011 | Hits: 196

“Josetxu Obregón was born in Bilbao, Spain. He received his musical training in Spain, Germany and the Netherlands, and holds Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in violoncello, chamber music, and conducting. He specialized in the field of early performance. At the Royal Conservatory in The Hague Mr. Obregón focused on the Baroque cello. He has studied with such masters as Anner Bijlsma, Marcio Carneiro and Luis Claret. He is the recipient of eleven prizes awarded him at international competitions like those organized by Jeunesses Musicales International in Portugal and Spain (2003 and 2007), Santander Chamber Music ompetition
2005, etc; and is a member of the faculty of the Royal Conservatory of Music in Madrid.

Mr. Obregón has appeared in recitals in more than thirteen European countries, the United States, México and Japan and has performed as a soloist with various orchestras in Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Germany. He has performed both Haydn Cello Concertos, Boccherini and Vivaldi Cello Concertos with original instrument orchestras. He has also performed Concertos of such composers as Elgar, Tchaikovsky and Gubaidulina. Mr. Obregón has played the violoncello with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and Rotterdam Philharmonic Orkest, and was the principal cellist of the EUBO – The European Union Baroque Orchestra, in l’Arpeggiata (France), the Orchestra of the Age Of Enlightment (UK), Arte dei Suonatori (Poland) and has shared the stage with Christina Pluhar, Lars Ulrich Mortensen, Maggie Faultless, Fabio Bonizzoni, and other notables. He is also the founder and Artistic Director of the Spanish Early Music Ensemble, La Ritirata, which records for the Spanish labels Verso and Arsis.”

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Added on: Nov 14, 2011 | Hits: 194

“Rafael Bonavita is internationally recognized within the realm of old music as one of the most solid and versatile values in the plucked instrument field. Having studied in such diverse countries as Uruguay, Canada or Switzerland, he has been keen to absorb and bring the most diverse styles and tendencies into his learning, making this one of the key factors in his career. Being a strict player of historical philology, Bonavita is, nevertheless, an innovator in new ways of expression, heterodoxical yet at the same time a close translator of the potential within the oldest string instruments.

His start in classical guitar took place under the Maestro Alvaro Pierri, furthering his studies in old instruments with Hopkinson Smith at the Schola Cantorum Basilensis, where he obtained his Diploma in lute renaissance and baroque, Theorbo, vihuela and baroque guitar.

He carried out an intense concert and pedagogical activity in Europe, Asia and America, collaborating frequently with directors such as Jordi Savall, Rene Jacobs, Marc Minkowski or Gabriel Garrido, as well as being a full time member of the Japanese ensemble "Anthonello". …”

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Added on: Feb 27, 2012 | Hits: 191

“Born in Rome, he begins his career as a jazz double-bass player. After many years in classical music, when he performs a solo bass in important orchestras as the “Teatro Massimo” of Palermo, he dedicates to ancient music with the viola da gamba under the coaching of Paolo Pandolfo.

In 1991 he graduates in Physics at the University of Rome.

Side to his solistic activity that he has with tha harpsicord player Leonardo Garcia Alarcon, he collaborated with important groups specialized in ancient music, as Elyma directed by G.Garrido, Concerto Italiano  (R.Alessandrini), La Cappella Mediterranea  (Leonardo Garcia Alarcon), wich whom he had an intense recording and concert activity.

He is invited to give masterclasses in Cuba, Ambronay (France), Pamplona (Spain), Foligno (Italy), and he is professor of Viola da Gamba at the Conservatory at L’Aquila (Italy).

In 2005 MA Recordings released a solo Cd with music by Marin Marais (M069A), and in 2008 a Cd with an orchestration of the Orgelbuchlein by J.S.Bach.“

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Added on: Sep 30, 2011 | Hits: 189

“Dante Ferrara specialises in music, song and entertainment of renaissance Europe.

Professional since 1984, he is established throughout the UK for all kinds of themed events such as festivals, weddings, banquets, charity events, school workshops and concerts.

He also co-ordinates other similar performers, all of high standard, to ensure that any event includes the best available.

The Dante Ferrara website complements his full information pack which includes a sample CD. Dante will be pleased to send a copy on request. You can also contact Dante Ferrara to check availability and to discuss your requirements by leaving your details in the contact section of the site.”

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Added on: Dec 28, 2011 | Hits: 188

“Fahmi Alqhai is considered one of the most brilliant and prestigious young gamba players and performers of early music of his generation. He was born in Seville, Spain, in 1976. As his father is Syrian and his mother Palestinian, he spent the first 11 years of his life in Syria where he started to study music at a very young age. Later he studied in Spain as a self-taught person until he entered the Conservatorio Manuel Castillo in Seville to study viola da gamba with Ventura Rico. He continued his education in the famous schools Schola Cantorum Basiliensis (Basel, Switzerland) with Paolo Pandolfo and in the Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana (Lugano, Switzerland) with Vittorio Ghielmi. During his musical studies he made his degree in Dentistry at the University of Seville.“

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Added on: Nov 13, 2011 | Hits: 177

“Born in South Tyrol, Johannes Pramsohler completed his modern violin studies at the Conservatory ‘Claudio Monteverdi' in Bozen before going to London to study with Jack Glickman at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. During this time he started taking lessons on the Baroque violin from Rachel Podger, with whom he then continued his studies.

In 2005 Johannes moved to Paris where to study at the Conservatoire National de Région with Patrick Bismuth, and has since gone on to establish himself as a successful soloist and chamber musician, performing throughout Europe and playing with many of the leading period instrument orchestras. He was a member of the European Union Baroque Orchestra and is regularly invited to play with Concerto Köln, Les Arts Florissants, The English Concert and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. International concert tours have taken him to all major European concert halls, to North and South America and to the Near East.

Alongside his work as artistic director and leader of the International Baroque Players and with his own chamber music group Ensemble Diderot Johannes is enjoying an increasingly busy career as a recitalist and orchestra leader; he has given solo concerts at major festivals in France, Spain, Germany and Italy. Johannes regularly leads Le Concert d'Astrée (Emmanuelle Haïm) and the Britten-Pears Baroque Orchestra and recorded extensively for Sony, Channel Classics and Virgin.

Future engagements include solo recitals at festivals in Europe and his London South Bank debut with violin concertos by Leclair. In January 2011 he will be on stage at the Paris Opéra Garnier in a new production of Handel's Giulio Cesare directed by Laurent Pelly and conducted by Emmanuelle Haim. March 2011 will see him directing the Polish baroque orchestra Arte dei Suonatori in a programme of Heinichen, Bach and Telemann concertos.

Since October 2007 Johannes has played on the famous ‘P. G. Rogeri' from 1713, previously owned by Reinhard Goebel.”

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Added on: Nov 08, 2012 | Hits: 160

“Sergei Istomin (violoncello, viola da gamba, musical direction) is much in demand throughout Europe and North America as soloist and chamber musician. His repertoire includes baroque, classical, romantic and contemporary music on both period and modern instruments.

He performs in solo and chamber music concerts with artists such as: forte-pianists Jos van Immerseel, Viviana Sofronitsky and Claire Chevallier and in chamber music with Midori Seiler, Rachel Podger and Gary Cooper and others. He regularly works with Anima Eterna Orchestra, Tafelmusik Orchestra, Il Gardellino Ensemble and many other prominent European and North American groups. Recently he recorded for the Passacaille Records, Belgium the Haydn’s Cello Concertos with Apollo Ensemble. …”

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Added on: Jun 27, 2012 | Hits: 121

“Riccardo Minasi, was born in Rome in 1978. He has performed both as soloist as well as concertmaster with Le Concert des Nations of Jordi Savall, Accademia Bizantina, Concerto Italiano, Il Giardino Armonico, Al Ayre Español, Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di S.Cecilia, Orquesta Sinfónica de Madrid. He has also worked with the Concerto Vocale of René Jacobs, Ensemble 415, Luca Pianca, Viktoria Mullova, Albrecht Mayer, Christophe Coin and Reinhard Goebel. As a conductor he conducted the Kammerakademie of Potsdam, Zurich Kammerorchester, Balthasar Neumann Ensemble, Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, Orquesta Barroca Argentina, L'Arpa Festante, Recreation-Grosses Orchester of Graz, Attersee-Akademie Orchestra, ensemble Resonanz, European Union Baroque Orchestra (EUBO), Il Complesso Barocco and the Helsinki Baroque Orchestra, of which he is the associate director since 2008. In 2006 he was invited to conduct the opening concert of the Camerata Strumentale Fiesolana - the most recent formation created at the Scuola di Musica di Fiesole of Piero Farulli. Invited by Kent Nagano he performed as concertmaster at the Belcanto Festival in Knowlton and collaborated as historical advisor for the Montrèal Symphony Orchestra in Canada. In 2010 he worked as assistant conductor, concertmaster, curator and editor of the critical edition (In collaboration of Maurizio Biondi) of the upcoming publication of the opera Norma by Vincenzo Bellini with Cecilia Bartoli and Thomas Hengelbrock. From 2004 to 2010 he was professor of chamber music at the Conservatorio V. Bellini of Palermo. He has also given violin and baroque orchestra master-classes, and lectures in historical practice at the Juilliard School of Music in New York, at the Longy School of Music in Cambridge (USA), at the Sibelius Academy of Helsinki, the Chinese Culture University of Taipei (Taiwan), the Conservatory of Sydney (Australia), the Kùks Residence in the Czech Republic, at the Zurich Opera House, at the Scuola di Musica di Fiesole, and, as the italian representative of the jury in 2009, at the auditions for the European Union Baroque Orchestra (EUBO). His recording of Biber’s Rosenkranz Sonaten published by Arts was a finalist at the Midem Classical Award in Cannes as album of the year in 2009.”

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Added on: May 21, 2012 | Hits: 112

“Quaver is an innovative viol consort founded in 2008 by Marie Dalby, Brady Lanier, Loren Ludwig and Tobi Szuts. All members are performers and teachers committed to exploring the many facets of viol chamber music as well as bringing the ensemble to as many different audiences as possible. Quaver’s concerts draw on the traditional viol consort repertoire to reunite polyphony’s rich musical heritage with the eclectic sensibilities of the iPod era: seventeenth-century pavans and fantasias are paired with recent polyphonic music from performers such as the electronica ensemble Ratatat. Quaver appeals to audiences as diverse as its music, with performances that stretch the ear and imagination.”

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Added on: Mar 28, 2012 | Hits: 108

“Long & Away is a professional consort of viols that was founded in 2005. Based in Boston, we enjoy playing repertoire both familiar and unexpected. The consort has researched and performed original programs in New England and New York, including concerts for the SoHIP summer concert series, the New England Viola da Gamba Society, and the Gamba Gamut at the Boston Early Music Festival.  We recently presented an outreach program to international high school students attending Oxbridge Summer School at Barnard College in New York. Long & Away has collaborated with the English consort Seven Times Salt, vocal ensemble Sprezzatura and a number of our colleagues in the Boston area.  Our name is a reference to the music of Orlando Gibbons, beloved composer of English viol consort repertoire.

The viol or viola da gamba is a bowed string instrument that was played in the Renaissance and Baroque periods. It is related to the guitar and has frets and 6 or 7 strings.  After falling out of use in the 1700s, the instrument family was relatively unknown until the early music revival of the early 20th century.  We are pleased to share this beautiful instrument and its music with you.”

Added on: Mar 28, 2012 | Hits: 103