EarlyMusicNews.Org

“The Countertenor Kai Wessel was born in Hamburg and studied music theory (Prof.R.Ploeger), composition (Prof.Dr.F.Döhl), and voice (Prof.U.v.Garczynski, concert examination passed with honours) at the Lübeck Academy of Music. During his Lübeck years Wessel was also an external student in the field of baroque performance practice at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis (René Jacobs).
 
Wessel received numerous prizes between 1984 and 1990, including the special prize of the German Theater Society for the best interpretation of a contemporary work (Berlin, 1988) and a prize at the Musica Antiqua Competition of the Flanders Festival in Bruges. He received fellowships from the Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes and the DAAD (studying under Peter Kooj in Hilversum/Holland). Wessel has served as an assistant to René Jacobs in the production of operas by P.A.Cesti, F.Cavalli and C.W.Gluck for the International Festival Week of Early Music in Innsbruck, for the WDR Radio, and at the Hamburg State Opera.
 
As one of the leading countertenors Wessel is invited to music festivals all over the world (Paris, Madrid, Vienna, Schwetzingen, Salzburg, Innsbruck, Tokyo, San Francisco, a.o.) and to numerous opera houses (Freiburg, Basel, St.Gallen, Barcelona, Nice, Berlin a.o.) where he took part in stage-productions by Herbert Wernicke (in Theodora and Giulio Cesare by G.F.Handel, Aus Deutschland by Mauricio Kagel, Wie liegt die Stadt so wüste with the music by H.Schütz/M.Weckmann and Actus tragicus with the music by J.S.Bach), Joachim Schlömer (as Orfeo in Orfeo ed Euridice by Chr.W.Gluck), Claus Guth (in Schwarzerde by Klaus Huber), Peter Oskarson (in Luci mie traditrici by Salvatore Sciarrino), Gilbert Déflo (in Orfeo by Claudio Monteverdi), John Dew (in Hippolyte et Aricie by Jean Philippe Rameau) a.o. He has been involved in performances, radio broadcasts, amore than sixty recordings under the direction of Philippe Herreweghe, William Christie, Jordi Savall, Gustav Leonhard, Ton Koopman, Michael Schneider, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Martin Haselböck, Reinhard Goebel, Konrad Junghänel, Michael Hofstetter, Nicholas McGegan, Sigiswald Kuijken, Michel Corboz, Hans-Werner Henze, Arturo Tamayo, Hermann Max, and others.
 
Kai Wessel is teaching voice and baroque performance practice at the Superiour Highschool of Music Cologne/Germany, and regularly giving summer-classes in Germany and Austria. “

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Added on: May 09, 2009 | Hits: 530

"Julianne Baird, soprano, has been hailed as "one of the most extraordinary voices in the service of early music that this generation has produced. She possesses a natural musicianship which engenders singing of supreme expressive beauty." She maintains a busy concert schedule of solo recitals and performances of baroque opera and oratorio. Ms. Baird has also appeared as soloist with many major symphony orchestras including the Cleveland Orchestra under Christoph von Dohnanyi, the Brooklyn Philharmonic under Lukas Foss, the New York Philharmonic under Zubin Mehta and, in the 2000-2001 season, the Philadelphia Orchestra. James R. Oestreich, in his comprehensive survey of New York's seasonal performances of Handel's Messiah for the N.Y. Times, recently concluded with special praise for Julianne Baird's interpretative skills: "in that respect, Ms. Baird remains the model". " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 23, 2008 | Hits: 554

“Franz Vitzthum received his initial musical training as a member of the Regensburger Domspatzen. In 2007 he completed his degrees at the Musikhochschule Köln as a pupil of Kai Wessel. At present he is working with Stefan Haselhoff (Basel).

In addition to his ensemble work with groups including the Weser Renaissance under Manfred Cordes and Cantus Cölln under Konrad Junghänel, Franz Vitzthum focuses his attentions on solo engagements where he has worked with the conductors Christoph Poppen, Peter Neumann or Nicholas McGegan.

Franz Vitzthum has made guest appearances at international festivals including the Händel-Festspiele Göttingen, Kultursommer Rheinland-Pfalz, Oude Muziek Festival Utrecht, La Folle Journée Nantes, The Bach Festival Philadelphia (USA) and has performed with such orchestras as the Chamber Orchestra Basel Barock and The English Concert. ..“ Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Apr 27, 2009 | Hits: 508

“ensemble officium was founded by Wilfried Rombach in 1999.

In the past few years, ensemble officium has made an excellent name for itself with its interpretations of Renaissance music and Gregorian chant and has become internationally well-known. It usually consists of twelve singers.
   
ensemble officium carries out thorough research, performs scholarly interpretations of Renaissance vocal polyphony and pays close attention to the semiotics and nuance of Gregorian chant. The intense studies of the scores lead time and again to fascinating discoveries, such as “The Loreto Vespers” for 12 voices by Antonio Cifra (1629). By performing the music as authentically as possible, the ensemble creates a unique and absorbing atmosphere. Works of sacred music from the Middle Ages, based on liturgical texts and retaining original liturgical framework, are also part of the ensemble’s specialties. In this way, the close connection between early vocal polyphony and Gregorian chant can ably be demonstrated.

ensemble officium not only experiments with integrating new music. Every so often, the group includes music of the Franco-Flemish School. Here, the focus lies in particular on Heinrich Isaac and his generation of composers. …”

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Added on: Jan 30, 2012 | Hits: 207

“The Prague baroque orchestra Collegium 1704 and vocal ensemble Collegium Vocale 1704 were founded by harpsichordist and conductor Václav Luks in 2005 on the occasion of the BACH – PRAHA – 2005 project. This marked the beginning of their regular collaboration with the Prague Spring International Music Festival.

Since 2007 Collegium 1704 and Collegium Vocale 1704 have been residential ensembles of the Saint Wenceslas Music Festival in Ostrava. The year 2007 was dedicated to the composer Jan Dismas Zelenka and his Missa votiva for which the ensembles received critical acclaim at La Chaise-Dieu and Sablé festivals in France. Collegium 1704 and Collegium Vocale 1704 are also frequent guests of festivals such as the Festival de Festival de Musique de Sully & du Loiret, Festival Baroque de Pontoise, Rencontres Musicales de Vézelay.  …”

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Added on: Apr 24, 2011 | Hits: 336

"Mixed chamber choir Cantio antiqua Praha was establish in the end of 80's by ex-members of student choir Cantus semper vivus, which was run by Grammar school Budejovicka in Prague 4 and which was conducted by Mrs. Vera Jankovicova. In the present structure Cantio antiqua Praha performs from cca 1999.

Cantio antiqua Praha is mainly concentrate on renaissance and early baroque polyphonic music. The repertoire is build from up to octovoiced secular and sacred vocal works from Italian, French, British, German and Spanish composers. The independent part of our repertoire are Christmas songs, which represent character of this music in Bohemia and Moravia from beginning of 15th century until works of early baroque composers.

Cantio antiqua Praha's chamber cast (four sopranos, one mezzo-soprano, three altos, one tenor and one bass) enables to approach to period interpretative practise, when every voice went about perhaps only one singer or instrumentalist. Cantio antiqua Praha occasionally collaborate with instrumentalists who play recorders, lutes, guitars, stringed instruments or harpsichords. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Jul 30, 2008 | Hits: 768

“ The Ensemble was founded in the Galilee region of Israel by the bass and harpsichordist Elam Rotem. It is currently based in Switzerland, where all its members undertook further study at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis. The ensemble has benefited both individually and collectively from the expertise of leading musicians, amongst them Evelyn Tubb, Anthony Rooley, Gerd Türk and Dominique Vellard. …”

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Added on: Jul 21, 2011 | Hits: 280

"She was born in Huesca, Spain. At the age of nine she began studying voice and piano at the Miguel Fleta School of Music. From there she went on to study voice at the Conservatorio del Liceu de Barcelona where she specialized in opera and received an honours diploma. Subsequently she transferred to the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis in Basel, where she studied with Dominique Vellard and Richard Levitt and began working as a soloist and chamber musician with various groups such as Gilles Binchois (medieval and renaissance music), Vox Suavis, (founded by her and Dominique Vellard, dedicated to traditional and medieval spanish music) and la Cecchina (baroque music). With these ensembles she has performed regularly at international festivals in Italy, France, Germany, Spain, Switzerland and the United States. She also has given introductory courses to the interpretation of old music at the conservatory of Huesca (Spain), in New Hampshire (USA) and at the Pigna University in Corsica. She has collaborated in several cd recordings with Gilles Binchois and la Cecchina."

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Added on: Apr 18, 2008 | Hits: 440

"TACTUS, an eight-voice vocal ensemble, specializes in repertoire of the European Renaissance and is dedicated to musical scholarship and excellence in performance techniques. Performing without a conductor and usually a capella, the ensemble's work emanates from their combined skills and experience and from their intuitive connections to each other and to their passion for early music.

TACTUS has sung at the Guelph Spring Festival, Toronto's Hummingbird Centre and has been featured on CBC Radio Two's Music Around Us and Choral Concert. TACTUS was featured in Soul Music, a Vision TV documentary hosted by Howard Dyck. Artistic collaborations with Dancetheatre David Earle, the Toronto Bach Consort, Tafelmusik's Charlotte Nediger and Sergei Istomin, Arbor Oak Ensemble, the Penderecki String Quartet and NUMUS have enabled TACTUS to branch into Baroque, 19th century and contemporary repertoire. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Nov 16, 2008 | Hits: 551

“Internationally renowned, Acadian soprano Suzie LeBlanc has established an extraordinary career specializing in Baroque and Classical repertoire and exploring and recording a substantial amount of unpublished material while living in Europe. Her thirst and curiosity for new vistas now lead her toward the repertoire of French mélodies, lieder, Acadian folk music, contemporary music as well as exploring the art of improvisation with Helmut Lipsky and « Au parfum de Tango ».

Her contribution to Acadian culture with the CDs La Mer Jolie and Tout passe and with the documentary Suzie LeBlanc : A Musical Quest, directed by Donald Winkler, along with her performances of Early Music have earned her honorary doctorates from King’s College University in Halifax and Mount Allison University in New-Brunswick. …

She has worked with many of the world’s leading early music ensembles in concert and opera performances as well as on film and on disc. Concerts have taken her to Festivals all over the world as well as to the Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), the Wigmore Hall and the Konzerthaus in Vienna. On the opera stage, she has performed for De Nederlandse Opera, Festival de Beaune, Opéra de Montréal, the Boston Early Music Festival, Tanglewood, Festival Vancouver and Early Music Vancouver.

In recent seasons, she recorded Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte (Pamina) with La Petite Bande (Bayer Records) and Mozart lieder with Yannick Nézet-Seguin (ATMA) and returned to the Brooklyn Academy of Music for Bach’s St-Matthew Passion as staged by Jonathan Miller. Other recent recordings include Lully’s Thésée (CPO), Gluck’s Orphée (Naxos), Buxtehude motets with Emma Kirkby, Peter Harvey and the Purcell Symphony (Chandos), and a Handel Portrait (ATMA). …

Suzie LeBlanc is artistic director of Le Nouvel Opéra (www.lenouvelopera.com) which is ensemble-in-residence at the Montreal Conservatory and co-artisic director of the Elizabeth Bishop Centenary Festival (2011) in Nova Scotia (www.elizabethbishopcentenary.blogspot.com).”

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Added on: Mar 28, 2012 | Hits: 186

“Formed in 2009 by co-artistic directors John Brough and Jolaine Kerley, the Scona Chamber Singers are a professional vocal ensemble, based in Edmonton Alberta, who specialize in the music of the medieval, renaissance and baroque eras.  In their short existence, they have presented programs of rarely performed composers from these eras, including Christopher Tye, William Mundy, Orlando di Lasso, and Heinrich Schütz. 

Added on: Mar 28, 2012 | Hits: 196

" The Renaissance Singers were founded in 1972. The choir's early reputation was based on its polished performances of Renaissance a capella literature. Today, the choir sings music from the masters of all centuries. The Renaissance Singers have also commissioned and premiered the works of leading Canadian composers. Every year, the Singers perform four Saturday and Sunday concerts in the Waterloo Region.

The choir was the first Canadian choir to sing in the fringe of The Three Choirs Festival, the oldest music festival in the world. In 1989, the choir was invited to return, becoming the first Canadian choir to sing in the main festival. The choir has been on tour four times, and has sung n Westminster Abbey, Yorkminster, and the cathedrals of Canterbury, Chichester, Ely, Guildford, Norwich, Salisbury, Wells, Winchester, St. George's Chapel, Lincoln, St. Alban's and Ripon. The highly regarded chamber choir has four recordings to its credit, with plans for more in the near future. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Nov 16, 2008 | Hits: 554

“graindelavoix (grain of the voice) is an art-collective formed by björn schmelzer. since 1999 he is looking for musicians who want to experiment between performance and creation. the necessity of autoproductive and physical art keeps them together.

graindelavoix is fascinated by voices that stop communicating, that have no message anymore but rather are the pure expression of their underground: the gritty, intense and instinctive...

graindelavoix uses early music repertoires to find the undercurrent that illuminates our own times: a timeless spirit that stretches out to embrace an interval, a space.

what preoccupies graindelavoix in early music is the bond between notation and what eludes it: the higher consciousness and savoir-faire that the performer brings to a piece (ornamentation, improvisation, gestures...). to graindelavoix, singers are 'spiritual automata'...

material they work with includes ockeghem's polyphony, the plainte, machicotage, mediterrenean practices, late scholastic dynamics and kinematics, the affective body, gesture and image culture...

graindelavoix gives performances (concert/music theatre) that are the accumulated fragments of a wider work and research process: this site makes an attempt at framing.

graindelavoix is 'special guest' of “music-centre de bijloke in” ghent and has an artistical partnership with the “cultural centre of genk“. cd's are produced exclusively for glossamusic. ..“

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Added on: May 17, 2009 | Hits: 461

“The ensemble Encantar was founded end 2006 by four young female singers.

They set themselves a target to study the rich polyfonic repertoire of the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries in order to present it in a contemporary way to the public. The ensemble investigates the possibility to perform with female voices this repertoire that was written originally for men’s voices.  

Encantar mainly focusses on religious repertoire of Flemish, Spanish and Italian composers, next to anonymous works and French and English compositions of the same period. Encantar made a special program for ‘Jeugd & Muziek‘ entitled “Mix Méditerrané“ featuring some great works of southern polyphonists such as Cristobal de Morales, Francisco Guerrero, Bernardo Pisano, Costanzo Festa and Giovanni Perluigi da Palestrina. Encantar cooperated for this production with Hendrik De Smedt (actor) under direction of Maja Jantar.

Recently, Encantar has been on tour with “La déclinaison de la femme“ a program featuring Marguerite of Austria (1480-1530).

In 2009, Encantar won the Klara Tandemtrofee 2009, together with the Audience Prize and the Radio Klara Prize.

Encantar followed masterclasses with Erik Van Nevel, Jean Tubéry and Marcel Pérès. Every year, the ensemble travels to Arezzo (Italy) to be coached by Jill Feldman and Kees Boeke.

Two recordings have been made so far, one together with the recorder consort Flanders Recorder Quartet (Aeolus) (release December 2010) and one with two lutes and renaissance harp for the label Phaedra (release May 2011).

In July 2011, Encantar won the York Early Music Festival Friends ‘ Prize.“

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Added on: Jul 21, 2011 | Hits: 336

“Collegium Vocale Gent was founded in 1970 on the initiative of Philippe Herreweghe. It was one of the first ensembles to use the then-new ideas about baroque practice in vocal music performances. Musicians such as Gustav Leonhardt, Ton Koopman and Nikolaus Harnoncourt immediately took an interest in the Flemish ensemble’s fresh, new approach, which led to intensive collaboration. In the mid-1980s the ensemble acquired international fame and was invited to all the major concert halls and music festivals of Europe, Israel, the United States, Russian, South America, Japan, Hong Kong and Australia. ..“ 

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Added on: Apr 20, 2009 | Hits: 421