EarlyMusicNews.Org

"Since its founding in 1979, Music's Re-creation has performed to high acclaim in both Europe and America, including appearances at the Lufthansa Festival of Baroque Music in London, York Early Music Festival (U.K.), Kilkenny Festival (Ireland), the Music in Old Krakow Festival (Poland), Carmel Bach Festival, and the Berkeley Festivals. Their CD recordings of music by Clerambault, Telemann, and Leclair on London's Meridian label have received praise from critics worldwide. Their four newest recordings on the Centaur label feature the music of C.P.E. Bach, Marin Marais, Georg Philipp Telemann, and William Lawes.

Well known for their performances of trios, quartets, and chamber cantatas from the Baroque era, the group has also expanded in size to perform such large-scale works as Monteverdi's Vespers of the Blessed Virgin, Purcell's Dido and Aeneas, famous operatic arias by Handel, and concerti by J.S. Bach. Over the years Music's Re-creation has collaborated in concert with a long list of distinguished guest artists, including Jaap Schroder, Stanley Ritchie, Andrew Parrott, Nicholas McGegan, Nancy Argenta, James Bowman, Judith Nelson, Derek Lee Ragin, Jennifer Lane, and Julianne Baird.

Music's Re-creation has held artistic residencies with the University of Washington in Seattle and the Renaissance and Baroque Society of Pittsburgh and is currently based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The ensemble's name was inspired by Jean-Marie Leclair's Recreation de Musique (1736), and John Playford's Musick's Recreation on the Viol (1682).

Added on: Mar 02, 2008 | Hits: 283

"Founded in 2006, the New Esterházy Quartet takes its name from the Hungarian estate where Joseph Haydn lived and worked for nearly three decades, and from the noble family who were his employers and patrons. The name also honors Quartetto Esterhazy, the ground-breaking historical string quartet from the 1970s, with the blessing of that ensemble’s eminent founder and leader, Jaap Schroeder.

The members of the New Esterházy Quartet are internationally-known period-instrument and chamber music specialists Kati Kyme and Lisa Weiss, violins, violist Anthony Martin, and cellist William Skeen. As individuals, the players perform in the top echelon of early music ensembles such as Orchestra of the 18th Century, the Bach Ensemble, Artaria Quartet, Smithsonian Chamber Players, Arcadian Academy, the Göttingen Festival Orchestra, and Musica Angelica. In addition to many years of musical collaboration in Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, American Bach Soloists, and a long list of renowned chamber ensembles, these four Bay Area players have enjoyed decades of friendship and shared experience. Their history as both colleagues and friends endows the quartet with an unusual commonality of musical language and gesture, and provides a strong foundation for a unique and original ensemble voice.

The New Esterházy Quartet has embarked on a performance voyage featuring all 68 of the string quartets of Franz Joseph Haydn. The concerts will span two seasons, culminating in 2009, the 200th anniversary of Haydn’s death. This is the first complete period-instrument Haydn cycle ever performed in North America. Composed over a period of a half-century, Haydn’s quartets contain some of the most imaginative, sophisticated and expressive composition in all of music, providing great joy to players and listeners. For the New Esterházy Quartet, the chance to learn and perform the complete Haydn quartets represents the opportunity of a lifetime. " See website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 02, 2008 | Hits: 375

"The Novello Quartet was founded in the winter of 2002 to perform Joseph Haydn's rarely programmed quartet setting of the Seven Last Words of Christ. The quartet's passion for the music of Haydn and his contemporaries has led to an ongoing artistic partnership between four of America's leading early music artists. The Novello Quartet has been presented by the San Francisco Early Music Society, San Francisco Performances, Trinity Concerts, the San Luis Obispo Mozart Festival, and was the featured ensemble at the 2006 Mozart Conference at Claremont College. ...

The Novello Quartet was named for the members of the Novello family, Vincent, Mary and Clara. Vincent (1781-1861) was a church organist, composer and music publisher born of Italian parents in London, England. With the publication of two volumes of sacred music (1811) he founded the publishing house of Novello & Co, and was a founding member and later pianist and conductor of the Philharmonic Society. In 1829, Vincent Novello and his wife Mary undertook a journey to the continent, stopping in the musical capitals of Europe to hear the music of the day in churches and concert halls, and also to deliver to W.A. Mozart's impoverished sister Nannerl a small sum Vincent had raised by subscription in London. Among the musical luminaries the Novellos met on their journey were Mozart's widow Constanze, and Abbe Stadler, who told them the story of Joseph Haydn's commission from Spain by the Bishop of Cadiz for the Seven Last Words of Christ. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 02, 2008 | Hits: 406

"S. Chordæ Consort of Viols was founded by gambist John Dornenburg for the purpose of performing and recording the rich body of music for viol consort of the 16th and 17th centuries. The Consort has performed widely in California with presenters including the Berkeley Early Music Festival, San Francisco Early Music Society, San Jose Chamber Music Society, Santa Cruz Baroque Festival, Gualala Arts, and Magnificat. In 1999 they made their European debut at the Tage Alter Musik Festival in Regensburg, Germany. The Consort currently has three highly praised CD recordings released on the Centaur label. The most recent CD features Renaissance Music by Josquin Des Prez and Heinrich Isaac with guest vocalists Scott Whitaker and Susan Rode Morris. They have also recorded suites from Johann Hermann Schein's Banchetto musicale of 1617, and Claudio Monteverdi's Third Book of Madrigals played on viols alone without vocalists. In the chamber music of this period the consort of viols occupied a place of honor that in later centuries would be awarded to the string quartet. The repertory for viol consort embraces a wide variety of styles ranging from the chansons, madrigals, and dances of the Renaissance to the fantasias, anthems, consort songs, and suites of the early baroque. Three and sometimes four different sizes of viols create a blended sound that is warmly resonant yet surprisingly transparent. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 02, 2008 | Hits: 309

"The Streicher Fortepiano Trio is devoted to period performance of Classical era chamber music. Its members, Katherine Kyme, violin, Joanna Blendulf, cello, and Charlene Brendler, fortepiano, have earned the reputation of presenting exquisitely performed concerts on replica and original instruments. Their musicianship, combined with sensitivity to sonorities, creates a unique musical experience of optimal balance and clarity. Critics frequently praise the Trio’s fine ensemble rapport. Spirited performances by the group convey the musical values and elegant Rococo ambiance of the late 18th century.

The Streicher Trio travels with a transportable 5-octave wooden framed replica instrument, lightweight and delicate in nature. Programs include the standard repertoire of Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven, as well as an occasional adventurous exploration of other composers contemporary to the Classical and Early Romantic eras. A typical program might include Boccherini and Schobert along with Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven, for instance. Collaborations with a guest artist -- clarinet, viola, or voice -- expand the repertoire possibilities. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 02, 2008 | Hits: 303

"The Women's Antique Vocal Ensemble (WAVE) was founded in September 1999 as an outgrowth of an education class sponsored by the San Francisco Early Music Society (SFEMS). This ensemble, now an affiliate of SFEMS, consists of 14 women who are dedicated to promoting and performing music of the medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque periods. From its inception WAVE's mission has been to perform in as authentic and skilled a manner as possible, while always striving to communicate the heart and soul of this incredibly rich musical heritage. WAVE has performed concerts in the greater San Francisco Bay Area as well as many public service concerts and outreach programs for communities in need such as hospitals, senior citizens, and the inmates at Santa Rita Jail. Members of WAVE give of their talent to support those in need as well as engender an appreciation of early music through their performances. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 02, 2008 | Hits: 485

"The mythic figure of Orpheus – who moved men, beasts, woods, and rocks with the music of his lyre – is considered the patron saint of all musicians. When Claudio Monteverdi wrote his opera “L’Orfeo: in 1607, he introduced a completely new style of music which influenced generations of composers after him. La Gente D’Orfeo (The People of Orpheus) was formed in 2001 to play the chamber music repertoire of 17th century Italy, the time when Monteverdi’s new style began to flourish in the works of other composers as well.

La Gente has performed at the University of Michigan’s Museum of Art in connection with its exhibit “Women Who Ruled: Queens, Goddesses, Amazons 1500-1650,” and at the Detroit Institute of Arts’ Fine Arts Friday Series, and has recently collaborated with the vocal ensemble, Vox, at the DIA for the opening of the exhibit “Magnificenza! The Medici, Michelangelo, and the Art of Late Renaissance Florence,” as well as on the Academy of Early Music’s 2002-2003 concert series in Ann Arbor. " See website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 03, 2008 | Hits: 282

"The Arbor Consort is a semi-professional group of singers based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, performing both publicly and privately throughout the year. Formerly known as "Our Lady's Madrigal Singers", Arbor Consort was formed over 20 years ago as the official madrigal ensemble of the Michigan Renaissance Festival in Holly. Arbor Consort can also be seen as carolers during the holidays, and is the Victorian Caroling quartet for the State Street Area Association and for Kerrytown Market & Shops in Ann Arbor. " See website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 03, 2008 | Hits: 374

"The Banquet of Musick was founded in 1994 to perform a wide range of music from the 17th and early 18th centuries using appropriate instruments and working where possible from original early editions or facsimiles.

The Banquet of Musick has given more than one hundred concerts from Skye to the Borders, played at Camelot’s First Birthday Party in Syon House in London and has broadcast on Radio Scotland.

The Banquet of Musick is based in Scotland and is available at any time throughout the year by negotiation. " See website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 05, 2008 | Hits: 342

"Formed in Sydney to explore and perform music composed for three female voices in the late renaissance and baroque periods, the group is named after Monteverdi's seductive and ambitious heroine Poppea (pronounced pop-pay-yah) from his opera "The Coronation Of Poppea". We believe the name encapsulates the essence of the group: performance of baroque repertoire, exploration of music by rarely performed composers, especially female composers, and our Australian origin, in playing on the expression "tall poppy syndrome". In researching our music, we learned of the "Singing Ladies of Ferrara" who were famous in the late 16th Century for their charm and virtuosic singing. As the first truly professional singers in an Italian court, they were trail blazers. Many composers of the time, of whom Luzzaschi was one, wrote music for these influential and talented singers. Whilst not quite the Andrews Sisters, the close knit harmonies and intertwining of the vocal lines makes for rapturous listening. Audiences have described our singing and the music we perform as 'luscious", "inspirational" and "music for the soul" and it is thrilling for us to continue its legacy into the 21st century. " See website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 05, 2008 | Hits: 511

" Sampling from a broad range of genres, Scaramella features Canada's finest early music specialists, showcased in energetic and accessible chamber music programs. Scaramella combines the unique and subtle timbres inherent to period instruments with the excitement and anticipation of performing new, or little-known works. Each program reveals some unexpected elements through choice of repertoire, by juxtaposing music with art and literature, or simply via the manner in which the presentation is staged. " See website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 06, 2008 | Hits: 387

"The Windermere String Quartet was formed in the spring of 2005 to perform the music of Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven and their contemporaries on period instruments. The Quartet is rapidly gathering notice for its dynamic performances and distinctive sound. " See website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 06, 2008 | Hits: 339

"Constantinople is a performing ensemble that draws its inspiration from the music of the Mediterranean, Medieval and Renaissance Europe, and Middle-Eastern musical traditions. Constantinople presents a new form of musical expression, born of a wellspring of transformation and integration of divers traditions from the Middle Ages and today, from here and abroad.

The ensemble provides a forum for cross-fertilization among various musical cultures, both within the ensemble itself and with its guest artists. Constantinople endeavours to consolidate the ties among these cultures by cultivating a unique mode of musical expression -a musical vocabulary that has grown out of extensive research into the history and esthetics of the musical traditions into which it delves, combined with freshness and creativity.

Constantinople has given numerous performances in Canada, in Mexico and in Europe. Last two years, the ensemble has been performing in France, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Belgium, Netherlands, Greece, Lebanon, Mexico and Canada among others. Many of these have been broadcast on the CBC/Radio-Canada radio network. Winners of the Discovery of the Year Award from Opus Gala in 2003, Constantinople have been the Ensemble in residence at Radio-Canada for the 2004-2005 season. " See website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 06, 2008 | Hits: 424

"For more than a decade, LIBER (formerly Liber unUsualis) has been the foremost interpreter of late medieval music in the United States.  LIBER’s artistic director and founding member, William Hudson, is doggedly devoted to rediscovering and performing this ancient repertoire.  His extensive research and meticulous preparation of the music of the late medieval period highlights the vitality of this music.  Audiences leave a LIBER performance entertained, enlightened, and energized by their new experience of this ancient art form."

Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 08, 2008 | Hits: 360

"Seven Times Salt was formed in February 2003. Since that time, we have performed for the Longy School of Music, Harvard University, The Society For Historically Informed Performance, the Boston Recorder Society, Plimoth Plantation, the Ken Pierce Dance Company, the Amherst Early Music Festival, the Early Music Festivals in Bloomington (IN) and Boston, the Isabella Stuart Gardner Museum, and WGBH radio. We are based in Boston, MA, and our specialty is chamber music of the 16th and 17th centuries. ...

In our own repertoire, we strive to cover the waterfront from Morley to Matteis and everything in between, including not just English music, but other popular music from around Europe in the musically fertile period of the 16th and 17th centuries. The English consort turns out to be a perfect vehicle for a wide variety of Renaissance and early Baroque music, especially with the occasional addition of voices and other instruments such as bagpipes and percussion. "

Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 08, 2008 | Hits: 385

"La Donna Musicale was formed in 1992 and is a non-profit organization dedicated to the research and the historical performance of Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, and Contemporary music by women composers. The group presented three concerts in its inaugural year, using scores discovered through the research of its director, Laury Gutiérrez. Sponsored by Indiana University, the performances took place in Bloomington, Indiana during Women's History Month. An enthusiastic reception to those events prompted additional research and performances. Professional musicians and music producers in Bloomington and Boston encouraged the participation of the ensemble as a concurrent event during the 1993 Boston Early Music Festival. Its success attracted more performers to the group and led to the establishment of a Boston-based ensemble.

The ensemble is presently guided by a group of prominent individuals who, through the dedicated work as Boards of Directors and Advisors, represent both the artistic and business community. Since its inception, the researchers and performers of La Donna Musicale have studied more than 17 women composers, performed 100 pieces in 18 concerts, and gathered over 1,000 works. The ensemble has premiered the works of Milanese nun Chiara Margarita Cozzolani, Venetian courtesan Barbara Strozzi and the mysterious Antonia Bembo. Other composers include Julie Pinel, Bianca Maria Meda, Caterina Assandra, Elisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre, and Madalena Casulana. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

La Donna Musicale is a non-profit research, education, and performance organization devoted exclusively to the discovery, preservation, and promotion of sacred and secular music by women composers.  The internationally acclaimed ensemble uses period instruments and historically-informed performance practice to showcase the work of women composers from the Renaissance, Baroque, and Classical periods, as well as contemporary works. Based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, La Donna Musicale performs throughout the U.S. and internationally.

La Donna Musicale brings together world-renowned musicians and scholars to unearth, perform, and record music that, in many instances, has never been performed or recorded previously. Concerts have featured modern world premieres of works by Antonia Bembo, Anna Bon, Chiara Margarita Cozzolani, Julie Pinel, and Caterina Assandra, among others. Under the leadership of founding director Laury Gutiérrez, the ensemble translates the concept of historical performance into live and recorded music. Collaborating scholars, experts in their field, include Claire Fontijn, Robert Kendrick, Thierry Favier, Catherine E. Gordon-Seifert, David Lasocki, and Rebecca Messbarger.

Since its inception, La Donna Musicale has educated listeners through outreach programs, workshops, pre-concert lectures, extensive and informative CD liner and program notes, radio programs, and via its website which features online audio files. The Ensemble has also participated in music education series such as Harvard University’s Meet the Performer, and has been lauded by Early Music America as an ensemble that performs “…outstanding music stylishly performed…”  Each of La Donna Musicale’s four ground-breaking CDs of music by Antonia Bembo and Julie Pinel and Anna Bon has received national and international accolades."

Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 08, 2008 | Hits: 352

"Magnificat was formed in 1991 by its conductor, Philip Cave, to explore the rich diversity of choral music from the last five centuries. The ensemble specializes in the restoration and performance of neglected choral masterpieces of the 16th and 17th centuries. The choir ranges from four to forty voices and has performed a wide range of music, both a cappella and with its own orchestra of period instruments. " See website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 08, 2008 | Hits: 262

"Pro Musica Antiqua Oslo was formed in 1969. Using period instruments and performing in an historically informed style, they make medieval and renaissance music come to life in spontaneous and thrilling performances. PMA has toured in Scandinavia and Germany (Musikfestival Schleswig-Holstein, Festival for medieval music in Montalbane), and has recorded two CDs: "Valravnen", renaissance music from Denmark-Norway was well recieved by the press in 1995. "Cantio", church and school songs from Piae Cantiones (1999 - Simax classics) was called "the most successful recording of medieval music ever from a Norwegian ensemble".

Hans Olav Gorset, the director of the ensemble, co-founded the original PMA, Oslo, and teaches flute, recorder, and performance practice at the Norwegian State Academy of Music in Oslo. He also performs regularly as a soloist and in other groups, has made hundreds of radio programs about early music for the Norwegian radio, builds historical instruments, and for more than 20 years he taught students from all over the world at the Ringve Museum International Summer Course for Early Music. His research into the popular music of Denmark-Norway in the 17th and 18th century has been fruitful: The CD "For Citizens and Peasants", Norwegian popular music from 18th century manuscripts, was nominated to the Norwegian Gramophone Prize for 1990 (Spellemannsprisen). His solo recording of the flute music of the French composer Pierre Philidor (1681-1731) has received excellent reviews in the international music periodicals.

PRO MUSICA ANTIQUA, OSLO is a flexible group, from three to 7 musicians and singers. For certain projects they also invite choirs and local performers to join them. For the most part they are 2 singers and 3-5 instrumentalists. The current line-up is Marit Isaksen Solstrand, soprano and Staale Ytterli, baritone, Gisela Attinger and Elizabeth Gaver, fiddles and rebec, Vegard Lund, lutes and Hans Olav Gorset, flutes and recorders. " See website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 12, 2008 | Hits: 286

"Formed in 1991, the Collegium, early music ensemble, is composed of adolescents and young adults loving music and especially the ancient instruments.

The repertoire is based primarily on the baroque periods and style but without rejecting other styles (South American music, various adaptations to jazz ...).

The program includes medieval music renaissance and baroque instrumental and vocal music of the Andes. " See website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 12, 2008 | Hits: 454

"La Saltarelle was formed in 1986 in Castres, dans le Tarn (FR). The group offers a repertoire of dance, music and songs of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries in Renaissance Europe. " (transl. ed.) See website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 12, 2008 | Hits: 361

“Internationally recognized for the quality of its performances and the originality of its projects, Alla francesca figures among groups who strive to discover and interpret repertoire in the best of conditions. The interpretation, both lively and poetic, is the result of a long process of maturation, research and exchange, a music test of performance practice, with a real sense of collaboration and contact with the public. .. . ”

Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 12, 2008 | Hits: 309

"ARS ANTIQUA AUSTRIA, director: Gunar Letzbor Ars Antiqua Austria was founded in Linz in 1995 with the aim of introducing audiences to the roots of specifically Austrian baroque music played on period-instruments. The music performed at the imperial court in Vienna at this period shows the strong influence of Italy and later of French forms, while Spanish court ceremonials also shape the character of the works. The typical Austrian sound of the period also betrays the influence of the many Crownlands. The political and social boundaries of Austria in the baroque era were far wider than in the 20th century. Elements of Slav and Hungarian folk music mingle with alpine sounds and can be heard in the art music of the period. The Austrian sound also reflects the temperament and character of the Austrians of that period - a unifying element in the melting-pot of many different cultures: the joie de vivre of the South, Slav melancholy, French formality, Spanish pomp and the Alpine character of the German-speaking regions. This fusion of court- with folk music and a strong element of dance music form the typical Austrian sound.

The core of Ars Antiqua Austria comprises 8 musicians directed by Gunar Letzbor. The ensemble is readily augmented to accommodate a still wider repertoire.. " See website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 12, 2008 | Hits: 596

"The ensemble Ars Cantus was established in the year 2000 as a vocal group associated with the Wroclaw Chamber Choir (Wroclawscy Kameralisci), under the artistic direction of Tomasz Dobrzanski.

Ars Cantus performs the music of bygone epochs, from the Middle Ages (songs from the medieval Carmina Burana manuscript) to the early Baroque (e.g. Salomone Rossi - Court and Synagogue Music). An essential part of the repertoire of Ars Cantus is the musical heritage of Lower Silesia, which reaches back to the 14th century and which, in many cases, is now being made available to listeners for the first time in centuries (Banquet at City Hall - works from Wroclaw and Silesia musical prints of the 16th and 17th centuries - and Serena mente jubilo - works from 14th and 15th century manuscripts from Wroclaw, Zagan and Zielona Gora). " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 12, 2008 | Hits: 449

"The Baltimore Consort has delighted audiences on both sides of the Atlantic and earned their CDs a place on the Billboard Magazine Top-Ten list. The Baltimore Consort's arrangements of early music from England, Scotland, France, Italy, and Spain speak to the heart as well as the mind, and their love for the early music of English/Scottish heritage has led them to delve into the rich trove of traditional balladry and dance tunes preserved in the Appalachian mountains and Nova Scotia. More recently, the group has explored the extraordinary repertory from the Iberian peninsula awill in a program entitled "Cancionero: Early Music from Spain."

The Consort tours all regions of the USA, has also appears frequently in Europe, and has held residencies at the Walters Art Gallery and the Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore, and the Piccolo Spoleto Festival in Charleston, South Carolina. Its performances on such syndicated radio programs as Performance Today, St. Paul Sunday, Millennium of Music, Harmonia, and Onstage (CBC) have broadcast its music far and wide.

The Consort has recorded thirteen discs on the Dorian label (click on Recordings link above). The group also performs with orchestra, in a family-friendly show entitled O'er the Hills and Far Away, which is a set of symphonic arrangements created by Consort member and composer Larry Lipkis. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 12, 2008 | Hits: 381

" Jeremy Barlow specialises in English popular music and English dance music from 1550-1750, as a performer, writer and lecturer. His group the Broadside Band has performed at major venues and festivals in England, Scotland, France, Austria, Germany and Sweden and has made many recordings for Harmonia Mundi, Hyperion, Saydisc etc. These include the Edison Award winning complete Beggar's Opera featuring Bob Hoskins and Sarah Walker, and best-selling ‘Songs and Dances from Shakespeare'. His book The Enraged Musician: Hogarth’s Musical Imagery (Ashgate, 2005) has received excellent reviews, and his next book, The Cat & the Fiddle: Images of musical humour from the Middle Ages to modern times (Bodleian Library, Oxford) will be published shortly. Jeremy Barlow lectures at home and abroad on a variety of subjects linking music and art. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 12, 2008 | Hits: 310