EarlyMusicNews.Org

"Gothenburg is a Baroque ensemble consisting of singer and instrumentalists focused on the music of the 16th-17th century. ... " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Oct 08, 2008 | Hits: 424

"Sacramento Baroque Soloists, founded in 2001, is Sacramento's own baroque music ensemble. World-class musicians from in and around Sacramento perform our concerts with the artistry and professionalism one expects in our growing community, playing Baroque music with enthusiasm polished with historical knowledge. ... " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Sep 14, 2008 | Hits: 333

"Mercurius is a young and innovative group which specialises in the performance and research of the Early Music, embracing in its repertoire works from the Baroque and Classical periods. Its young members had first met at the Royal Academy of Music while postgraduate students and develop intense solo careers along with their chamber and orchestral work.

The group gathers young musicians, recently graduated in some of the leading schools in Britain, representing thus a suitable environment for the continuing development of their artistic abilities. Mercurius functions as a co-operative where musicians, singers and dancers have a unique opportunity to work closely and exchange views and experiences, creating an exciting and rich melting pot for artistic production. The experience of reuniting art forms as they were conceived in the Baroque period, when instrumental & vocal music and dance could not be dissociated, is largely supported. Similarly, we base our research on the Expression of Passions and the comprehension of rhetorical speech and its importance in that period. ... " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Sep 07, 2008 | Hits: 431

"The Baroque ensemble Les grâces formed in the spring of 2008 in order to explore seventeenth- and eighteenth-century music. The ensemble’s performances are equally inspired by the four young performers’ passionate musicianship, as well as their collective study of historical performance practices at leading conservatories in Europe and the US. The name Les grâces stems from a long literary and artistic tradition. The number of graces varies in different depictions, but there were usually three. Daughters of Zeus and Hera, they were representations of brightness (Aglaia), joyfulness (Euphrosyne), and bloom (Thalia). Seventeenth- and eighteenth-century artists frequently depicted them as nude females, united by a sash, representing harmony. Taken as general symbols of love, beauty, and fertility, they are often accompanied by Cupid or Mercury, their male counterparts. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Aug 15, 2008 | Hits: 451

"Asteria (Sylvia Rhyne, soprano, and Eric Redlinger, tenor and lute) seeks to bring a narrative quality and emotional immediacy to their late-medieval vocal and instrumental music. Their historically informed settings are based on extensive archival research into original sources in Paris, The Hague, and Basel, Switzerland. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Aug 06, 2008 | Hits: 365

"Anima’s early music performances are fresh, sincere, joyous and powerful. Since 2005, Anima’s concerts have soothed and delighted audiences, with thematically-based programs that connect today’s listeners with the music of 400 years ago.

Soprano Beth Anne Hatton, violinist Vita Wallace, viola da gambist and lirone player Motomi Igarashi and harpsichordist Barbara Weiss form Anima’s heart, which expands to include such kindred spirits as harpist Christa Patton, violinists Marika Holmqvist, and Dongmyung Ahn, and reader R. Nemo Hill. Anima's approachable virtuosity is joyful, highly expressive and provocative. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Aug 06, 2008 | Hits: 332

"Machicoti (Ma-Shee-Co-Tee) is dedicated to creating exhilarating interpretations of medieval music. The group debuted in 2003 and has performed medieval music from France on concert series around the city, including Midtown Concerts, Salon Concerts at Stern, the New York Early Music Series, the 2007 and 2004 New York Early Music Celebrations, and recent concerts in conjunction with NY Public Library's "Splendor of the Word" exhibition. Individually, the members have sung with such early music groups as Ensemble for Early Music, Pomerium, New York Collegium, Infiorare, and City of Ladies. The original machicoti were the skilled vocal soloists at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris in the twelfth century, who created virtuosic improvisations on the liturgy and beyond-a tradition later preserved in manuscripts. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Aug 06, 2008 | Hits: 256

"Acclaimed by the New York Times for its "vital performances" and "robust" playing, Repast is a collaboration of three period-instrument virtuosi presenting vivid renditions of music of the baroque era. Repast members Keri Mikkelson (harpsichord), Amelia Roosevelt (violin), and John Mark Rozendaal (violoncello and viola da gamba), each have active careers in historical performance and bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to the trio's programs. Repast enjoys frequent and fruitful collaborations with leading period instrument players and vocalists in order to explore the vast, masterful repertoire of the baroque era. The group's name, meaning a meal or a feast, is a double-entendre: out of the revival of past music comes a delectable, spiritually nourishing experience. ...

Added on: Aug 06, 2008 | Hits: 436

"Since its founding in 1972, the New York Consort of Viols has championed the beauty and breadth of music written expressly for or especially suited to the viol. Acclaimed as a foremost ensemble for its dynamic Renaissance and Baroque repertoires, the Consort also performs medieval music on such instruments such as the rebec and vielle. The group commissions contemporary works as well.

The Consort has performed for enthusiastic audiences on campuses and in concert series throughout North America. These include such notable venues as Milwaukee's Early Music Now, the Berkeley Festival, and New York's Music Before 1800. In 1992 the Consort traveled to Turkey to perform in Istanbul and Ankara. The Consort has also collaborated with many accomplished early music ensembles such as Pomerium, Zephyrus, the Boston Viol Consort, the Yukimi Kambe Viol Consort, the Waverly Consort, the Ensemble for Early Music and Music For A While. ... " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Aug 06, 2008 | Hits: 351

"The Mozartean Players, founded in 1979, is one of the oldest continuously active early-music organizations in America. It is also one of the most distinguished, as measured by all criteria: critical response, the breadth and volume of its performing history, the distinction of the auspices that have welcomed it, the influence it has borne on other musicians, and the quality of its recorded legacy.

The current configuration of the group as a piano trio is comprised of Steven Lubin, fortepiano, Anca Nicolau, violin, and Myron Lutzke, cello. The group's repertoire spans the era from Haydn through Schumann, the period during which the piano, starting as the delicate, five-octave, wooden-frame instrument of the classical period, changed gradually into the larger, early-romantic piano. A large proportion of the group's touring has involved Mr. Lubin's readily transportable five-octave Walter fortepiano replica, performing trios of Haydn, Mozart and early Beethoven. By special arrangement, the group also tours with its romantic Graf piano replica (both replicas by R.J. Regier), offering works by the later Beethoven, Schubert, Mendelssohn and Schumann. The stringed instruments are accordingly in period disposition. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Aug 06, 2008 | Hits: 319

"Hailed as one of the most exciting period instrument ensembles on the New York scene, SYMPATICA has presented a dozen concerts over the last 18 months, to great critical acclaim. The ensemble comprises three exceptionally gifted musicians (Rachel Begley, recorders, Joëlle Morton, viola da gamba and Jennifer Griesbach, harpsichord), each an accomplished virtuosa in her own right. Sympatica's inventive programming draws on the standard repertoire as well as being dedicated to exploring contemporary music and adapting lesser-known music to the trio sonata medium. The ensemble's name (taken from the Italian term simpatia , meaning 'pleasantness') is reflective of the infectious chemistry and camaraderie that is evident among the group's members, and the delight with which its audiences receive the ensemble's whimsical and spirited performances. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Aug 06, 2008 | Hits: 384

"THE IVORY CONSORT, founded and directed by Jay Elfenbein, is an ensemble that specializes in medieval music performed in an exciting and historically informed manner. For over ten years, they have brought ancient music to life on stage and over the radio with stunning clarity and bold improvisation. The Consort presents a fascinating mosaic of songs from the Golden Age of Spain, when Jews, Muslims, and Christians forged a common musical language. The live program and CD Music in the Land of Three Faiths feature 10th through 13th century songs in Ladino, Hebrew, Arabic, and Galician-Portuguese and provide a historical context for the intermingling of cultures that took place before the 1492 Expulsion. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Aug 06, 2008 | Hits: 358

ARTIST/INSTRUMENT: BEVERLY AU/VIOLA DA GAMBA; HARRIS BECKER/GUITAR AND LUTE; ASQUALE BIANCULLI/GUITAR; MICHÈLE EATON/SOPRANO; ARTHUR HAAS/HARPSICHORD; KATHLEEN MCDONALD/FLUTE; MARTHA MCGAUGHEY/IOLA DA GAMBA; SANDRA MILLER/FLUTE

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Added on: Aug 06, 2008 | Hits: 373

"In 1602, Giulio Caccini, the noted Italian composer and singer, wrote that the main aim of the composer and performer is to “stir the passions of the soul (muovere l’affetto dell’anima)”. Sparked by that thought, harpsichordist Lionel Party founded La Mela di Newton, a dynamic trio featuring Mr. Party and the dazzling artists Jonathan Keren (violin) and Ira Givol (cello).

La Mela di Newton performs the great Baroque repertoire in a style uniquely its own, bringing forth aspects of manuscripts that have been passed over for centuries, infusing timeless masterpieces with a fresh and powerful interpretation. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Aug 06, 2008 | Hits: 334

"Flying Forms – To be a presence that transforms communities and inspires expression through excellence in performance, innovative education and creative collaboration.

Flying Forms consists of members Sang Joon Park (traverso), Marc Levine (baroque violin), and Tami Morse (harpsichord). Already experienced modern instrument musicians with Doctor of Musical Arts degrees we formed Flying Forms out of our passion for performing early chamber music. In order to broaden our repertoire choices, and to experiment within the chamber music concert genre, Flying Forms collaborates regularly with other musicians and artists, including gambist Martha McGoughey and baroque dancers Dorothy Olsson and Mark Mindek.

Flying Forms performs regularly on the St. Mark’s Concert Series in Islip, and has upcoming concerts throughout the New York metropolitan area and in Boston. They regularly give lecture demonstrations at Stony Brook University, in the Islip Public School System, and Long Island museums and libraries.

In addition, Flying Forms has many on-going projects including performing the modern premieres of Carlos Canobio’s duos for violin and flute, recording and performing the complete Telemann “Paris” Quartets, recording a companion CD to a book written by baroque dance specialists Dorothy Olsson and Kaspar Mainz, and collaborating with singers and dancers in a fully-staged chamber opera performance. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Aug 06, 2008 | Hits: 670

"Ensemble Leonarda was formed at the Peabody Conservatory of Music, where its founding members were participating in the early music program. Named after the composer Isabella Leonarda (1620–1704), this group of gifted individuals have come together to form an ensemble dedicated to performing works of the Baroque masters with vim, vigor, and enthusiasm. Past performances have included recitals at the Church of the Epiphany as part of the “Washington Musicians for Nuclear Disarmament” series; Squires Recital Salon at Virginia Tech; St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, St. Paul’s Chapel–Columbia University, the Donnell Library Center, Music in Chelsea, and Church of the Transfiguration concert series. ... " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Aug 06, 2008 | Hits: 381

"With their historical instruments, the Grenser Trio and friends explore late-classical and early-romantic chamber music as it sounded to its first audiences. Present-day audiences hear the Trio at The Metropolitan Museum of Art and SUNY Stony Brook as well as in New York City's Church of St. Francis of Assisi and the Interchurch Center. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Aug 06, 2008 | Hits: 436

"The Continuo Players is a duo specializing in early music from 1600 to 1800. Using baroque bassoon, viola da gamba and recorders, Paula and Jill combine a variety of sounds to convey the feeling and ambience of former times. The repertoire of The Continuo Players includes works from England, Italy, France and Germany by such composers as Bach, Boismortier, Blavet, East, Handel, Loeillet, Marais, Morley, Philidor, Reinagle, Loeillet, Telemann and Vivaldi. They combine the music with readings from the same period.

This duo concertizes in libraries and museums throughout the New York City area. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Aug 06, 2008 | Hits: 364

"Brooklyn Baroque debuted in the fall of 2000, when cellist David Bakamjian joined the long-standing duo of baroque flutist Andrew Bolotowsky and harpsichordist Rebecca Pechefsky. Since then, the group has performed frequently in the New York area and has been invited to play in other states across the country. The trio is the ensemble-in-residence at the eighteenth-century Morris-Jumel Mansion, where it performs in a yearly series. Brooklyn Baroque specializes in the music of Bach and his contemporaries, but its concerts often range further back into the seventeenth century or as far forward as Beethoven. About the ensemble’s debut CD, Northern Lights (QC 1005), Christopher Chaffee in the American Record Guide has written: “I cannot stop listening to this recording . . . The playing is fantastic—sensitive, well shaped, and engaging.” Brooklyn Baroque’s second recording, The Pleasures of the French (QC 1007), also won critical acclaim. ... " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Aug 06, 2008 | Hits: 278

"Parthenia is a dynamic quartet of viols dedicated to performing the rich and abundant repertoire for viola da gamba from the 16th to 21st centuries. We present an annual series of concerts in Manhattan, where we collaborate with esteemed guest artists in engaging and surprising programs; we commission and premier new works for viols; we work to increase awareness of the viol's cultural heritage by touring to historical venues throughout New York City and to prestigious venues around the country. Parthenia is committed to creating more consort-playing opportunities, both professional and amateur, throughout America."

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Added on: Aug 05, 2008 | Hits: 436

Andrea Ortu traverso flute
Claudio Frigerio cello
Milena Frige' harpsichord

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Added on: Aug 05, 2008 | Hits: 242

"Pastimes is a group of musicians who perform early music on period instruments.

We had been playing together for a couple years before forming in 1995 the ensemble now known as Pastimes. We began receiving requests to play at private parties, costume dinners and outdoor fairs, business functions, school assemblies, and occasionally in church settings. We play renaissance music from the late 1400s to the mid 1600s, ranging from formal courtly and liturgical music to refined or rustic domestic entertainment.

We take our name from a song attributed to Henry VIII called 'Pastime with Good Company'. Our goal is to provide as much fun for those who hear us as we ourselves are having, and we do aim to have a good time! Our home base is in Southeastern Pennsylvania and Northern Delaware. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Aug 04, 2008 | Hits: 293

"The Esterházy Ensemble, directed by Michael Brüssing has chosen its name from the famous Hungarian noble family. The group has, for several years now, specialized on the music for barytone (viola di bordone) and viola da gamba at the court of Esterházy - and its aim is, to make this little known facet of classical chamber music more acquainted to a broader public. Concerts at festivals (also the 'original sites' at Palace Esterházy in Fertőd, Hungary and Eisenstadt, Austria), radio and TV productions, CDs with CPO/SWR, Cavalli Records and Brillant Classics show the acceptance of these efforts. The complete recording of all works written by Joseph Haydn for the barytone was recorded within two years and published in February 2009. The musicians of the group all have a lot of experience with diverse period instrumental formations throughout Europe. ... "

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Added on: Aug 04, 2008 | Hits: 411

"Jean-Louis CHARBONNIER, viole de gambe
Paul ROUSSEAU, viole de gambe
Mauricio BURAGLIA, théorbe
Pierre TROCELLIER, clavecin " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Aug 04, 2008 | Hits: 309

"Founded in 1984 and directed by Jean-Michel Hasler. L’Ensemble baroque de Limoges quickly defines itself as an orchestral point of reference for XVII and XVIII century repertoire. In 1991, Christophe Coin assumes the direction of the EBL. ... "

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Added on: Aug 04, 2008 | Hits: 359