EarlyMusicNews.Org

"Audiences love ARTEK concerts for their exciting, dramatic performances of baroque music, with compelling musical settings of beautiful poetry and infectious dance rhythms that infuse the performances with vitality and spirit. ARTEK features some of America's finest singers: Laura Heimes, soprano; Barbara Hollinshead, mezzo-soprano; Ryland Angel, countertenor; Philip Anderson, tenor; Michael Brown, tenor; and Peter Becker, bass-baritone. ARTEK instrumentalists include Robert Mealy, violin; Vita Wallace, violin; Motomi Igarashi, viola da gamba & lirone; Daniel Swenberg, theorbo; Charles Weaver, lute and guitar; Grant Herreid, lute; Christa Patton, harp; and Gwendolyn Toth, harpsichord and organ. …

ARTEK toured from 1997 to 2002 with the Mark Morris Dance Group, visiting major venues in the United Kingdom, Italy, and Canada, as well as more than 50 of America's premier theaters: BAM, Cal Performances in Berkeley, The Schubert Theater in Boston, McCarter Theater in Princeton, and many more from California to the Northeast.  ARTEK has appeared in Europe previously at the Regensburg Tage Alter Musik festival; at the Utrecht Fringe Festival; and in Feldkirchen, Austria; Dolni Lukavice, Czech Republic; Beaulieu, France; Konstanz, Germany; and Kreuzlingen, Switzerland.

In New York City area ARTEK has appeared on the Music Before 1800 series and on the Princeton Friends of Music series; on First Night New York at St. Bartholomew's Church; as featured performers with the Bach-Schutz Society Conference; and on the Kaye Playhouse Chamber Music Series. ARTEK presents its own series of evening concerts each season at halls and churches in New York City and Princeton, NJ.  ARTEK also performs regularly throughout the concert season on the free midday concert series, Midtown Concerts, at St. Bartholomew's Church in midtown Manhattan.  In spring 2001, director Gwendolyn Toth was awarded the Newell Jenkins Prize for excellence in early music performance in recognition of her work with ARTEK."

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Added on: Aug 20, 2007 | Hits: 412

"Cappella Artemisia, founded in 1991, is an all-women’s vocal ensemble based in Bologna, Italy, and consists of a core of 6-10 singers with continuo. Since its inception the ensemble has received critical and popular praise, both for the rarity and originality of its repertoire, and for the high quality of its performances. It has appeared in concert at such prestigious venues as the Festival of Flanders (Bruges and Alden-Biesen), The Holland Festival of Early Music (Utrecht), Il Festival Monteverdiano di Cremona, the Osterfestival Innsbruck, the WDR Festival der Alten Musik in Herne, the Tage Alter Musik in Regensburg, Women and Music (Chard, UK), Donne in Musica and I Concerti al Quirinale (Rome), Les Fêtes Musicales de Savoie (France), and numerous other important festivals of early music throughout Europe and North America. Its concerts have been broadcast by the radios of Italy, France, Belgium, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Croatia and the United States. In addition to their traditional repertoire of music from Italian convents, the singers of the ensemble have also been involved in a modern staging of Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas in an all-women’s performance recalling that of 1689 at a fashionable boarding school in Chelsea for “Young Gentlewomen”. " See website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Feb 23, 2008 | Hits: 412

"Collegium 419 is a vocal ensemble specializing in music of the 16th to 18th century. It performs in different casts, depending on type of project, from vocal ensemble (5 singers) to a chamber choir (16 - 24 singers). The ensemble features lesser known works of the Renaissance and Baroque polyphony with particular consideration for coherent dramaturgy. Collegium 419 cooperates with leading instrumentalists, who follow historical performance praxis of early music. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 12, 2008 | Hits: 412

"MORE HISPANO was founded in 1998. Their debut recording was entirely devoted to Bartolomé de Selma y Salaverde (Canzoni, Fantasie et Correnti, Lindoro MPC 0703). Its members have studied at the conservatoria of Seville, The Hague, Amsterdam, Esmuc (Barcelona) and the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis. They have appeared at several festivals such as Seville's Noches en los Jardines del Real Alcázar and Early Music Festival, Aranjuez's Early Music Festival, Festival de Música Antiga de Tiana (Barcelona), II Festival de Música Antigua de Málaga, Festival de Música Antigua de El Puerto de Santa María, Las Piedras Cantan (Castilla y León), XIII Muestra de Música Antigua 'Castillo de Aracena', Festival de Música Antigua de Olivares or the XXII Radovljica Early Music Festival (Slovenia). MORE HISPANO is founding member of AEGIVE, the Spanish Association of Specialised Instrumental and Vocal Groups. ... " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Jul 14, 2008 | Hits: 412

“Full-on Medieval Music for Street Festivals, Carnivals, History Fairs and other events

We’re serious about medieval music, and we want the power of that music to reach as wide an audience as possible.  To bring you that power at full blast, we have formed Mandrake! featuring twinned bagpipes, hurdy gurdy and twinned percussion.  

It’s an infectious and boisterous mix that is well suited to popular public events.

In fully authentic medieval costume or carnival dress, led by its bagpipe divas, Mandrake! also makes a distinctive eye-catching spectacle.“

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Added on: May 11, 2009 | Hits: 412

“LA  MAURACHE is a vocal and instrumental ensemble composed of  musicians specialized in the interpretation of the music during Middle-Ages and the Renaissance. Since 1978, when the group was created by Julien Skowron, La Maurache has never stopped performing in France and all around the world (3 tours in States for Ray Weiss), and has enabled people to discover and share the riches of this large repertoire by make it popular. Research, restoration, and historical respect, but also Lively Performance and creativity are the guidelines of  La Maurache in concerts and recording. The musicians of La Maurache perform in medieval style costumes. Their instruments (there are about thirty of them), are accurate reproductions made by specialized instrument-makers after modes and historical documents of traditional instruments. La Maurache can be seen as a court music ensemble (voices, lutes, fiddles, viols, spinet...) enriched with popular elements ("natural voices", high wind instruments, drums...).“

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Added on: Mar 13, 2008 | Hits: 411

"Fortune’s Wheel made its debut at the 1996 International Festival of Early Music in Mexico City, where critics acclaimed the group’s “style, diction, tuning, perfect balance, and total engagement with the music.” Since then, the ensemble has been presented by early music concert series in San Francisco, Seattle, San Diego, Tijuana, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Milwaukee, Houston, Jackson, Tucson, Columbus, Cambridge, and Duke University. They have also appeared at the Boston Early Music Festival, the Berkeley Early Music Festival, the Amherst Early Music Festival, The Cloisters and the Frick Collection in New York City, Yale University’s Collection of Musical Instruments, and many other series." See website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Feb 10, 2008 | Hits: 410

"It was this spirit of open-mindedness and conviviality uniting the audience, repertory and musicians which drove Pablo Valetti and Céline Frisch to found in 1998 the Café Zimmermann Ensemble.

They assembled six musicians - five bow instruments and a harpsichord (Pablo Valetti, Nick Robinson, violin: Patricia Gagnon, alto; Petr Skalka, cello; Ludek Brany, double bass and Céline Frisch, harpsichord). Other strings or wind instruments would be added depending on the programme. " See website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Feb 24, 2008 | Hits: 410

"The Oxford Waits take their name from a real-life band of city musicians, known as 'waits,' who flourished in Oxford during the 17th century, the tumultuous era of the English Civil War and Restoration. The performers appear in period costume, and concerts are enlivened by street ballads, dance tunes, airs and rounds as well as readings from diarists and poets. Superb singing voices are matched by specialist skills in an array of instruments that include fiddle, bagpipes, lute, cittern, harpsichord, pipe and tabor, hurdy-gurdy, shawm, flute and percussion. A typical concert line-up consists of four or five performers, but the Oxford Waits are also represented by larger and smaller combinations of musicians, as well as by individual artists in solo recitals. The Oxford Waits are available for public concerts - and for private events too, such as banquets, fairs, dances, themed parties, school visits, weddings, corporate entertainments and Civil War re-enactments. " Visit website for more information. (ed)

Added on: Apr 17, 2008 | Hits: 410

"Faye Newton and Hazel Brooks met at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London where they discovered a shared passion for medieval music and poetry. They subsequently worked together in the award-winning ensemble Concanentes and in the year 2000 they formed ‘duo Trobairitz’ to explore the courtly song repertoire of the troubadours and trouvères, which is especially appropriate to their combination of voice and vielle. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 12, 2008 | Hits: 409

Early Music consort. Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Apr 16, 2008 | Hits: 409

"CAPELLA CÆSAREA was founded in 2002 by six musicians who completed their studies in historically informed performance practice in Basel, Trossingen and Würzburg.

Well-versed and stylistically aware, they have established themselves in the concert world as interpreters of music preceding the 19th century, performing on copies and original instruments of the period. They can be heard regularly in performances and recordings with internationally well known ensembles such as the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra, Concerto Köln, Musica Fiata and Concerto Palatino. In addition to this, some of the ensemble members work as accompanists at the Early Music Festival in Innsbruck, Austria, as well as accompanying and teaching at the Early Music Week and Early Music Department in the Music College in Trossingen.

The name CAPELLA CÆSAREA points to the music chapel at the imperial court of Habsburg: their members played an important part in shaping European musical life in the C17th by keeping up an animated musical exchange at the highest level. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Apr 20, 2008 | Hits: 409

"The Rose Consort of Viols takes its name from the celebrated family of viol makers, whose work spanned the growth and flowering of the English consort repertoire. With its unique blend of intimacy, intricacy, passion and flamboyance, this music ranges from Taverner and Byrd, to Lawes, Locke and Purcell, forming the basis of the Rose Consort's programmes, which may also include singers, lutes and keyboard instruments. The Rose Consort has received awards for its research and performance of newly devised programmes, some of which have been toured on the Early Music Network, and has also commissioned and performed new pieces for voices and viols by Malcolm Bruno, Elizabeth Liddle and Ivan Moody. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 14, 2008 | Hits: 408

"We met in the spring of 2004 in the state academy of music in Trossingen, a small town which lies in the Black Forest in the south of Germany. Four musicians from four different nationalities: Germany, France, Transylvania and Israel. We soon found that we share a common language and a common fascination with the polyphonic music of the late Middle Ages. Music that manages to express the deepest human feelings in a delicate, poetic manner, in a way that, in our belief, has not been surpassed. Through playing together we have learnt to know each other, to develop our own language and our own approach to this wonderful music which, in all of its complexity, leaves much freedom to the performer.

The use of instruments reconstructed based on medieval iconography allows us to approach the original soundscape. We attach great importance to the understanding of the musical language of the period, now having become foreign of today's classical musicians. Thus, a bit in the manner of a performer facing a contemporary work with a new language, it is a matter of decoding little by little the written page, to try to understand the essence of a piece, and to discover its meaning with our personal modern frames of mind

Santenay
The ensemble draws its name from the castle of Santenay, in Burgundy, seigniorial residence from the XIth to the XVIth century, belonging in the XIVth century to Philippe le Hardi, son of the king of France Jean le Bon and first duke of Greater Burgundy. Thus this castle constitutes for us in a way a symbol of the apogee of the culture at the Burgundian court. Today the lands of the castle of Santenay are also known for their excellent wine production."

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Added on: Mar 13, 2008 | Hits: 407

"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

"Stile Antico is an ensemble of young British singers, now established as one of the most original and exciting new voices in its field. Prizewinners at the 2005 Early Music Network International Young Artists’ Competition, the group is much in demand in concert and records exclusively for Harmonia Mundi. Their debut disc Music for Compline drew ecstatic reviews, winning the Diapason d’Or de l'année, the Choc du Monde de la Musique, and attracting a nomination for the 50th GRAMMY awards. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 23, 2008 | Hits: 405

"Founded by Michel Corboz in 1961, the Ensemble Vocal de Lausanne is made up of vocal and musical personalities who are perfectly in phase with its conductor's tastes and requirements. This flexibly sized ensemble consists of a core of young professionals which can be supplemented by other choral singers of a high standard, according to the nature of the work being performed. This characteristic enables the EVL to tackle an extremely wide repertoire that covers the history of music from the early Baroque (Monteverdi, Carissimi) to the twentieth century (Poulenc, Honegger etc.) and every possible combination from the small group of twelve singers to a full symphonic chorus.

The EVL's discography (around fifty recordings, produced by Erato, Cascavelle or Aria Music) has earned it a worldwide reputation. Some thirty of these records have won awards, among them the Mozart Requiem which received a 'Choc du Monde de la Musique' in 1999.

In the course of its forty-year history, the EVL has visited a large number of countries (South Africa, Belgium, Canada, Spain, Germany, Poland, Japan, the Netherlands, Israel, France, Italy, Argentina, Greece, Tunisia, Portugal, the UK), to enthusiastic public acclaim. In recent seasons, it has made successful appearances at such festivals as Rheingau, La Chaise-Dieu, Noirlac, and Lessay, and at 'La Folle Journée' in Nantes, Lisbon, Bilbao and Tokyo. In 2003, 2005 and 2006, it returned to Japan for concert tours that ended each time on the legendary stage of Suntory Hall in Tokyo. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Apr 09, 2008 | Hits: 405

"Wynndebagge is one of England’s best known players of the hurdy gurdy and English bagpipes. Musician, comedian historian and raconteur, he is above all an entertainer. "

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Added on: Apr 17, 2008 | Hits: 405

"The United continuo ensemble consists of a basic cast, consisting of the lute, Chitarrone, Baroque guitar, viola da gamba, violone, Lirone, harpsichord and organ. Depending on the program, the ensemble will be extended by singers and other instruments as well as dancers and actors. ... " (Google translation) Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Aug 03, 2008 | Hits: 405

"Courtlye Musick is a group of three versatile musicians who specialise in the authentic presentation of Renaissance and Medieval music.

During 2001 Courtlye Musick was restructured as a trio. Anita and Martin Felton and Anne Gray are all part of the former four part ensemble and since 1984 have performed at concerts, workshops, festivals, receptions, historic events, weddings, civic occasions, banquets and many diverse functions far and wide. Performances have been broadcast on radio and television. The repertoire includes music from all over renaissance Europe and the huge collection of authentic instruments continues to grow.

In performance, the ensemble is surrounded by a fascinating display of instruments which includes Renaissance woodwind, (crumhorns, rauschpfeifen, shawms, racketts, curtal and recorders); strings, (viols, rebec, lute and harp); brass, (sackbuts, cornetti, and lysarden), and others such as gemshorns, bells, pipe and tabour. The clear voices of the consort are a feature of every performance. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Apr 16, 2008 | Hits: 403

"L'Ensemble Gilles Binchois, who will celebrate its 30th year of performance, since its creation in 1979, has explored the large repertoire of the Middle Ages to the vocal repertoire of the Renaissance. ... "

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Added on: Apr 18, 2008 | Hits: 403

"Le Poème Harmonique, a group of soloists who came together in 1998 under the direction of Vincent Dumestre, centres its artistic activity on music of the seventeenth and the early eighteenth century.

The group's vocal and instrumental interpretations are enriched by other disciplines, with actors and dancers joining its singers and musicians in programmes of chamber works – Le Ballet des Fées, Il Fasolo – and, since 2004, in large-scale stage productions, such as Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme, a comédie-ballet by Molière and Lully (stage director Benjamin Lazar) and Baroque Carnival (directed by Cécile Roussat), an original show combining Italian music with the circus arts (artists trained at the Centre National des Arts du Cirque). For operatic performances as Cadmus et Hermione by Lully (stage director Benjamin Lazar), Le Poème Harmonique studies in depth the correspondences between ‘period’ aesthetics – use of candles for lighting, authentic gestures and, for Cadmus, painted canvases and machinery – and the aesthetics of modern stage productions. Interaction between artistic disciplines and real teamwork – working together as a company – are Le Poème Harmonique’s hallmark in Baroque performance today. ..."

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Added on: Jul 12, 2008 | Hits: 403

"The Dufay Collective has been performing and recording its unique brand of early music for twenty years. During this time the group has performed at major festivals and toured throughout the world, receiving critical acclaim from Cairo to Carlisle. The group has made a series of successful recordings of a wide ranging repertoire of instrumental and vocal music from the Middle Ages and Renaissance, including the Grammy nominated 'Cancionero'.

They can also be heard on the soundtracks of several feature films including. The Dufays have just recorded their second disc for Harmonia Mundi USA, being 'The Play Of Daniel'. To mark their twentieth anniversary, the group has embarked upon a series of long term projects, including the forthcoming ‘Alchemy’ project with Andalusian ensemble Al Quimia. " See website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Feb 23, 2008 | Hits: 402

"The Chris Norman Ensemble brings to life the energetic traditional dance music of Maritime Canada, Scotland, & Ireland with an emphasis on exploring points of contact with the music's roots in 16th-19th century Europe. The Ensemble's programs combine originality, intelligence, fun, and sheer mastery that have won them respect from audiences, presenters, and colleagues alike in North America, Europe and Asia.

At the heart of the group is Chris Norman, who's brilliant and imaginative flute playing has contributed to groups as diverse as the The Baltimore Consort, Skyedance, Helicon, Chatham Baroque, Concerto Caledonia, as well as Hollywood soundtracks and seven solo recordings. His influential work as a performer, composer, recording artist, educator, and director of the Boxwood Festival & Workshop has played a significant role in reviving the flute in traditional Scottish and Canadian music.

The Ensemble's extraordinary range runs the gamut from dynamic performances headlining international folk festivals to programs for some of North America's most prestigious chamber and early music societies and universities. With flutes, pipes, guitar, mandolin, mandola, harmonium, bass, percussion, drums & vocals, the Ensemble reaches across five centuries of traditional, renaissance and baroque music with a range of energetic programs. Education and public service is at the core of the group's values, and they regularly incorporate workshops, school programs, and community outreach into their tours. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Apr 09, 2008 | Hits: 402

"DIAPENTE is the ancient Greek and medieval name for the interval of a fifth, and originally means 'through five'. The newly founded 5-part viol consort Diapente is a truly international ensemble. The members come from the Netherlands, France, Russia, USA and Gemany and play in various leading European and North American early music ensembles as The Locke Consort, La Grande Écurie, Currende, Musica Eterna, Oberlin Consort of Viols and Tafelmusik. They called Diapente to life in 2001 in order to perform the most beautiful repertoire of the "golden age" of viol consort music. Using all instruments of the viol family in various combinations (here: treble, 2 tenors, bass and violone), Diapente seeks to bring out the charm, richness and beauty of its particular and idiomatic repertoire. The use of a violone - a historical but in our times unique feature in consort music - is already a hallmark of the sound of the ensemble. Diapente played at the 1. Festival de viole de gambe in Asfeld (France), June 2002 and at the Early Music Festival Utrecht (The Netherlands), August 2002. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Apr 16, 2008 | Hits: 402