EarlyMusicNews.Org

“The ensemble Syntagma is an early music ensemble, created in 1996 by Alexander Metz Danilevski, a lutenist and composer of Russian origin.

This group is dedicated to forgotten repertoire from the Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque eras. The ensemble consists of singers, wind instruments and strings.”

Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Feb 23, 2008 | Hits: 303

"The Cultural Association of "Orchestra Barocca La Confraternita de' Musici" is not for profit and aims to promote the musical culture through diversified solutions such as research, concerts, conferences, meetings, records, courses and competitions.

Founded by Cosimo Prontera, the Ensemble makes its debut at the “Leonardo Leo” Barocco Festival 1997. The ensemble plays on period instruments esploring the important and unknown repertoire of apulian composers acttive in Naples during the XVII and XVIII century. ... " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Jul 01, 2008 | Hits: 303

"Centered on brothers Aaron, Pablo and Daniel Zapico, the ensemble Forma Antiqva is a point of reference within the field of early music in Spain. With the collaboration (depending on the programme) of young, prestigious soloists, the ensemble is regularly invited to the most important festivals, where the public and expert critics alike unanimously applaud their daring, virtuoso and lucid performances. ... " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Jul 14, 2008 | Hits: 303

“Michel Laplénie founded Sagittarius in 1986, with a view to exploring new repertoire and sharing his musical enthusiasms. High artistic standards have brought the ensemble international renown and made it one of the foremost vocal groups in Baroque performance.

With their unquenchable curiosity, Sagittarius have taken part in several high profile opera productions (Handel's Alcina, Théâtre des Champs Elysées, Paris, 1990 - Lully's Phaëton, for the reopening of the Lyons opera house, 1993 - Campra's L'Europe Galante, Aix-en-Provence Festival, 1993 - Rameau's Hippolyte et Aricie, directed by Marc Minkowski, 1995, etc.). The ensemble has performed in Europe's most famous concerts halls as well as prestigious international festivals, often resurrecting forgotten musical treasures.

Sagittarius is an ensemble of soloists, and features 5 to 20 professional singers and instrumentalists, all of them established performers of the early repertoire. The focus is on European vocal music of the Baroque era, more specifically from 17th and 18th-century France and Germany, with a particular fondness for Heinrich Schütz, whose Latinized name Sagittarius it adopted. This wide repetoire has led to a large number of recordings, which have won acclaim for the sincerity and depth of their performances.

Sagittarius has been appointed Resident Ensemble at Blaye, near Bordeaux, and is supported by the Regional Department for Cultural Affairs, the Aquitaine Region, the Département of Gironde, the cities of Blaye and Bordeaux, as well as the Caisse des Dépôts for its school programmes.”

Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Sep 30, 2011 | Hits: 303

"The ensemble recreates the elegant sounds of the official, professional wind bands of the late Medieval and Renaissance periods as well as the rustic entertainments of the peasantry. Audiences from Seattle to Spoleto, Italy, have marveled at the virtuosity of the ensemble, its precision and impeccable intonation, but most of all its vitality and enthusiasm. Shawms, sackbuts, dulcians, recorders, krumhorns, bagpipes, lutes, guitars and percussion provide the fascinating aural dimensions to an entertaining Piffaro performance. Piffaro has recorded extensively and can be heard on the Newport Classic, Deutsche Grammophon's Archiv Produktion, Wyndham Hill, Passacaille, and currently on Dorian Recordings labels. "

See website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Feb 23, 2008 | Hits: 302

"Founded in San Francisco in 1986, American Baroque brings together some of America's most accomplished and exciting baroque instrumentalists, with the purpose of defining a new, modern genre for historical instruments. The group's adventurous programs combine 18th-century music with new works, composed for the group through collaborations and commissions from American composers. An ensemble of eclectic, accomplished, and artful musicians, the performances bridge a gap between the edges of the new music frontier and the familiar roads to music of the past, and expands the repertoire and scope of historical instruments into the new millenium.

After many accomplishments in the field of early music, in the early 1990s American Baroque began exploring the territory of performing new music written for historical instruments through its collaboration with composer, member and gambist Roy Whelden and his pieces Quartet After Abel and Gamba Quartet, which resulted in a CD release on the New Albion label in 1993. Intrigued by the unique timbres and subtlety of sounds inherent in their period instruments, the group continued to pursue projects and programming that involved combinations of new and old elements. Collaborations with such artists and composers as Rudy Rucker, Jonathan Berger, Carl Stone, and the Common Sense Composers Collective yielded an unprecented number of commissioned works written specifically for the group's instruments. " See website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 02, 2008 | Hits: 302

“Alina Rotaru studied piano and choral conducting at the music conservatory in her hometown Bucharest. There she came into contact with Early Music and founded her first ensemble. After moving to Germany in 1999, she studied harpsichord with Siegbert Rampe and Wolfgang Kostujak in Duisburg, Carsten Lohff and Detlef Bratschke in Bremen and Bob van Asperen in Amsterdam. She is the winner of the 6th Biagio Marini Early Music Competition. The debut CD of her ensemble LUXURIANS with works by G. Ph. Telemann was released in 2009. Her debut solo CD with harpsichord works by J. P. Sweelinck was released in October 2010. She plays concerts and gives master classes inside and outside Europe.

Alina Rotaru is currently working at the University of the Arts in Bremen as a harpsichord instructor.“

Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Jan 18, 2010 | Hits: 302

"Harmonia Baroque Players was established to perform the rich and plentiful small ensemble repertoire of the Renaissance and Baroque period, playing not only the popular works, but also the lesser-known masterpieces of this era. We are also deeply committed to providing affordable, high quality performances, thus making the enjoyment of live music concerts available to a wide audience which might not be able to afford higher priced events. Ticket prices are kept very low, but anyone who cannot afford even that will be admitted for free. " See website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Feb 10, 2008 | Hits: 301

"Since 1995 Ensemble Soleil has given concerts and presented multi-media theatrical events in the United States and Europe. In 2001 Ensemble Soleil became a juried ensemble of the Vermont Arts Council.

Known for innovative programming and lively performances, we play period instruments and authentic modern copies. We were recognized by the I.R.S as a non profit organization in 1999.

Our programs feature the beautiful viol consort music of the Renaissance from Spain, Italy, England and the Low Countries, and the multi-faceted Baroque chamber music of Italy, Austria, Germany and France. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Jul 24, 2008 | Hits: 301

"The Galata Chamber Choir (now spead out all over the world) is composed of 8 members : 2 French, 2 Italians, 1 British all living in Turkey, and 3 Turks. With a humanist thought, their goal is to make music together in an atmosphere of friendship, and to experience a mosaic of cultures.

The repertoire of the Galata Chamber Choir consists of polyphonic works of various composers from the Renaissance and Baroque periods (15th-18th cc.) and is sung in seven different languages : english, french, german, italian, latin, spanish and turkish.

Based on the love of music and people, the Galata Chamber Choir welds different cultures in peace. The benefits from their concerts are left to the competent organizations to help the poor, the elderly, and orphans and children in need.

Whenever possible, the Galata Chamber Choir's concerts take place in historical places. " See website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Feb 23, 2008 | Hits: 300

“Winners of the 2008 Midem Baroque Award and the 2007 Classic FM Gramophone Award for Best Baroque Vocal Album for their recording of Handel’s Dublin Messiah (Linn CKD 285), Dunedin Consort & Players, under the combined Artistic Direction of John Butt, Susan Hamilton and Philip Hobbs, performs throughout Scotland and Europe

Under the musical direction of John Butt the group has consolidated its existing strength in the Baroque repertoire. Dunedin's commitment to excellence in both live performances and recordings, coupled with the latest research in historical performance, is complemented by its strong belief in supporting new music. As part of its contemporary strand, Dunedin has commissioned and performed works by living composers - including William Sweeney, Errollyn Wallen, Peter Nelson and Sally Beamish - to complement and enhance the meaning of the old masterpieces.

Dunedin has performed at music festivals in Scotland - including the Edinburgh International Festival -, Canada, Italy, Spain, Ireland, Israel and France, and broadcasts frequently on BBC Radio 3 and BBC Scotland.  …”

Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Nov 20, 2011 | Hits: 300

" The vocal group „Schola Cantorum Riga” was founded in 1995 as a unique ensemble focused on authentic interpretation of ancient music, especially Gregorian chants. It has developed into a group with a varied and wide repertory. One of its main professional goals is to perform music at a high artistic and professional level, which is reflected in great many concerts in Latvia and abroad, as well as in regular recordings. Nowadays „Schola Cantorum Riga” mainly performs medieval music, but also turns to interpretation of compositions of contemporary Latvian composers.

The singers of the group are professional musicians or music students who all have one thing in common – their passion for ancient music and desire to perform it following the latest trends in the field of authentic interpretation of ancient music. There is a special interest in performing the Gregorian chants and other medieval music. The group performs a Gregorian choral building it on interpretation references of Neumatic Notations, as well as the latest research in the field of semiology. The programs are mostly performed by male singers. For specific projects the membership of the group is enlarged and female singers are invited to join in to perform compositions for a mixed group of singers. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 14, 2008 | Hits: 299

"Costume Bands presents musicians in period costume for every occasion, from concert performance to weddings, ceilidhs, historical banquets, birthday and anniversary parties, fairs, festivals and much more besides.

Whether you are looking for a solo instrumentalist, a trio or a seven-piece band your needs will be met at this site. The superbly costumed musicians play a wealth of traditional instruments that include lute, cittern, pipe and tabor, harpsichord, serpent, harp, concertina and hurdy-gurdy.

Lively dance tunes, wedding processionals, lusty rounds and tranquil airs... all form part of a repertoire extending from the Mediaeval, Tudor, Stuart and 18th-century eras, to Victorian times.

Musicians represented on this site have provided music for film and TV work, as well as sound tracking for BBC radio productions. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Apr 17, 2008 | Hits: 299

"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: 297

"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: 297

"Il Circolo delle Quinte Vuote”is a vocal and instrumental group which was formed in 1992 by musicians who share the same interest for ancient music.

Italian Renaissance and Baroque music, played with copies of original instruments, and according to a filologic lecture, is the main activity of the ensemble

The group gives several concerts every year, in Italy as well as abroad, always meeting the extreme favour of all kind of spectators.

“Il Circolo” took part in theatrical performances, as well as in international festivals such as the International Music Campus in Latina; the Festival Latina Musica Oggi; the second edition of the International Festival of Ancient Music in Avellino; the International Ferrara Buskers’ Festival; in Germany, Dachau and Munchen; in Prague, in the beautiful baroque frame of Nostilz Palace, at the presence of some members of both the italian and the czech Embassies, and of the Italian Culture Institute; in the International Ancient Music Festival in Var in France, etc. ... " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Jun 29, 2008 | Hits: 297

"With music of the 18th and early 19th centuries, the orchestra, founded in 1985, has earned itself a unique image. Every musician of this independent ensemble may contribute his or her own ideas and each piece is worked through in detail by all involved, This concertanre, or "co-operative collaboration" is the trademark of Concerto Köln. On e can hear it and experience it! " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Jul 17, 2008 | Hits: 296

"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: 296

" German viol player, Peter Wendland and English harpsichordist, David Roblou, are long-established international artists, known on CD through their work with leading early music ensembles: The Rose Consort of Viols and The New London Consort, as well as numerous individual solo appearances worldwide.

After 10 years' giving occasional concerts together, Peter and David have decided to create a new ensemble and are currently offering three innovative programmes: Bach, and two new mixed programmes demonstrating the extraordinary variety of the repertoire, as well as the versatility and imagination of the artists. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Apr 08, 2008 | Hits: 295

“Vision:

Publick Musick seeks to be America's premier period instrument orchestra and choir dedicated to the performance of the music of Johann Sebastian Bach.

Mission:

Publick Musick seeks to achieve its vision through consummate performances of passion and power; devoting equal attention to both vocal and instrumental development and deriving inspiration from the work of the greatest figures of the Early Music revival. All vocal soloists are drawn from the choir, giving Publick Musick's sound a unique combination of clarity and strength. Instrumentalists are leading specialists in period instrument performance and all members share not only a passion for bringing Bach's music to the widest possible audience, but also a dedication to a performance tradition that combines great music making with historical research. ..“

Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Apr 19, 2009 | Hits: 295

"Les Nations, founded by Maria Luisa Baldassari, is a musical group composed by musicians trained in historical performance of baroque and renaissance music, with an improved experience both in practical music, research fields and teaching in conservatories, musical schools, stages and masterclasses. Les Nations has played in many Italian and European festivals. ... " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Jul 01, 2008 | Hits: 294

“La Serenissima was formed in 1994 for a performance of Antonio Vivaldi’s La Senna festeggiante (RV 693) and has now firmly established itself as one of the leading exponents of the music of Antonio Vivaldi and his Italian contemporaries.

La Serenissima has been universally applauded by publications such as Gramophone Magazine, The Sunday Times, BBC Music Magazine, Diapason, Fanfare Magazine, American Record Guide, The Independent, The Strad, La Stampa, Gaudisc, Goldberg Magazine and the London Evening Standard for its performances and recordings on the AVIE label. They have made nine recordings to date and received Gramophone Award nominations in 2008, 2009 and 2010. 2009 also saw ‘Vivaldi — The French Connection’ selected for Gramophone Magazine’s Editor’s Choice and in 2010 this record won a Gramophone Award. Their latest recording, ‘Vivaldi — Gods, Emperors & Angels’ was Record of the Week on Classic FM and on US stations WQXR and KDFC. Both albums reached the top ten of the US Billboard (Classical) Charts in 2010.”

Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Nov 25, 2011 | Hits: 294

“Guido Morini and Marco Beasley founded Accordone in 1984, motivated by a great passion for the music before Bach, for original instruments and for a new musicological approach to problems of interpretation. At the heart of their work is Italian music for voice and basso continuo from the 16th and 17th centuries. The voice of Marco Beasley, immediately recognizable for its beautiful timbre, in perfect stylistic balance with the instruments which accompany him, is the ideal companion for the profound knowledge of instrumental, improvisational and compositional questions cultivated by Guido Morini, and make Accordone a unique ensemble on the European scene.”

Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Oct 14, 2011 | Hits: 293

"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: 292

"The baroque ensemble was founded in 1999 in basel, where all the members of the group studied early music at the schola cantorum basiliensis. The repertoire of la cecchina goes from the end of XVI century until the end of XVII century, during this period the poliphony leaves the protagonism to the accompanied modody, and that offers the possibility to create bridges between two different styles that always appeared clearly separated: the renaissance and the baroque. The ensemble tries to express the way the music of this period developed.
since the founding of la cecchina the ensemble has appeared at various festivals in france, spain, italy, belgium and switzerland. in 2005 the swiss radio drs recorded the group's interpretation of francesca caccini's compositions. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Apr 18, 2008 | Hits: 291