EarlyMusicNews.Org

"Les Voix Baroques is a professional chamber ensemble dedicated to historically informed performances and recordings of unexplored 17th and 18th century repertoire for voices and instruments. Founded in 1999, the group has a regular concert series of baroque vocal and instrumental programs. The ensemble regularly invites both young singers and world-renowned guest artists and singers to perform with them. Les Voix Baroques has been the ensemble in residence at Christ Church Cathedral in Montreal since January 1999. In January 2004 Les Voix Baroques was awarded the 2004 Cannes International Classical Award for their 2003 release Elegeia, produced by Analekta. In March 2004 the group, fronted by Canadian soprano Shannon Mercer, participated in Prarie Debut that saw them perform in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Les Voix Baroques has toured in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, has performed at The Ottawa Chamber Music Festival, The Ponticello Music Series, the West Brome Concert Series, CBC McGill, CBC o­nStage, and Le Festival de l’Art Vocal" ...

Added on: Jul 06, 2005 | Hits: 768

" The MadriGALS are an enchanting a cappella trio who sing the music of the Renaissance with beauty, elegance-and an irrepressible sense of fun. Three very different women, the GALS bring an eclectic range of vocal backgrounds to their ensemble, including opera, folk, jazz and musical theatre. But the unity in this diversity is their common background in theatre, which leads them to approach Renaissance music from the point of view of its stories and history, for the human richness embedded in the music. " See website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Feb 23, 2008 | Hits: 334

“Masques is a Montreal-based early music ensemble founded in 1998, performing vocal and instrumental music of the 16th and 17th centuries. The name of the ensemble is inspired by the masques of Elizabethan England - mystical performances that fused poetry, music, dance and drama.

The ensemble has become a meeting point for Canada's young musicians. Masques also collaborates regularly with up and coming European talents, thereby maintaining close ties with musicians of diverse backgrounds.

All of the musicians of Masques have enviable concert experience and regularly perform as soloists and chamber musicians throughout Canada, the United States and Europe with such ensembles as Capriccio, Stravagante, Tafelmusik, La Petitie Bande and Les Voix Humaines. While maintaining a core ensemble, Masques varies in size according to the demands of each project it presents. ...“

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Added on: Aug 18, 2007 | Hits: 625

"Réjouissance was founded in 1995 by Halifax musicians Karen Langille and Ivor Rothwell, both long time members of Symphony Nova Scotia. The ensemble specializes in the performance of 17th and 18th century music on period instruments, in historically informed style.

The name “Réjouissance,” used by 18th century composers as a title for certain especially delightful pieces, means rejoicing or merrymaking, sensibilities the ensemble strives to instill in their performances. Often, the musicians perform in 18th century costume and by candle light.

Réjouissance draws most of its repertoire from the vast collections of European instrumental music; from early 17th century Italian composers such as Uccellini and Fontana , to great 18th century German masters like Bach, Handel and Telemann. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Apr 17, 2008 | Hits: 350

" 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: 380

"Sine Nomine (founded in 1991) performs the vocal and instrumental music of Europe transmitted in manuscripts from the tenth to the fifteenth century (or earlier, when it can be reasonably recovered). Concerts are structured around the music of a particular country, period, genre, or are thematically organized to allow for both depth of preparation and coherence in presentation. As historically-informed performance is best when evanescent sound is buoyed by learning worn lightly, so Sine Nomine strives to create a performance atmosphere both relaxed and informal, gently removing the barriers between audience and performer so often found in classical music." See website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Apr 15, 2007 | Hits: 507

“Spiritus Ensemble is a vocal and instrumental ensemble based in Kitchener-Waterloo, dedicated to the performance of great religious music, especially the cantatas Johann Sebastian Bach.”

Note: this link leads to this group’s Facebook site and is only accessible is you have a Facebook account. (ed.)

Added on: Jul 15, 2011 | Hits: 305

“The STUDIO DE MUSIQUE ANCIENNE DE MONTRÉAL is dedicated to performing and promoting musical works written prior to 1750, with the intention of recreating and reintroducing this forgotten music, taking great care to maintain its authenticity. With its professional vocal ensemble, it premieres and presents concerts, and produces audiovisual recordings in Canada and abroad. …”

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Added on: Mar 28, 2012 | Hits: 112

“Tempest is Halifax's innovative Baroque music ensemble on period instruments led by internationally acclaimed violinist David Greenberg. Other members of the group include Symphony Nova Scotia musicians Kirsty Money (vln/vla), Karen Langille (vln), Celeste Jankowski (vln/vla), Hilary Brown (cello), and Max Kasper (double bass).

Since its creation in January 2001, Tempest has presented numerous concerts and has recorded for CBC radio and television. Tempest has collaborated with artists such as Chris Norman (flute, director of The Chris Norman Ensemble, and the Boxwood Festival, Lunenburg), Francis Colpron (recorder, director of Les Boréades, Montreal), David McGuinness (keyboards, director of Concerto Caledonia, Glasgow), Matthew Wadworth (lute, Montreal), as well as Nova Scotia's own Scott Macmillan (guitar). Tempest has been the orchestra-in-residence at the Boxwood Festival since 2006.”

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Added on: Mar 28, 2012 | Hits: 115

"Founded by Artistic Director and Conductor Daniel Taylor, the Choir and Orchestra of the Theatre of Early Music (TEM) are sought-after interpreters of magnificent yet neglected choral and instrumental repertoire from four centuries. Their appearances include stunning a cappella programmes, with practices and aesthetics of former ages informing thought-provoking, passionate and committed reconstructions of music for historical events and major works from the oratorio tradition.

With Daniel Taylor, the Choir and Orchestra of the TEM are new visitors to the world's most renowned concert halls and festivals and are building an exciting discography in partnership with Sony Classical Masterworks. …"

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Added on: Apr 15, 2007 | Hits: 528

"The Toronto Consort is Canada’s leading chamber ensemble specializing in the music of the Middle Ages, Renaissance, and early Baroque. Some of Canada’s leading early music specialists have come together to form the Toronto Consort, whose members include both singers and instrumentalists (lute, recorder, guitar, flute, early keyboards and percussion). " See website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Apr 13, 2007 | Hits: 462

"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: 326

“Founded in 2009 in Geneva by Pierre-Louis Rétat, harpsichordist and director, all Chioma d'Oro has chosen to explore the world of Baroque music through the relationship between text and music. “

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Added on: Sep 30, 2011 | Hits: 251

"The Elyma Ensemble is made up of singers and instrumentialists specialising in Latin music of the Renaissance and the Baroque period, and has long been active in the rediscovery of early Latin American music. It has also gained international recognition for its interpretation of 17th century italian compositions.

Founded in Geneva in 1981, The Elyma Ensemble continues to be based there and is directed by its founder, Gabriel Garrido ... "

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Added on: Jul 15, 2008 | Hits: 330

"The ensemble Peregrina researches and performs the repertories of twelfth to fourteenth century Europe, specializing in vocal polyphony for equal voices. The sacred and secular music of the Middle Ages, such as the organa and conductus of high medieval Notre Dame, aquitanian nova cantica and the motets of manuscripts from Montpellier and Bamberg provide a rich bounty of repertory for three voices, and serve as the backbone of the ensemble Peregrina's current work. " See website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Feb 10, 2008 | Hits: 559

"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: 395

“The mezzo-soprano Anne Marieke Evers and the blockflute player Anita Orme Della Marta met at the beginning of their musical studies at the Conservatorium of Amsterdam in September 1997. They formed a duo shortly after, specializing in both contemporary music as well as medieval and renaissance music. Later in their careers, their paths led them to pursue further studies in medieval music at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, Switzerland, where they met the other ensemble members of Grand Désir. It was here that a common interest in the late-medieval music brought the group together in December 2004. Aside a few fixed members, Grand Désir likes to work with different musicians for each individual programme, thus creating the flexibility to obtain the perfect instrumentation for each project. Grand Désir performed their premiere in the ‘Fringe’ programme of the Utrecht Early Music Festival 2005. The ensemble has given numerous performances since in the Netherlands, Switzerland and Australia.”

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Added on: Nov 24, 2011 | Hits: 210

"Il Desiderio was founded in 1998 by Hans-Jakob Zinkenisten Bollinger."

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Added on: Apr 20, 2008 | Hits: 342

“What is Profondo Il?

We are an eight-person basso continuo ensemble. As our name suggests, can we just play bass or bass instruments: cello, double bass, lute, theorbo, harpsichord, organ, etc.”

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Added on: Jul 21, 2011 | Hits: 213

Anas Chen violin
Johannes Keller harpsichord

“L'Istante - irretrievable moment in a live performance. The moment when the musical language of a bygone era speaks to us today. The music of the Baroque period has a lot to say. But if we play as a musician today for a contemporary audience, it is despite all the knowledge of the former Performance Practice can never be an exact reconstruction. For us this is not the most important. The music is as vivid contrast to a recent, perhaps even strange world can speak to us. L'Istante maintains a close cooperation with the basso continuo ensemble Il Profondo.”

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Added on: Jul 21, 2011 | Hits: 182

"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: 271

"LA MORRA performs European music of the period roughly defined by the dates 1300 and 1500 (traditionally referred to as 'late Medieval' and/or 'early Renaissance') with occasional escapades outside this time frame. The ensemble pays particular attention to the secular art song, sacred para-liturgical genres and instrumental music.

Formed in 2000, LA MORRA (named after Heinrich Isaac's famous instrumental fantasia) has rapidly made its way on to the stages of Europe's most prestigious early music festivals and concert series (including 'Festival van Vlaanderen', 'Netwerk' and 'Holland Festival Oude Muziek', 'Rencontres de Musique Médiévale du Thoronet', 'Freunde Alter Musik in Basel' and 'Il Canto delle Pietre'). Numerous live performances, broadcasts and the four CD releases that have appeared to date (see Discography) have contributed to establishing LA MORRA as one of the leading formations in the field, with a reputation for both varied, evocative and thoroughly researched programs and "virtuoso", "seductive" and "plausible" (Diapason) interpretations.

The ensemble is based in Basel (North-West Switzerland), home of the prestigious Schola Cantorum Basiliensis where the performance and theory of 'early music' have been taught for over 70 years. LA MORRA consists mainly of former students of the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis (usually four to eight vocalists and instrumentalists) and adapts to the requirements of each new concert or recording project. " See website for more details. (ed.)

Added on: Feb 18, 2008 | Hits: 407

“The instrumental ensemble Les Cornets Noirs have made their name in specializing in music of the Italian and German early Baroque.

The six musicians of different musical backgrounds met during their of study at the Schola Cantorum (Basel) …”

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Added on: Jun 03, 2011 | Hits: 249

"The members of vox suavis came together, fascinated by the beauty of traditional spanish art and the excellence of its interpretation. They are eager to revive certain aspects of a type of music on the verge of disappearing. the group has taken on the work and the message of personalities such as felipe pedrell, kurt schindler, alan lomax, joaquín díaz and garcía matos, ethnomusicologists and composers. They are known for speaking out for a musical culture based on oral tradition which has an immense richness and artistic force. vox suavis aims to build bridges between medieval and renaissance music and popular music of an oral tradition. One of its assumptions is that studying the interpretation of traditional music facilitates the interpretation of early music. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Apr 18, 2008 | Hits: 428

"Founded in 1993 at the Institute of Music of the Catholic University of Chile, this vocal and instrumental group has been engaged in research and interpretation and teaching about musical repertoires of the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and Baroque, focusing its work in recent years to draft interpretation of Baroque repertoire, led by Gina Allende and Sergio Candia. ... " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Jul 30, 2008 | Hits: 319