EarlyMusicNews.Org

"Tempesta di Mare performs baroque music on baroque instruments with what the Philadelphia City Paper describes as “zest and virtuosity that transcends style and instrumentation.” Led by co-directors Gwyn Roberts and Richard Stone with concertmaster Emlyn Ngai, Tempesta di Mare's repertoire ranges from staged opera with full orchestra to chamber music. Tempesta di Mare is named for baroque master Antonio Vivaldi’s concerto meaning “storm at sea,” a title reflecting composers’ belief in the power of their music to evoke drama. Roberts and Stone founded Tempesta in 1996 to pursue their ideal of baroque music as a rhetorical, dramatic art form. The group’s debut CD of recorder sonatas by Veracini, released that year on PGM, received BBC Music Magazine's highest rating, with such praise as “world-class virtuosity” and “breathtaking results.” ... " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 18, 2008 | Hits: 501

“Sinfonia New York is a period instrument orchestra that specializes in historically informed, vibrant performances of 17th, 18th and early 19th century music.

Since its debut on October 1st, 2007 at The Town Hall in New York City the group has established itself as a première ensemble that presents old music in thrilling new ways. …

Sinfonia New York was co-founded by Artistic Director Christine Gummere and Executive Director Gene Murrow.  The orchestra has a two-fold mission: to create work for seasoned musicians as well as young players just starting their careers, providing them with an environment that encourages their best playing; and to perform music by famous and lesser-known baroque and classical composers in period style.

Under the leadership of John Scott, the orchestra has received critical acclaim for the high quality of its playing.  As the Sinfonia Players the group has excelled in presenting chamber concerts featuring music from Monteverdi to Mendelssohn.”

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Added on: Oct 22, 2011 | Hits: 200

“Emerging in the early 1980s as a grass-roots cooperative of musicians, the [Portland Baroque Orchestra (PBO)] orchestra has matured as a polished, professional organization with a loyal and committed audience that now numbers some 1000 subscription ticket holders and 1100 single-ticket purchasers. The group offers performances in downtown Portland at the First Baptist Church and at Kaul Auditorium on the Reed College campus.

PBO inhabits a modest yet critical niche in the Portland arts community. PBO’s highly specialized orchestral mission complements the Oregon Symphony’s broader purpose. Its narrow focus contrasts well with Friends of Chamber Music and Chamber Music Northwest and its vocal offerings are on a different scale from those of Portland Opera. PBO joins the others to offer the classical music lover a multi-faceted array of options.

The Portland Baroque Orchestra specializes in performing baroque and classical music on original instruments, or replicas, from the time the music was composed. These instruments, and the techniques used to play them, produce an orchestral texture very different from that of their modern counterparts. The improvisation and wit of historically informed performance practices add freshness, clarity, and vitality to the music of Buxtehude, Corelli, Purcell, Scarlatti, Bach, Telemann, Couperin, Vivaldi, Handel, Mozart, Beethoven and many others, linking us directly to a rich and vital past.

PBO’s artistic excellence places it squarely within the ranks of the best baroque orchestras in North America and Europe. Many consider music director Monica Huggett to be the premier baroque violinist performing today. A growing list of the world’s best singers, guest conductors, and instrumentalists in the field of baroque performance now consider Portland an important addition to their musical resumes.”

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Added on: Mar 28, 2012 | Hits: 124

"Established as a chamber ensemble in 1976, the Philomel Baroque Orchestra is now Philadelphia’s foremost baroque ensemble performing concerts of early music. Core members of the Philomel Baroque Orchestra also perform as the Philomel Baroque Quintet. Philomel's activities include a major series of 12 to 15 early music concerts Philadelphia and environs; touring engagements; recording; radio broadcasts; and community outreach programs to elderly audiences, public school students, and young listeners and their parents. In addition, Philomel Baroque Orchestra recently initiated a series of programs presenting the music and arts of early Philadelphia in a number of the city’s leading historic sites. Performances introduce tourists, regional audiences, and local students to everyday life in the cultural capital of the emerging nation. " See website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Feb 23, 2008 | Hits: 517

"Named Musical America's "Ensemble of the Year" for 2004, San Francisco's Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra has been dedicated to historically-informed performance of Baroque, Classical and early-Romantic music on original instruments since its inception in 1981.

Under the leadership of Nicholas McGegan, its Music Director since 1985, Philharmonia has become "an ensemble for early music as fine as any in the world today" (Los Angeles Times). The Orchestra performs a subscription season in four cities in the San Francisco Bay Area, and is regularly heard on tour in the United States and internationally. In addition to Mr. McGegan, the Orchestra has welcomed eminent guest conductors to its podium including William Christie, Andrew Parrott, Jordi Savall, Gustav Leonhardt, Monica Huggett and Stanley Ritchie. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 08, 2008 | Hits: 394

"In a few short years, The New York Collegium has earned a reputation as one of North America’s very finest baroque bands. Renowned conductor, author, and historian Andrew Parrott has distinguished the work of The Collegium with performances of the highest caliber and programs that connect music making to the social, political, religious and literary milieu of its creation. The ensemble’s players and singers are all specialists in performing in the musical styles of the 17th and 18th centuries; many were pioneers in the field of historically informed performance and have regularly performed in the most prestigious festivals and ensembles in Europe. The New York Collegium has been featured on broadcasts on WNYC New York Public Radio, WGBH in Boston, Colorado Public Radio and NPR’s Performance Today, and has made guest appearances at BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music), The Metropolitan Museum and The Savannah Music Festival. A concert by The New York Collegium will be the featured performance to open The Bach Festival of Philadelphia in March 2007.

The Collegium also maintains an innovative teaching residency in New York City public schools, providing recorder, percussion and classical guitar instruction to entire classrooms of 2nd to 8th grade children. Recorder virtuoso Nina Stern, the Director of Education for The New York Collegium, has received honors for her educational work, including an Endicott Fellowship in 2003 and the “Early Music Brings History Alive” award from Early Music America in 2005. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 08, 2008 | Hits: 370

"Hailed by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution as "one of Atlanta's most prized ensembles" New Trinity Baroque is recognized as o­ne of USA's leading baroque orchestras and early music ensembles. Founded in London in 1998, the group was initially established as an ensemble of international musicians, and since then it continues to maintain this presence through working closely with both U.S. and international artists. Founded by the young conductor and harpsichordist, Predrag Gosta, the ensemble's home base is Atlanta, where it continues its mission by presenting over 25 concerts and educational events each season" ...

Added on: Jul 13, 2005 | Hits: 347

“Sixty of the Chicago area’s finest professional musicians make up the chorus and orchestra of Music of the Baroque. Many have played and sung for years with the ensemble. Most members of the orchestra also perform with other leading groups, including the Chicago Symphony and Lyric Opera. Chorus members have active operatic, teaching and recital careers and several perform regularly as soloists with Music of the Baroque. The opportunity to perform early repertoire at a very high artistic level with fellow fine musicians keeps ensemble members coming back concert after concert.“

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Added on: Feb 19, 2012 | Hits: 166

“Now completing its 11th season, Mercury has inspired and exhilarated listeners in Houston and beyond. Mercury reaches over 20,000 audience members every year with its signature sound, passion for music, as well as its charm and dynamism. Mercury presents more than
50 concerts every season, including a world class series of performances at the Wortham Center, community concerts around the greater Houston area, and tours both domestically and internationally. Last season, Mercury made its European debut with five critically acclaimed performances of Lully's opera Armide in Paris. In addition to the orchestra's prolific performances, Mercury is devoted to educating Houston's future musicians. Most recently, Mercury established a groundbreaking partnership with YES Prep Public Schools, where Mercury musicians teach private lessons, chamber music and orchestra classes to the students of the West Campus. Mercury's educational outreach programs have touched the lives of more than 10,000 children in the past 5 years alone.”

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Added on: Mar 29, 2012 | Hits: 107

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Tags: IndyBaroque Music, Inc.; Ensemble Voltaire; 

Added on: Mar 29, 2012 | Hits: 129

"After an enthusiastically received inaugural season, The Grand Tour Orchestra continues its exploration of the Musical Enlightenment (ca. 1750-1800). The variety of music in this period is astonishing and abounds with both well-known and neglected masterpieces. Using the instruments and performance practices befitting the era, the ensemble brings the full range of late-18th century musical art into a more clear and exciting focus.

The musicians of the Grand Tour Orchestra come from both the period-instrument and modern instrument scenes and fill the ranks of such renowned ensembles as The Orchestra of St. Luke's, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, The New York Collegium, the Four Nations Ensemble and the Mark Morris Dance Group Ensemble. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Aug 06, 2008 | Hits: 398

“Declared “unquestionably in the top-tier of Renaissance vocal ensembles in the Northeast” by Boston Musical Intelligencer and hailed for its “stunningly unified ensemble sound” by The Carlisle Mosquito, Exsultemus [ek-sul-TAY-mus] was founded in 2003 to explore remarkable but seldom-performed Renaissance and Baroque vocal works, taking advantage of the multitude of fine soloists in the Boston area and making use of the most recent research into historically-informed performance. Exsultemus has performed more than three dozen original programs, from liturgical reconstructions of Renaissance Vespers services to Telemann’s St. John Passion of 1737. Taking its name from the Latin for “let us rejoice,” Exsultemus is modeled after small estate and chapel choirs with musicians performing one on a part and without conductor, working rather as a chamber ensemble than a traditional choir and offering audiences vibrant and engaging performances.

Since its founding by soprano and Andover native Shannon Canavin, Exsultemus has presented an annual concert series at the First Lutheran Church of Boston, where it is Ensemble-in-Residence, and in various locations throughout Greater Boston, as well as appearances in Germany and Belgium. Exsultemus dedicates an annual concert to music of the Iberian Peninsula and the New World that include free community outreach concerts. Their 2011 collaboration with Newton Baroque to present Georg Philipp Telemann’s 1726 liturgical cantata cycle Harmonischer Gottesdienst was hailed by the Boston Globe as “especially welcome” and heralded by the Boston Musical Intelligencer as “an intimate and joyful musical experience.” Exsultemus has appeared with Connecticut Early Music Festival, Society for Historically Informed Performance, Clark Art Institute, WHRB, WGBH, and WCRB, and was featured on audio tours at the Wadsworth Atheneum (Worcester, MA) and the Folger Shakespeare Library (Washington, DC).”

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Added on: Mar 29, 2012 | Hits: 142

"EARLY MUSIC NEW YORK - FREDERICK RENZ, DIRECTOR (EMNY) reaps international acclaim for vibrant and provocative performances of historically informed repertoire from the Middle Ages through the Classical eras. In New York City, EMNY can be heard/seen in an annual subscription series "In-Residence" at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, St. James Church (presented by the Early Music Foundation). In addition, EMNY is frequently invited to perform for The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Cloisters, the Pierpont Morgan Library, the Hayden Planetarium, Columbia University, the Bronx Botanical Gardens, the Century Club, as well as other select New York City venues. ... "

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Added on: Aug 05, 2008 | Hits: 439

"To advance our community’s appreciation for music from the Middle Ages through the 18th century by providing performances, support, and education."

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Added on: Feb 26, 2008 | Hits: 505

“Crescendo's mission: 

To bring an innovative approach to rarely heard choral and instrumental music, sacred and secular, performed by amateurs and processionals with the Crescendo Period Instrument Orchestra; and to provide workshops and master classes in the musical arts - both in northwestern Connecticut and nearby New York and Massachusetts.“

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Added on: Mar 02, 2012 | Hits: 167

"The Clarion Music Society is a period-instrument orchestra committed to performing lost or neglected works from the 18th and 19th centuries in addition to well-known masterworks from these periods that are rarely heard on authentic instruments.

What Sets Clarion Apart from Other Orchestras?

The Clarion Music Society is unique among American orchestras in three fundamental areas:

Rediscovery and Performance of Lost Masterworks – Clarion performs 18th and 19th-century works that have been lost or that are rarely heard by American audiences, works rediscovered through the most intensive and discerning musicological research.

Breadth of Repertoire – Unlike most other American period-instrument orchestras, Clarion includes in its repertoire music from not only the Baroque, but also the Classical and Romantic periods. Clarion performs these works on period instruments and following the performance practice of the time.

International Artists – Clarion frequently features international soloists of the highest caliber, particularly young artists who have not yet had the chance to perform in New York. " Visit website for more details. (ed.)

Added on: Aug 05, 2008 | Hits: 625

"The Boston Camerata preserves and reawakens human memory as expressed through the art of music. It accomplishes this mission through live, historically informed, professional performances of European and American music of the Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque eras; through study and research into musical sources of the past; through sound recordings and media projects; and through community outreach and musical education.

Founded in 1954, The Boston Camerata was associated until 1974 with the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. Since 1968, Joel Cohen has directed the ensemble's teaching, research, recording and concert activities. Camerata began touring overseas in 1974, and has maintained an international presence ever since. In recent seasons, Camerata has been heard in Canada, England, Spain, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, the Netherlands, Singapore, and Israel.. In the United States, Camerata has participated in recent early music festivals at Berkeley and San Antonio, as well as in most of the biennial Boston Early Music Festivals from 1981 to 1993. The ensemble has maintained an extensive touring schedule across the entire United States. Camerata's second, third and fourth invitations to the renowned Tanglewood Festival came in 1992, 1994 and 1995, respectively. Camerata undertook its first Japanese tour in 1995; it gave its first Scandinavian performances in 1996. The group's first invitation to participate in the Kalamazoo Medieval Institute came in 1997. A widely praised national tour of Cantigas in 2000 marked Camerata’s first collaboration with the Sharq Arabic Music Ensemble; the two groups most recently appeared together in Paris in April, 2007. Camerata celebrated its fiftieth anniversary in 2005 with festive productions in Boston (Boston Early Music Festival) and Paris (Théatre de la Ville). At the latter appearance, director Joel Cohen was decorated by the French government. " See website for more details. (ed.)

Added on: Feb 18, 2008 | Hits: 424

"Three-time Grammy Nominee Boston Baroque—the first permanent Baroque orchestra established in North America—is now widely regarded as this country's leading period-instrument orchestra and chorus. The ensemble's performances and recordings of the Baroque and Classical repertoire have been acclaimed from Boston to London, from New York to Vienna to Sao Paulo for their freshness, virtuosity, and exuberant appeal.

Founded in 1973 by Martin Pearlman, Boston Baroque presents an annual subscription concert series in Greater Boston and reaches an international audience with its critically acclaimed recording series on Telarc. Boston Baroque made its European debut in April 2003, performing Handel's Messiah to sold-out houses and standing ovations in Krakow and Warsaw, Poland. The ensemble celebrated its thirtieth anniversary in 2003–2004 with a tour of the Monteverdi Vespers to major American music centers, including the Tanglewood and Ravinia Festivals and its West Coast debut in Los Angeles's Disney Hall. " See website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 12, 2008 | Hits: 393

“The Baroque Orchestra of New Jersey (BONJ), founded by Conductor/Music Director Robert W. Butts in 1996, originally specialized in the music of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries: the Baroque and Classical eras. The Orchestra now performs a wide variety of symphonic, chamber and operatic classical music from all periods.

Initially performing at the historic Darress Theatre in Boonton, the Orchestra became the ensemble in residence at Grace Episcopal Church in Madison in 2002.  In 2008, the BONJ moved to a beautiful new auditorium for its larger concerts- Dolan Hall in the Annunciation Center at the College of St. Elizabeth's, in Convent Station.

As part of its mission, the Orchestra inaugurated in March, 2003 its free annual Family Concert, produced to encourage young people and families to enjoy the orchestra concert experience.  To encourage the development and recognition of classical music students, the BONJ sponsors the Pearl and Julius Young Rising Starts Music Competition.  Winners of the competition, and other young musicians, are given the opportunity to play with the Baroque Orchestra.

In August of 2006, BONJ offered its first Summer Festival of Baroque Music at Grace Church in Madison. The Festival, which has become an annual event, offers a great variety of musical and related performances in the space of a week.“

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Added on: Aug 04, 2011 | Hits: 325

"Baroque Etcetera is an instrumental and vocal group that strives for historically-informed performance practice. We play at baroque pitch (A=415) on historical wind instruments, including flute, recorder, oboe and bassoon, and our string players use gut strings, baroque bows and baroque bowing techniques. But we've been known to slip in some Mozart and Shannon under the umbrella of "etcetera"! " See website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 02, 2008 | Hits: 776

" ... The musicians of Baroque Band are looking forward to launching this new orchestra and offering an exciting new addition to Chicago’s rich cultural landscape. ..."

Added on: Apr 15, 2007 | Hits: 528

"The Bach Sinfonia is a Maryland-based non-profit organization that is dedicated to excellence in performance and public education regarding eighteenth-century music. Currently in its thirteenth season, Sinfonia presents a series of unique educational concerts, open dress rehearsals, and listening lectures regarding music from the eighteenth century. Sinfonia strives to create programs that differ from the standard classical music concert by providing performances that are not just listening entertainments but also learning experiences.

Each historically-informed performance is programmed on a theme chosen by artistic director and musicologist Daniel Abraham to inform the listener about the genres, sociology, and performance practices of the eighteenth century. Played by early music specialists, the programs are interspersed with musical and historical discussions aimed to help further audience appreciation and understanding of the music. The Washington Post and various area news organizations have recognized Sinfonia's continuing excellence in performance and education.

As part of our mission, Sinfonia also conducts research into music and performance techniques of the eighteenth-century. Throughout our past seasons, we have presented a number of significant modern-premieres and programs including: the first hearing in North America of Handel's Gloria (rediscovered in 2002), the modern premiere of Marie Emannuel Bayon-Louis' comic opera Fleur d'Épine, and the first complete performance in North America of Johann Sebastian Bach's Alles mit Gott und nichts mit ohn' ihn, BWV 1127 (rediscovered June 2005) in concert at the 2005 National Meeting of the American Musicological Society (AMS). The major work heard on the AMS program, Handel's Alexander's Feast, along with a recording of BWV 1127, was released internationally on Dorian Records in the fall of 2006. " See website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 12, 2008 | Hits: 458

"In the fall of 1997, a group of Atlanta musicians met to organize the first permanent period instrument orchestra in the Southeast--the Atlanta Baroque Orchestra. The ABO gave its premiere concert in January 1998, and since then the ABO has grown to be one of the best orchestras of its type in North America ... " See website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 03, 2008 | Hits: 706

"Taking its name from the classical god of music and the sun, Apollo's Fire is dedicated to the performance of 17th and 18th century music on the period instruments for which it was written. The ensemble unites a select pool of renowned early music specialists from throughout North America and Europe."

Added on: Apr 10, 2007 | Hits: 550

"AROW was founded in 2000 and comprises dedicated, enthusiastic musicians who live throughout Northern California. AROW musicians play the entire recorder family, from sopranino to contrabass. Monthly rehearsals are held on Saturdays in the fall, winter & early spring months. The American Recorder Orchestra of the West has a reputation for embarking on explorations and programs of music that one would not expect recorders to dare to play. In recent years AROW has performed German, French, English, Medieval, and Eastern European programs which have included both the formal and the folk sides of national musical traditions. AROW has played music that ranges through the history of Western Music. " See website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 02, 2008 | Hits: 368