EarlyMusicNews.Org

“Born in South Tyrol, Johannes Pramsohler completed his modern violin studies at the Conservatory ‘Claudio Monteverdi' in Bozen before going to London to study with Jack Glickman at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. During this time he started taking lessons on the Baroque violin from Rachel Podger, with whom he then continued his studies.

In 2005 Johannes moved to Paris where to study at the Conservatoire National de Région with Patrick Bismuth, and has since gone on to establish himself as a successful soloist and chamber musician, performing throughout Europe and playing with many of the leading period instrument orchestras. He was a member of the European Union Baroque Orchestra and is regularly invited to play with Concerto Köln, Les Arts Florissants, The English Concert and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. International concert tours have taken him to all major European concert halls, to North and South America and to the Near East.

Alongside his work as artistic director and leader of the International Baroque Players and with his own chamber music group Ensemble Diderot Johannes is enjoying an increasingly busy career as a recitalist and orchestra leader; he has given solo concerts at major festivals in France, Spain, Germany and Italy. Johannes regularly leads Le Concert d'Astrée (Emmanuelle Haïm) and the Britten-Pears Baroque Orchestra and recorded extensively for Sony, Channel Classics and Virgin.

Future engagements include solo recitals at festivals in Europe and his London South Bank debut with violin concertos by Leclair. In January 2011 he will be on stage at the Paris Opéra Garnier in a new production of Handel's Giulio Cesare directed by Laurent Pelly and conducted by Emmanuelle Haim. March 2011 will see him directing the Polish baroque orchestra Arte dei Suonatori in a programme of Heinichen, Bach and Telemann concertos.

Since October 2007 Johannes has played on the famous ‘P. G. Rogeri' from 1713, previously owned by Reinhard Goebel.”

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Added on: Nov 08, 2012 | Hits: 180

“Born in 1963 at Lignières in Central France, Gilles Chabenat began playing the hurdy-gurdy at 13 with Les Thiaulins, an association devoted to folk arts and traditions. Following private lessons with Georges Simon, he won several music awards and subsequently devoted himself to his region’s traditional repertoire with a desire to branch out into other musical styles.

In the wake of Valentin Clastrier, he thus felt the need to reinvent the instrument and the playing techniques associated with it. Around that time and after several years of research, luthier Denis Siorat developed a contemporary-style electro-acoustic instrument which facilitated the integration of the hurdy-gurdy into the modern musical experience.

In 1992, Gilles Chabenat thus began a twelve-year partnership with the Corsican group I Muvrini. During that period, he met and worked with a number of artists : Véronique Sanson, Florent Pagny, Stephan Eicher, Jean-Jacques Goldman, Sting, as well as Frédéric Paris, Edouard Papazian, Alain Bonnin, and Gabriel Yacoub.
More recently, he has been collaborating with jazz musicians such as Vincent Mascart, Jacques Mahieux, Alain Bruel, Alain Gibert, and Jean-Marc Padovani in a number of creative works, including a theatrical reading of Enzo Corman.  In addition, his hurdy-gurdy can be heard in a Jannick Top composition written for Pierre Jolivet’s film « Le Frère du Guerrier ».  He also works regularly with Eric Montbel, Didier François, a Nyckelharpa player, Gabriel Yacoub and Patrick Bouffard. ..“

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Added on: Sep 20, 2009 | Hits: 300

"Gerard REBOURS is the only French holder of the Diplôme Supérieur in baroque guitar from the Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris, and was the first musician to obtain the Diplôme d'Etat in renaissance and baroque guitar.

In addition to a solo and duet recording he has made a CD with the group "Les Sonneurs", another with the "Compagnie Maitre Guillaume", has recorded music on historical instruments for the Paris "Cité de la Musique" and has performed on the sound track of several films such as Pirates (Polanski), Cyrano de Bergerac (Rappeneau), Mansart (Delaborde). ... " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Apr 19, 2008 | Hits: 355

“François Joubert-Caillet studied viola da gamba with Paolo Pandolfo at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis (Basle, Switzerland).
 
He plays with La Cappella Mediterranea, Ensemble Clematis (Leonardo Garcia Alarcon), La Chapelle Rhénane (Benoît Haller), Mare Nostrum (Andrea de Carlo), and Paolo Pandolfo with whom he records for Glossa, Ambronay, K617, ZigZag Territoires and Ricercar.
 
He won the 1st Prize and the Public Prize at Bruges International Early Music Ensemble Competition and is invited to give concerts, recitals, and masterclasses in Europe, Asia and South America.“

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Added on: Sep 30, 2011 | Hits: 235

“Eric Bellocq studied the guitar with Alexandre Lagoya at the Paris Conservatory, where he also graduated with a First Prize. He played the theorbo in the Baroque ensemble Les Arts Florissants, directed by William Christie from 1983 to 1990. He also regularly took part in opera productions and concert performances with La Chapelle Royale, Les Musiciens du Louvre, Les Talens Lyriques, La Grande Ecurie et la Chambre du Roy, Le Concert Spirituel, Akâdemia, Le concert d'Astrée and La Fenice. ..”

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Added on: May 18, 2009 | Hits: 410

Baroque string ensemble.

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Added on: Jul 27, 2009 | Hits: 312

Cyril Gilbert, Lutenist. Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Apr 20, 2008 | Hits: 313

"Born in Holland in 1961 and after his cello studies Coen Engelhard is living in France, where he learns to play the viola da gamba and how to make them.

In Foix (Pyrenees) he discovered an unknown manuscript of viola da gamba music which he has revived. The CD ‘Le Manuscrit de Foix’ is part of this adventure.

Since 1996 Coen has been teaching viola da gamba at the Conservatory of Toulouse. He is an appreciated gamba soloist in Bach's Passions and is leader of Consortoulouse. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Aug 04, 2008 | Hits: 397

"1st prize in cello playing under André Navarra at the Paris Conservatory. Completes his studies in early music in Vienna with Nikolaus Harnoncourt and viola da gamba with Jordi Savall at the Schola Cantorum in Basel.

Together with Erich Höbarth, Andrea Bischof and Anita Mitterer, he founded the Quatuor Mosaïques in 1984. The quartet is specialised in music from Vienna classic repertoire.

Besides activities as a chamber musician, Christophe Coin is regularly invited as a soloist and conductor in France and abroad.

Since 1991, he has directed the Ensemble Baroque de Limoges in a repertoire of 17th and 18th century music.

Musician and research worker, he has organised international Symposa to examine playing techniques and fabrication of early instruments since 1992 in Limoges.

His recordings have been well-received by the critics; two Gramophone Awards successively for Haydn's Opus 20 and Opus 33 quartets played by the Quatuor Mosaïques, and a Classical Music Victoire Award for his recording of the “cello piccolo” cantatas by Bach with the Ensemble Baroque de Limoges.

Christophe Coin teaches at the Paris Conservatory and at the Schola Cantorum in Basel. "

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Added on: Aug 04, 2008 | Hits: 371

"Benjamin Narvey was born in Montréal in 1978 and began his musical training at the Royal Conservatory of Music (Toronto). Upon completion of his conservatory training in classical guitar in Canada, he took a Bachelor of Music degree from the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London, where he studied the lute and continuo with David Miller. Benjamin has also benefited musically from studies with Paul O'Dette, Nigel North, Robert Barto, Pat O'Brien, Stephen Stubbs, Jacob Heringman, Elizabeth Kenny, and William Carter on the lute, as he has further refined various aspects of period practice with Emma Kirkby, Anthony Rooley, Rachel Podger, Nancy Hadden, Stephen Preston, Nicholas Parle, Pamela Thorby, and Rachel Brown. After having taken a Master of Studies degree from the University of Oxford in 2004, where he researched elements of enlightenment tonal theory with special reference to the writings of Jean-Philippe Rameau, Benjamin has continued at Oxford pursuing the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Music. In 2005, Benjamin was awarded the Lute Society of America Scholarship, and became the Invited Lecturer and Guest Performer at the Lute Society of AmericaWestern Seminar 2005, which was held in conjunction with the Vancouver Early Music Festival (Canada). Benjamin currently resides in Paris where he pursues his research, whilst continuing as an active professional lutenist performing both as a soloist and with numerous singers and ensembles. Recent performance highlights include appearances at the Brighton Early Music Festival, the City of London Festival, the Mars en Baroque Festival (Marseille & Aix-en-Provence) and in concerts accompanying singers Matthew Vine, Robert MacDonald, and Ian Honeyman."

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Added on: Apr 19, 2008 | Hits: 389

“Thierry MEUNIER and Jean-Marie POIRIER both studied plucked instruments (lute, baroque guitar, vihuela) and early music under Javier HINOJOSA. At the same time, they followed courses with other world famous specialists, Hopkinson SMITH and Paul O'DETTE. Moreover, their research in major libraries allow them to add a good deal of unpublished material to their repertoire. ..“

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Added on: Nov 23, 2009 | Hits: 423

"Essi Iso-Oja (Ellonen) holds a Master's degree in the harp performance from Sibelius Academy and the additional studies of history at The University of Tampere. She has over twenty-years experience as an orchestral and chamber music harpist with the major Finnish orchestras (for example Lahti Symphony Orchestra) and with the various ensembles ranging from Early Music to the Contemporary field. She has also given lectures about the harp music in Finland as well as composed and arranged music for the harp.

During the recent years Essi has focused in Early Music and the historical pedal harp (the single action harp) by playing and researching the instrument and its original repertoire. She owns currently five harps, among them is a Louis XVI harp by Beat Wolf, built after historical models (Naderman, Cousineau).

You can hear Essi's harp also in the numerous film soundtracks, like the awarded documents Mechanical Love (dir. Phie Ambo 2007), Flying: Confessions of a Free Woman (dir. Jennifer Fox 2006) and Along the Road Little Child (dir. Virpi Suutari & Susanna Helke 2005).

Essi Iso-Oja is a member of the Historical Harp Society, the Finnish Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies and a founding member of the Finnish Harp Society. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Apr 18, 2008 | Hits: 355

"I am mainly interested in the so called "art music". I still keep my ears open to other genres, too. I play different types of European lutes; late renaissance and early baroque are closest to my heart. The most interesting period for me is around year 1600 - the time when late renaissance turned into early baroque. The extreme time limits for the types of lutes I play are 1500-1750. Well, sometimes I break these limits, though... ;-)

I especially enjoy playing continuo (improvising harmonic texture on a written bass line, an example ) for a singer or a melody instrument player. That's why I wrote 1994 a small manual for those, who want to start this tremendous art: Basics of the basics of lute continuo. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Apr 19, 2008 | Hits: 291

“My name is Lucia Domenegati. I can play harpsichord (and piano), french baroque lute and solo theorbo. I believe that early music instruments must be studied and played with their proper techniques. For instance, Piano and modern guitar with their techniques have nothing to do with early music, specially with early baroque solo music. This website is intended to be a small contribution to this point of view.“

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Added on: Jul 11, 2009 | Hits: 378

Federation of Viola da Gamba Societies.

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Added on: Jul 11, 2009 | Hits: 358

"The Sociedad de la Vihuela is a cultural association created at the national level on September 25, 2004 in order to disseminate and promote knowledge and study of historic stringed instruments such as: vihuela, lute, theorbo, guitar renaissance, baroque, romantic and classical, etc..

These objectives are carried out by organizing concerts, workshops, meetings and conferences as well as through the publication of specialized publications. ... "

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Added on: Jul 30, 2008 | Hits: 584

"Born in 1980 in Seville of Syrian father and Palestinian mother, he studied viola da gamba with Ventura Rico. He travels to Europe. In Milan he entered in the Accademia Internazionale della Musica and Switzerland entered the Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana, perfecting his studies in viola da gamba. He received lessons from the best European musicians as Enrico Onofri, Lorenzo Ghielmi, Trevor Pinnock, Kees Boeke, Stefano Montanari, Diego Fasolis, and with Vittorio Ghielmi viol. He is a member of Accademia del Piacere, a group that specializes in music for viola da gamba. He is a member of Gruppo Seicento, Ishbilya Consort, Speculum, etc. and has worked with La Venexiana, Armoniosi Concerti, Sorcerous Stabber Orphen Lyra and many others, with whom he has travelled around the world. Currently preparing a double disc for BRILLIANT CLASSICS on the family Forqueray. ... "

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Added on: Jul 31, 2008 | Hits: 462

“Josetxu Obregón was born in Bilbao, Spain. He received his musical training in Spain, Germany and the Netherlands, and holds Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in violoncello, chamber music, and conducting. He specialized in the field of early performance. At the Royal Conservatory in The Hague Mr. Obregón focused on the Baroque cello. He has studied with such masters as Anner Bijlsma, Marcio Carneiro and Luis Claret. He is the recipient of eleven prizes awarded him at international competitions like those organized by Jeunesses Musicales International in Portugal and Spain (2003 and 2007), Santander Chamber Music ompetition
2005, etc; and is a member of the faculty of the Royal Conservatory of Music in Madrid.

Mr. Obregón has appeared in recitals in more than thirteen European countries, the United States, México and Japan and has performed as a soloist with various orchestras in Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Germany. He has performed both Haydn Cello Concertos, Boccherini and Vivaldi Cello Concertos with original instrument orchestras. He has also performed Concertos of such composers as Elgar, Tchaikovsky and Gubaidulina. Mr. Obregón has played the violoncello with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and Rotterdam Philharmonic Orkest, and was the principal cellist of the EUBO – The European Union Baroque Orchestra, in l’Arpeggiata (France), the Orchestra of the Age Of Enlightment (UK), Arte dei Suonatori (Poland) and has shared the stage with Christina Pluhar, Lars Ulrich Mortensen, Maggie Faultless, Fabio Bonizzoni, and other notables. He is also the founder and Artistic Director of the Spanish Early Music Ensemble, La Ritirata, which records for the Spanish labels Verso and Arsis.”

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Added on: Nov 14, 2011 | Hits: 223

"Jordi Savall i Bernadet (born 1941, in Igualada, Catalonia) is a Catalan viol player, conductor, and composer. He has been one of the major figures in the field of early music since the 1970s, largely responsible for bringing the viol (viola da gamba) back to life on the stage. His repertory ranges from Medieval to Renaissance and Baroque music. " (Wikipedia) See website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Feb 24, 2008 | Hits: 493

“Fahmi Alqhai is considered one of the most brilliant and prestigious young gamba players and performers of early music of his generation. He was born in Seville, Spain, in 1976. As his father is Syrian and his mother Palestinian, he spent the first 11 years of his life in Syria where he started to study music at a very young age. Later he studied in Spain as a self-taught person until he entered the Conservatorio Manuel Castillo in Seville to study viola da gamba with Ventura Rico. He continued his education in the famous schools Schola Cantorum Basiliensis (Basel, Switzerland) with Paolo Pandolfo and in the Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana (Lugano, Switzerland) with Vittorio Ghielmi. During his musical studies he made his degree in Dentistry at the University of Seville.“

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Added on: Nov 13, 2011 | Hits: 193

"Gregorio Paniagua was born in Madrid. At 16,he was named Captain of the Real Madrid Junior Basketball team by coach P.Ferrandiz. Medical studies at the Complutense University and the Jiménez Diaz Foundation. Received his first lessons in painting from his grandmother Dña. María de Calderón-a pupil of Vicente Lopez-pupil of Goya. Violoncello at the Royal Conservatory under the cathedra of Don Ricardo Vivó. Viola da gamba with August Wenzinger, Director of Schola Cantorum Basiliensis. Orchestral Direction under Maestro Sergiu Celibidache. An expert in ancient music and early instruments,particulary the vihuela-lute-hurdy gurdy, and viola da gamba. Founded ATRIVM MVSICAE de Madrid in 1964. In his private workshop,has reproduced musical instruments based on musicological researches into manuscripts-reliefs-sculptures-pottery and vase paitings from classical Greek to the Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance & Barroco periods of Spain and Europe. Painting expositions in Madrid-Moxacar-Almeria-Valladolid-S.Lorenzo de El Escorial-Including a private exhibition at the Juana Mordó Art Gallery. As Director of ATRIVM MVSICAE, has performed in Europe-América-Asia and Australia. Frecuent Collaborator in ancient music courses in Spanish and international universities and guest soloist performer in auditoriums, temples, cathedrals, theatres and museums. His recordings have rated excellent reviews and achieved various awards, notably the Gold Record Award presented at the Japan International Art Festival,Tokyo 1971 for "Cantigas de Santa María- Alfonso X El Sabio". Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 12, 2008 | Hits: 442

“Born in Basel, Switzerland in 1972, into the heart of a family of Catalan musicians, Arianna Savall, after an initial stage of general and musical education, began to study classical harp at the age of ten, and after returning to Barcelona, continued under the direction of Magdalena Barrera. She concurrently began to study voice at the Conservatory of Terrassa with María Dolores Aldea in 1993. She was awarded her professional qualification in harp from the Conservatory of Terrassa in 1996, and that of voice in 2000. In 1992, she began studies in historical performance with Rolf Lislevand at the Conservatory of Toulouse (France), and took several courses under the tutorship of Andrew Lawrence-King and Hopkinson Smith, as well as that of her parents, Montserrat Figueras and Jordi Savall. …”

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Added on: Oct 03, 2011 | Hits: 229

"Alfred Fernández was born in 1970 in Barcelona, where he studied classical guitar with Jordi Codina, Fernando Rodríguez and Manuel González.

Later on he became interested in studying in depth the Early Music repertoire for plucked string instruments (lute, vihuela, baroque guitar, theorbo, etc.). Formed mainly in a self-taught way, he has received advise of prestigious lutenists such as Lluís Gàsser, William Waters, Paul O’dette and Rolf Lislevand. ... " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Jul 14, 2008 | Hits: 534

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Added on: Jul 11, 2009 | Hits: 380

Violone and Kontrabass performer. Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Aug 02, 2008 | Hits: 484