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: 797

"Over a 25-year history, the Exultate Chamber Singers have garnered praise from all quarters for sensitive, precise and seamless performances. The choir was established in 1981, when conductor John Tuttle brought together a group of graduating university students who wanted to continue performing choral music at a high standard. The choir is enriched not only by the excellent musicianship of its members but also by their varied academic and professional backgrounds. Together, they form a passionate, committed ensemble with a wide-ranging repertoire." ...

Added on: Feb 03, 2007 | Hits: 787

"VOICES OF MUSIC performs both renaissance and baroque music, drawing upon the many and varied sources for historical performance practice. Performances are o­ne o­n a part, with an emphasis o­n combining both instrumental and vocal styles of interpretation and ornamentation. In addition to the concert series in the San Francisco Bay Area, Voices of Music sponsors the Young Artist Recitals, with the clear goal of working with the next generation of singers and musicians. Voices of Music is an affiliate of the San Francisco Early Music Society."

Added on: Apr 06, 2007 | Hits: 444

"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: 494

"Aradia is a period instrument ensemble specialising in the repertoire of seventeenth century France and England, and in contemporary music written for period instruments. Aradia is based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Aradia has made eight recordings for Naxos Records, has toured internationally, and has a busy local concert season at the Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto."

Added on: Apr 13, 2007 | Hits: 529

"The Hilliard Ensemble is considered to be one of the world's finest vocal chamber groups, and is probably unrivalled for its formidable reputation in the fields of both early and new music. Its distinctive style and highly developed musicianship engage the listener as much in medieval and renaissance repertoire as in works specially written for the group by living composers. The ensemble's performing schedule is busy and varied, amounting to some hundred concerts a year. Its substantial following in Europe, particularly in Mediterranean and central European countries, is augmented by regular visits to Japan, the USA and Canada. The group’s reputation as an early music ensemble dates from the 1980s and its series of highly successful records for EMI (many of which are now re-released on Virgin), but from the start the group has paid equal attention to new music ..."

Added on: Apr 13, 2007 | Hits: 350

"Since its formation in 1991, Florilegium has established a reputation for stylish and exciting interpretations of music from the baroque era to the early romantic revolution. Among the numerous Residencies Florilegium has held over the years was the coveted post of Ensemble in Residence at London’s Wigmore Hall, a position they enjoyed for three seasons from 1998 to 2000. During that time they performed several series of concerts each year and became actively involved in the Hall’s education work. Their last season as Ensemble in Residence featured a six-concert series marking the 250th anniversary of J.S.Bach’s death.

Concert engagements have taken Florilegium throughout Eastern and Western Europe and to North and South America, Canada, China, Hong Kong, Australia, Israel and Turkey. The group receives numerous invitations to perform at major international festivals each season and recent concert venues have included the Sydney Opera House, Frick Collection in New York, Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires, The Concertgebauw in Amsterdam, The Vienna Konzerthaus in Austria, Beethoven Haus in Bonn, Handelhaus in Halle, and Théâtre Grevin in Paris."

Added on: Apr 15, 2007 | Hits: 399

"Pursuant to its mission to reclaim early music for contemporary audiences, Ensemble Voltaire presents engaging concerts of Baroque chamber music. Gifted musicians, skilled in playing period instruments, bring their rich understanding of the repertoire and culture of the period to bear on each time-bridging performance. At ease with today's audiences, Ensemble Voltaire brings the Baroque period to life with story and even humor, subtly surrounding the listener with the cultural context from which the music emerges."

See website for more information.

Added on: Apr 15, 2007 | Hits: 341

"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. …"

Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Apr 15, 2007 | Hits: 554

"Shunning the traditional concert-going experience, I FURIOSI Baroque Ensemble is revolutionising the face of Canadian early music. This group of four inspired and informed musicians performs programmes of music rarely heard on stage with an unparalleled and unusual fervour and sex-appeal. Having studied at institutions including University of Indiana at Bloomington, University of Toronto, McGill University, International Baroque Institute at Longy and The Banff Centre, these daring musicians bring their skill and expertise to new audiences, and are the edgy new voice in the early music world. The configuration of string trio and soprano allows a wide range of repertoire to be performed. I FURIOSI performs in Canada, the United States and abroad, and plans to expand to other venues in the coming years. In its Toronto concert series, the ensemble invokes the “bizarre and unnatural” aesthetic of the Baroque era, both cherished and despised in its time."

Added on: Apr 15, 2007 | Hits: 436

"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: 537

"Artistic Director , Julie Harris, returned to Calgary in 1999. Her experience as a performer (soprano) and connections to other performers across the country gave her the idea of starting a new series in her native city. Now entering its seventh season, the Early Music Voices Concert Society offers a varied and interesting line-up of performers who specialize in early music repertoire. Each year the series aims to present touring early music groups, while also being committed to presenting local and regional performers, and creating joint projects with visiting artists. In essence the series is dedicated to presenting music from Bach's time and before in a stylish, historically informed way. ..."

Added on: Aug 06, 2007 | Hits: 456

"The history of the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin reaches back to 1982 when young members of the various former East Berlin orchestras joined forces to set up an independent orchestra specializing in early music. Set apart from the state sponsored music institutions of the former GDR, the ensemble's efforts at achieving authentic performances were rather timid at first. However, since 1984, the ensemble has had its own concert series at the Berlin Konzerthaus (Schauspielhaus) on the Gendarmenmarkt, and by 1986 the ensemble were already guests at the Tage für Alte Musik in Herne, West Germany. Their first recording was released in 1987, appearing simultaneously on the Eterna label in the East and on the Capprccio label in the West. Further CD productions followed for Cappriccio and Berlin Classics, and from 1994 onwards the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin has had an exclusive contract with harmonia mundi france. The recordings of the Akademie have been regularly awarded prizes, including the Deutschen Schallplattenpreis, the French Diapason d'Or, the Cannes Classical Award, the British Grammophone Award and the Dutch Edison Award. The international concert engagements of the ensemble have developed continuously since the fall of the Berlin wall in 1989, with the Akdemie now regularly appearing as guests in Vienna, Paris, Amsterdam, Zurich, London and Brussels, and other musical centers of Europe. " ...

Added on: Aug 14, 2007 | Hits: 384

"The vocal and instrumental ensemble Les Arts Florissants is one of the most renowned and respected early music groups in Europe and throughout the world. Dedicated to the performance of Baroque music on period instruments, the ensemble was founded in 1979 by the Franco-American harpsichordist and conductor William Christie and takes its name from a short opera by Marc-Antoine Charpentier. Les Arts Florissants have been largely responsible for the resurgence of interest in France of 17th-and 18th-centuries more generally.

It is in the field of opera where Les Arts Florissants have enjoyed most success, regularly collaborating with eminent directors and choreographers, such as Jean-Marie Villégier, Robert Carsen, Alfredo Arias, Francine Lancelot, Béatrice Massin, Ana Yepes, José Montalvo... They have an equally high profile in the concert hall and on disc. For twenty years Les Arts Florissants have been artists in residence at the Théâtre de Caen.

The ensemble tours widely in France and is frequently invited to perform at prestigious festivals and venues internationally (the Brooklyn Academy of Music, the Lincoln Center, the Barbican Centre in London and the Vienna Festival among others).

Les Arts Florissants receive financial support from the French Ministry of Culture and Communication, the City of Caen and the Basse-Normandie Region. They are artists in residence in the théâtre de Caen. Imerys is their Principal Sponsor.”

Visit website for more information. 

Added on: Aug 14, 2007 | Hits: 442

"The seeds for ARS & AMICI — a 10- to 12-day travel, study and performance program in Italy for young professionals and highly talented amateur musicians — were planted in 1996 in Boston. Under the guidance of Sheila Beardslee, a well-known Boston-area teacher and performer in early music, the ARS & AMICI program has visited Rome, Florence, Orvieto, Siena, Cortona, Assisi, Bolzano, Padua and Venice. In addition to performances in churches, community centers and schools ARS & AMICI seeks to create connections between amateur musicians and rising young professionals in the U.S. and in Italy. ARS & AMICI participants frequently work with distinguished early music teachers and directors in cities which the program visits. Each year ARS & AMICI’s repertoire changes to reflect the musical creativity of the Renaissance masters from Italy and the continent over the period 1520-1620, including choral and consort music in both sacred and secular genres, as well as historical dance. " ...

Added on: Aug 17, 2007 | Hits: 426

"Early Music Studio was formed in 1987. Since then we have performed in concerts on period instruments exclusively, and recorded over seven hours of music written between 1580-1985. Our recording program began in the mid-1980's and continues with new web-only material in August and October 2004, February and December 2005 and May 2006. " ...

Added on: Aug 17, 2007 | Hits: 384

"The Early Music Studio of Saint John is a new venture providing local musicians - both amateur and professional - with educational and performance programs about the music of the 16th to 18th centuries, the period of the first exploration and settlement of our region from the first voyage of Jacques Cartier in 1534 to the arrival of the Loyalists in 1783. The Early Music Studio seeks through its performances to offer the community the opportunity to experience the "soundtrack" of our early history. The adventurous spirit and energy of the early explorers and settlers is reflected in this lively, colourful music, as the composers of the time charted new realms of musical expression to create works which still have the power to entertain and move us today.

In keeping with the historical focus of the music, the Early Music Studio takes the stage in a number of Saint John's landmark heritage buildings. These dramatic performance spaces provide a fitting, historic backdrop for the performances of the Early Music Studio. " ...

Added on: Aug 17, 2007 | Hits: 458

“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. ...“

Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Aug 18, 2007 | Hits: 655

"The ensemble Le Jardin Secret presents the wonderful treasure of Baroque solo vocal literature accompanied by the full colour and beauty of original continuo and obligato instruments. With soprano Elizabeth Dobbin, the ensemble performs a wide range of 17th and 18th century repertoire with dedicated attention to historical context and to the possibilities of creative continuo playing and improvisation.

The music is intimate and highly expressive, exploiting the powerful and contrasting affects of the poetry to which it is set, welcoming the listener into the most secret places of the heart. Le Jardin Secret (in French a metaphor for the heart) is a place of sensual beauty and delight, of mystery and contemplation, of lament, grief and suffering, of amusement and assignation.

The members of the ensemble, which won both the first prize and the audience prize in the Early Music Network International Young Artists’ Competition in York in 2007, are post-graduates of conservatories in Basel, The Hague and Brussels. It is the aim of the ensemble to bring to life the emotive energy of the music, opening the door to the aesthetic world of the Baroque in all its beguiling beauty. " ...

Added on: Aug 20, 2007 | Hits: 544

"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."

Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Aug 20, 2007 | Hits: 425

"Carol Lisek, Director After receiving a Ph.D. in chemistry and working as a research scientist for several years, Carol Lisek decided to pursue what was a hobby – music – as a full time endeavor. She earned her M.F.A. in Vocal Performance from the California Institute of the Arts and her D.M.A. in Early Music Performance from USC. Dr. Lisek performs as a contralto soloist and as a chorus member in many area choruses, including Vox Femina Los Angeles. She is an adjunct music faculty member at El Camino College and the Claremont Graduate University.

Continuing a Legacy of Early Music. Since the 1960s, Jouyssance and its parent organization, the Foundation of the Neo-Renaissance, have been dedicated to performing both familiar and obscure repertoire of the 14th through mid 17th centuries. Although primarily a vocal ensemble, Jouyssance often features performances and accompaniments by period instruments. " ...

Added on: Aug 22, 2007 | Hits: 323

"Vox is a 12-voice professional, Ann Arbor based, a cappella ensemble dedicated to the performance of early (primarily Medieval and Renaissance) vocal music. Founded in 2000 by Executive Director Whitnie Crown Wolverton, Vox has been under the artistic direction of Christopher Wolverton since its inception. Members of Vox have sung professionally as soloists and ensemble artists with some of the most prestigious vocal music ensembles, including Chanticleer, St. Paul's Cathedral (London), The Rose Ensemble, Conspirare, St. Martin's Chamber Choir, and the Santa Fe Desert Chorale. " ...

Added on: Aug 22, 2007 | Hits: 407

"Renowned for their unearthly vocal blend and virtuosic ensemble singing, the four women of Anonymous 4 combine musical, literary, and historical scholarship with contemporary performance intuition as they create ingeniously designed programs, interweaving music with poetry and narrative.

In addition to their unmatched medieval repertoire, Anonymous 4 has often reached out into the realm of contemporary music, and has premiered works by Peter Maxwell Davies, John Tavener, Steve Reich, and Richard Einhorn. The group has most recently expanded their repertoire to include traditional music of the British Isles and America.

Anonymous 4 has performed in major venues and festivals throughout North America, Europe and the Far East. The ensemble has appeared on numerous radio and television programs, including Garrison Keillor's "A Prairie Home Companion," "CBS Sunday Morning," A&E's "Breakfast With the Arts," and NPR’s “Weekend Edition.” Anonymous 4's award-winning recordings have attained unprecedented popularity, rising to the top of Billboard's classical chart, and selling almost 1.5 million copies worldwide. " ...

Added on: Aug 22, 2007 | Hits: 390

"From Medieval chant to the slightly scandalous ditties of the English court to the haunting strains of Sephardic Music, the Early Music Players' concerts are authentic, moving, and always thoroughly entertaining.
Elegant period garb, an astonishing array of early instruments and songs in their original languages as well as modern translations provide a thrill for the ears and a feast for the eyes.
The ensemble has been performing Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque music since 1972, delighting listeners and garnering critical acclaim throughout the New York metropolitan area, from The 92nd Street Y, St. Bartholomew's Great Music Series, and Music at St. Peter's in Morristown to housewarmings and weddings. The Early Music Players have also been featured on WNET/Channel 13 and on New Jersey Network's "State of the Arts." ...

Added on: Aug 22, 2007 | Hits: 421

"We are a merry band of professional minstrels who provide a truly authentic flavour of Elizabethan England. Our music, instruments and costumes are all accurately researched, but we're not hardened academics. We play music that's an instant hit with most audiences.

We use 16th century improvisation techniques to keep the music fresh. Every performance is different, and we make sure that the tempo, style and instrumentation change regularly. No-one gets bored at a Diabolus gig. " ...

Added on: Aug 22, 2007 | Hits: 403