EarlyMusicNews.Org

“At the core of the ensemble is the duo of singer Donna Stewart and lutenist Ron Andrico. One of the few professional lutesong duos in the United States, their unique and immediate sound blends respect for authenticity with solid musicianship and a flair for improvisation. Their fresh and engaging approach imparts the immediacy of folk music to renaissance music. ..

Mignarda - Donna Stewart and Ron Andrico - perform historical music that transcends history. Ron Andrico is a lute specialist with publication of several important music editions and scholarly articles to his credit. Mezzo soprano Donna Stewart has a long background in research and interpretation of Gregorian chant and the renaissance choral repertory. Together, the duo specialize in performing music that resides in the grey zone between folk and art music, with interpretations that follow the renaissance ideal of 'moving the passions' of the listener.   ..“

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Added on: Jul 25, 2009 | Hits: 318

“Modern Musick, under the artistic leadership of music director John Moran and concertmaster Risa Browder, is a baroque chamber orchestra founded in Washington, DC in January 2002.  Taking its name from an eighteenth century primer The Modern Musick-Master or the Universal Musician, Modern Musick seeks, through the immediacy of live performance, to restore a sense of newness to music of the 17th and 18th centuries.  To this end Modern Musick uses period instruments and historical performance practices as a starting point allowing the musicians the freedom to make new discoveries.  Modo (latin for “just now”), the root of the word “modern” is the perfect description for cutting edge music making of the moment.“

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Added on: Mar 02, 2012 | Hits: 148

"Mostly Motets is a small vocal ensemble that sings sacred music primarily from the Renaissance and earlier. The group typically sings works by 15th and 16th century composers such as: Byrd, Tallis, Palestrina, Victoria, Dufay, Desprez, and Frye as well as some Gregorian chant and other works from the Middle Ages. " See website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 02, 2008 | Hits: 370

"The Mozartean Players, founded in 1979, is one of the oldest continuously active early-music organizations in America. It is also one of the most distinguished, as measured by all criteria: critical response, the breadth and volume of its performing history, the distinction of the auspices that have welcomed it, the influence it has borne on other musicians, and the quality of its recorded legacy.

The current configuration of the group as a piano trio is comprised of Steven Lubin, fortepiano, Anca Nicolau, violin, and Myron Lutzke, cello. The group's repertoire spans the era from Haydn through Schumann, the period during which the piano, starting as the delicate, five-octave, wooden-frame instrument of the classical period, changed gradually into the larger, early-romantic piano. A large proportion of the group's touring has involved Mr. Lubin's readily transportable five-octave Walter fortepiano replica, performing trios of Haydn, Mozart and early Beethoven. By special arrangement, the group also tours with its romantic Graf piano replica (both replicas by R.J. Regier), offering works by the later Beethoven, Schubert, Mendelssohn and Schumann. The stringed instruments are accordingly in period disposition. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Aug 06, 2008 | Hits: 333

“Music City Baroque (formerly Belle Meade Baroque) brings the world of Historically Informed Performance to Nashville and the Middle Tennessee region. Through the use of period instruments, and the latest musicological findings on matters such as pitch, articulation and tempo, Nashville audiences are able to experience the world of seventeenth and eighteenth century music in all its original color and passion.

The mission of this not-for-profit organization includes performances with larger instrumental ensembles, workshops and programs with guest experts in the field from around the country, and on-going collaborations with area educational institutions.”

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Added on: Feb 19, 2012 | Hits: 208

"Music of the Spheres™, formed in 2000, is an early music group based in San Francisco and Atlanta, consisting of Baroque violinist Jeanne Johnson, Baroque cellist Joanna Blendulf, and harpsichordist Yuko Tanaka. Music of the Spheres has performed at the 2006 Tage Alter Musik Festival in Regensburg, Germany, on the San Francisco Early Music Society series, as a main event for the 2002 Bloomington and Berkeley Early Music Festivals, and on several broadcasts of "Harmonia" and “Performance Today.” Highlights of 2007 include a performance on the Frick Collection series in New York.

We give lively, fun and informative performances, often interacting informally with our audiences and speaking about composers, history and our instruments. Our programs focus primarily on music of the 17th and 18th centuries, and in addition to performing major works by well-known composers, we also introduce little-known composers and works which are new to our audiences. We are available for concerts, series, festivals, recordings and advanced master classes. Our CD’s are available at www.magnatune.com. " See website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 02, 2008 | Hits: 371

"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: 290

"Musica Angelica is led by Music Director Martin Haselböck, the internationally renowned organist, conductor, and composer. Regarded as Southern California's premier Baroque ensemble, Musica Angelica presents wide-ranging programs encompassing music from the early Baroque through the early Classical era.

Since its inception in 1993, Musica Angelica has produced an annual subscription season of orchestral and chamber concerts in venues throughout Los Angeles County, programming a mixture of known masterworks along with rarely heard gems, and featuring many of the best Baroque musicians from across the country and Europe. Guest conductors have included Rinaldo Alessandrini, Giovanni Antonini, Harry Bicket, Paul Goodwin, and Jory Vinikour, among others. Concertmaster/Resident Artistic Director Elizabeth Blumenstock, the noted Baroque violinist, programs Musica Angelica's chamber music series.

Musica Angelica's first international tour, distinguished by sold-out performances and wide critical acclaim, took place in March 2007 in a joint venture with Haselböck's acclaimed European orchestra, the Wiener Akademie of Vienna. The ensemble presented 13 performances of Bach's St. Matthew Passion in Los Angeles, New York, Savannah (Savannah Music Festival), Mexico, Hungary, Austria, Spain, Italy and Germany. " See website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Feb 10, 2008 | Hits: 323

"Founded by local musician and early music enthusiast, John Truitt, Música Antigua de Albuquerque has been performing medieval, Renaissance and Baroque music since 1978. In recognition of New Mexico's Hispanic tradition, the ensemble concentrated on the repertoire of Renaissance and medieval Spain in its early performances. Soon, however, the organization began to broaden the scope of its repertoire, and its concerts have since featured music from many areas in Europe from the 13th-18th centuries.

Música Antigua has given guest performances throughout New Mexico, including Las Cruces, Silver City, Portales, Hobbs, Taos, Tucumcari, Los Alamos, Socorro, Grants, Corrales, Cedar Crest, Tomé, and Mountainair. The ensemble has given joint performances with the Sangre de Cristo Chorale and the Coro de Cámara, and has collaborated with the Cathedral Church of St. John in productions of the medieval Play of Daniel and T. S. Eliot's Murder in the Cathedral. In 2002, the group performed for the Southwest Repertory Theater's Shakespeare Festival. The ensemble has also given tour performances in Houston and Milwaukee. In addition to its concert series and guest performances, Música Antigua gives frequent lecture-demonstrations of early music and instruments to adults and students of all ages. " See website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Feb 10, 2008 | Hits: 439

" Musica Antigua de Toledo works to recreate the styles and sounds of early European music (pre-1800 CE) with as much historical accuracy as possible, using various combinations of voices and period instruments.

Each year we present a concert season of music organized around a theme, using various subjects, time periods, or national styles.

Several school programs are offered to acquaint children with early music and society, including colonial America.

The ensemble is available for programs specialized to fit your entertainment, educational, or holiday events. We occasionally join forces with other musical and dance groups! " See website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Feb 10, 2008 | Hits: 360

"MUSICA ANTIQUA NOVA is the Westchester County concert series of the baroque ensemble REBEL, performances of which take place in two historically notable and acoustically excellent venues in Westchester County: the Bedford Presbyterian Church in Bedford, NY and the Paramount Center for the Arts in Peekskill, NY. Three to four programs are presented annually, and ofte include guest artists of international repute. The series aims to present both known and rarely if ever heard 17th- and 18th-century repertoire, performed on historical instruments of the period, in an intimate setting. Receptions often follow the concerts, at which the artists mingle freely with the audience. " ...

Added on: Feb 02, 2008 | Hits: 318

"Musica Pacifica achieved recognition as one of North America's premiere baroque ensembles soon after the group's founding in 1990. Mining a rich vein of Baroque literature for mixed wind/string ensemble, the group performs the spirited chamber concerti of Vivaldi and Telemann, colorful dance suites from the courts and opera houses of France, and the more intimate solo, duo, and trio sonatas from European countries as diverse as Scotland, Poland, Spain, and England. Musica Pacifica has been described by the press as "some of the finest baroque musicians in America" (American Record Guide) and "among the best in the world" (Alte Musik Aktuell). At home in the San Francisco Bay area, the artists are members of Philharmonia Baroque, and they appear with many other prominent early music ensembles nationally and abroad. ... " See website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Feb 10, 2008 | Hits: 398

“Described as one of the discoveries of the 2001 early music festival in Regensburg, Germany, Musicians of the Old Post Road has been captivating audiences in the US and abroad with its exciting programming and virtuoso performances. As a chamber ensemble specializing in the period instrument performance of music from the Baroque, Classical, and early Romantic periods, the ensemble specializes in offering a dynamic and diverse repertory that includes rediscovered works that have been lost to audiences for centuries.“

Also, visit these associated Old Post Road sites:

Podcasts: Discover Podcasts
YouTube Channel: musiciansopr
OPR Editions: Old Post Road Editions

Added on: Jul 27, 2010 | Hits: 420

"Founded in 2006, the New Esterházy Quartet takes its name from the Hungarian estate where Joseph Haydn lived and worked for nearly three decades, and from the noble family who were his employers and patrons. The name also honors Quartetto Esterhazy, the ground-breaking historical string quartet from the 1970s, with the blessing of that ensemble’s eminent founder and leader, Jaap Schroeder.

The members of the New Esterházy Quartet are internationally-known period-instrument and chamber music specialists Kati Kyme and Lisa Weiss, violins, violist Anthony Martin, and cellist William Skeen. As individuals, the players perform in the top echelon of early music ensembles such as Orchestra of the 18th Century, the Bach Ensemble, Artaria Quartet, Smithsonian Chamber Players, Arcadian Academy, the Göttingen Festival Orchestra, and Musica Angelica. In addition to many years of musical collaboration in Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, American Bach Soloists, and a long list of renowned chamber ensembles, these four Bay Area players have enjoyed decades of friendship and shared experience. Their history as both colleagues and friends endows the quartet with an unusual commonality of musical language and gesture, and provides a strong foundation for a unique and original ensemble voice.

The New Esterházy Quartet has embarked on a performance voyage featuring all 68 of the string quartets of Franz Joseph Haydn. The concerts will span two seasons, culminating in 2009, the 200th anniversary of Haydn’s death. This is the first complete period-instrument Haydn cycle ever performed in North America. Composed over a period of a half-century, Haydn’s quartets contain some of the most imaginative, sophisticated and expressive composition in all of music, providing great joy to players and listeners. For the New Esterházy Quartet, the chance to learn and perform the complete Haydn quartets represents the opportunity of a lifetime. " See website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 02, 2008 | Hits: 379

"Since its founding in 1972, the New York Consort of Viols has championed the beauty and breadth of music written expressly for or especially suited to the viol. Acclaimed as a foremost ensemble for its dynamic Renaissance and Baroque repertoires, the Consort also performs medieval music on such instruments such as the rebec and vielle. The group commissions contemporary works as well.

The Consort has performed for enthusiastic audiences on campuses and in concert series throughout North America. These include such notable venues as Milwaukee's Early Music Now, the Berkeley Festival, and New York's Music Before 1800. In 1992 the Consort traveled to Turkey to perform in Istanbul and Ankara. The Consort has also collaborated with many accomplished early music ensembles such as Pomerium, Zephyrus, the Boston Viol Consort, the Yukimi Kambe Viol Consort, the Waverly Consort, the Ensemble for Early Music and Music For A While. ... " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Aug 06, 2008 | Hits: 374

"The Newcastle Players perform Renaissance, Medieval, Celtic and British folk music on lute, baroque guitar, theorbo, viola da gamba, recorders, whistles and other period instruments. The Baltimore based ensemble was formed in 1994 when as members of the Peabody Renaissance Ensemble they collaborated to form a smaller group. Each member has extensive experience with early music perfomance on period instruments. " See website for more details. (ed.)

Added on: Feb 18, 2008 | Hits: 400

"The Novello Quartet was founded in the winter of 2002 to perform Joseph Haydn's rarely programmed quartet setting of the Seven Last Words of Christ. The quartet's passion for the music of Haydn and his contemporaries has led to an ongoing artistic partnership between four of America's leading early music artists. The Novello Quartet has been presented by the San Francisco Early Music Society, San Francisco Performances, Trinity Concerts, the San Luis Obispo Mozart Festival, and was the featured ensemble at the 2006 Mozart Conference at Claremont College. ...

The Novello Quartet was named for the members of the Novello family, Vincent, Mary and Clara. Vincent (1781-1861) was a church organist, composer and music publisher born of Italian parents in London, England. With the publication of two volumes of sacred music (1811) he founded the publishing house of Novello & Co, and was a founding member and later pianist and conductor of the Philharmonic Society. In 1829, Vincent Novello and his wife Mary undertook a journey to the continent, stopping in the musical capitals of Europe to hear the music of the day in churches and concert halls, and also to deliver to W.A. Mozart's impoverished sister Nannerl a small sum Vincent had raised by subscription in London. Among the musical luminaries the Novellos met on their journey were Mozart's widow Constanze, and Abbe Stadler, who told them the story of Joseph Haydn's commission from Spain by the Bishop of Cadiz for the Seven Last Words of Christ. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 02, 2008 | Hits: 415

“Baroque flutist Mary Oleskiewicz and harpsichordist David Schulenberg have been performing together since 1997. Specialists in Baroque music for flute and keyboard, each has an international reputation not only as a performer but as a scholar. They have presented recitals, public lectures, and demonstrations throughout Europe, North America, and Japan.

The world-premiere recording of the Six Flute Quartets by Johann Joachim Quantz by the Oleskiewicz-Schulenberg Duo and Friends was released in 2004. ..“

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Added on: Feb 08, 2010 | Hits: 289

"The Oregon Renaissance Band The Oregon Renaissance Band is an 8 to 12 member ensemble dedicated to performing and recording music of the Renaissance, played on faithful reproductions of historical instruments. These include violins, cittern, harp, bandora, chitarrino, recorders, krummhorns, racketts, sackbuts, pipe & tabor, bagpipes, schreierpfeiffen, and percussion, many of which were built by the performers. The Oregon Renaissance Band has presented concerts and workshops since 1991 and has been featured on NPR's "Performance Today". Their cd with ensemble De Organographia is entitled "Carnevale! Carnival Songs, Frottole, Dances and other Festive Music of 16th century Italy". In 1998, ORB performed at the early music festival in Regensburg, Germany.

Directed by Philip Neuman and Gayle Neuman. Other members include Daphne Clifton, Kathryn Richer, Andy Harris, Polly Gibson, David Bryan, Lori Fitch, and Laura Zaerr. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 04, 2009 | Hits: 441

“The Pacific Collegium aims to bring exceptional vocalists together with period instrumentalists in adventurous exploration of the marriage of text and music—the meeting of the natural instrument with the artful. Specializing in 16th- through 18th-century vocal chamber music and choral music, as well as the occasional foray into the modern repertory, we are committed to the presentation of virtuosic literature in both concert and liturgical settings. We are Artists-in-Residence at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Oakland and provide music for the Traditional Latin Mass at St. Margaret Mary’s Catholic Church, Oakland. …”

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Added on: Mar 28, 2012 | Hits: 101

"Parthenia is a dynamic quartet of viols dedicated to performing the rich and abundant repertoire for viola da gamba from the 16th to 21st centuries. We present an annual series of concerts in Manhattan, where we collaborate with esteemed guest artists in engaging and surprising programs; we commission and premier new works for viols; we work to increase awareness of the viol's cultural heritage by touring to historical venues throughout New York City and to prestigious venues around the country. Parthenia is committed to creating more consort-playing opportunities, both professional and amateur, throughout America."

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Added on: Aug 05, 2008 | Hits: 466

"Pastimes is a group of musicians who perform early music on period instruments.

We had been playing together for a couple years before forming in 1995 the ensemble now known as Pastimes. We began receiving requests to play at private parties, costume dinners and outdoor fairs, business functions, school assemblies, and occasionally in church settings. We play renaissance music from the late 1400s to the mid 1600s, ranging from formal courtly and liturgical music to refined or rustic domestic entertainment.

We take our name from a song attributed to Henry VIII called 'Pastime with Good Company'. Our goal is to provide as much fun for those who hear us as we ourselves are having, and we do aim to have a good time! Our home base is in Southeastern Pennsylvania and Northern Delaware. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Aug 04, 2008 | Hits: 310

"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. "

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Added on: Feb 23, 2008 | Hits: 302

"Polyhymnia is a small ensemble of singers and instrumentalists focusing on historically informed performance of sacred music from the courts and cathedrals of the Renaissance world. The singers that comprise the ensemble are drawn from many sources, including some of the finest church choirs in New York. Past and present members have sung with Saint Thomas Fifth Avenue, Saint Ignatius of Antioch, Saint Luke in the Fields and Holy Apostles. Originally artists-in-residence at Saint John’s in the Village, the ensemble moved to its current home at Saint Ignatius of Antioch in 2003, when the ensemble and its audience outgrew its original home. Currently producing three concerts a year in New York, Polyhymnia has also made a name for itself at performances in Boston as a popular entry in the Boston Early Music Festival fringe events, and has been the guest choir at a number of special events, most notably the centenary celebrations of Holy Cross Monastery, in Westpark NY. " See website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Feb 23, 2008 | Hits: 522

“Pro Musica Rara, Baltimore's “premier early music ensemble”, is a period instrument chamber music ensemble performing baroque, classical, and early romantic repertoire. Founded in 1974, its musicians include Baltimore area professionals, early music specialists from throughout the eastern seaboard and world-renown guest artists. As Artists-in-Residence at Towson University Center for the Arts, PMR presents an annual subscription series and offers pre-concert lectures, master classes, and open dress rehearsals for students. In recent years, PMR has also given performances in important area venues such as the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore Museum of Art, Peabody Conservatory, and the National Gallery in Washington, D.C.”

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Added on: Jan 22, 2011 | Hits: 256