EarlyMusicNews.org

"Founder and artistic director, Lisette Kielson, presents L’Ensemble Portique as a rare ensemble in today’s chamber music genre. Its conception emerged from Lisette’s passion for playing Baroque and contemporary music on the recorder and flute. Its name was inspired by the sculpture “Portique” designed and crafted by her grandmother, internationally renowned artist Madeleine Stanley-Jossem. Two forms of steel interlaced with silver stand boldly apart, creating an opening, a gateway, yet both are connected to the solid base that supports and unites them. “Portique” is the visual representation of L’Ensemble Portique’s mission to explore the independence and interdependence of the distinct and separate musical worlds of early and contemporary music. Lisette’s vision of integrating the two provides the guiding force behind this unique ensemble. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 23, 2008 | Hits: 2452

"Since 1995 Ensemble Soleil has given concerts and presented multi-media theatrical events in the United States and Europe. In 2001 Ensemble Soleil became a juried ensemble of the Vermont Arts Council.

Known for innovative programming and lively performances, we play period instruments and authentic modern copies. We were recognized by the I.R.S as a non profit organization in 1999.

Our programs feature the beautiful viol consort music of the Renaissance from Spain, Italy, England and the Low Countries, and the multi-faceted Baroque chamber music of Italy, Austria, Germany and France. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Jul 24, 2008 | Hits: 1936

"Ensemble Vermillian was founded to explore the potential for color and texture possible in transcribing the virtuosic repertoire of the seventeenth and eighteenth century for recorder, cello and continuo. Based in Davidson, North Carolina, and Berkeley, California the members of EV, sisters Frances Blaker (recorders) and Barbara Blaker Krumdieck (Baroque cello) joined by Katherine Heater (harpsichordist and organist) have traveled to meet, research, rehearse and perform together since 2000. The ensemble is expanded to include other musicians depending on the project at hand. Viola da gambist Elisabeth Reed joined Ensemble Vermillian for the two-CD Stolen Jewels project. Having studied at conservatories in Denmark, the Netherlands, Ohio and Indiana, the performers blend their approach to the music to create a sound which inspired one audience member to write, “A beautiful performance. The chemistry between you is special.”

EV explores less-familiar repertoire from the 17th and 18th centuries and makes it their own through transcription for their particular instruments. The very special group chemistry that these players create together makes for compelling performances, both for the audience and the performers. The combination of music research and vibrant performance are what make Ensemble Vermillian stand out from the crowd. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 23, 2008 | Hits: 2239

"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."

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Added on: Apr 15, 2007 | Hits: 2219

"Performers of Medieval & Renaissance Music ... The Everyman Guild was founded in 1977 and is an ensemble of friends (none an original member) who sing and play a wide variety of early instruments.

Performing in renaissance costume, we recreate early dances, and use poetry and drama to build informative, theatrical and engaging programs. The simple elegance of this music, with its complementary melodic lines, clean, spare harmonies, poetic texts and engaging rhythms make it relevant and accessible today. An Everyman Guild concert is music sung and played by a small group of musicians who work together closely on interpretation, and who know each other well. This offers the musicians and the audience a personal and direct musical experience. Renaissance music is an authentic living history of people of the past, and perhaps the most intimate way we can connect with them. We hear in their music the same elemental feelings, emotions, and rhythms that we experience in our own lives. Come with us into the Renaissance, and be moved to a deeper understanding of our world today. " See website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Feb 23, 2008 | Hits: 2434

“Eya is a new ensemble based in Washington, DC specializing in the interpretation of medieval music for women’s voices. Directed by Allison Mondel, Eya presents concert programs that interweave diverse repertories of the 12th through 15th centuries, from Hildegard von Bingen to Notre Dame to the flyleaves of early English manuscripts and beyond. Through this lens, these programs seek to tell a story that forges new points of connection between contemporary audiences and ancient repertoire.

Eya (prounounced “eh-yah”) is a Latin exclamation of joy.“

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Added on: Feb 19, 2012 | Hits: 2322

“Florida Pro Musica was founded in 1998 by George F. Gramling, III and Larry Kent. We presented our Inaugural Concert at the Palladium Theater in St. Petersburg, Florida in May of 1999.

Our concerts over the first ten years have included some wonderful highlights, from large-scale works like Mozart's Requiem and Handel's Messiah to intimate offerings such as the complete Masses by William Byrd, baroque trio sonatas, madrigals in costume, and a whole spectrum of choral and instrumental programs. We have performed in Largo, Clearwater, Sun City Center, and Ocala, as well as in St. Petersburg and Tampa. Our main performance home since 2002 is Sacred Heart Catholic Church in downtown Tampa.  “

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Added on: Jun 10, 2009 | Hits: 2192

"Flying Forms – To be a presence that transforms communities and inspires expression through excellence in performance, innovative education and creative collaboration.

Flying Forms consists of members Sang Joon Park (traverso), Marc Levine (baroque violin), and Tami Morse (harpsichord). Already experienced modern instrument musicians with Doctor of Musical Arts degrees we formed Flying Forms out of our passion for performing early chamber music. In order to broaden our repertoire choices, and to experiment within the chamber music concert genre, Flying Forms collaborates regularly with other musicians and artists, including gambist Martha McGoughey and baroque dancers Dorothy Olsson and Mark Mindek.

Flying Forms performs regularly on the St. Mark’s Concert Series in Islip, and has upcoming concerts throughout the New York metropolitan area and in Boston. They regularly give lecture demonstrations at Stony Brook University, in the Islip Public School System, and Long Island museums and libraries.

In addition, Flying Forms has many on-going projects including performing the modern premieres of Carlos Canobio’s duos for violin and flute, recording and performing the complete Telemann “Paris” Quartets, recording a companion CD to a book written by baroque dance specialists Dorothy Olsson and Kaspar Mainz, and collaborating with singers and dancers in a fully-staged chamber opera performance. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Aug 06, 2008 | Hits: 2889

“Folger Consort is recognized nationwide as a model chamber music ensemble, performing music from the twelfth through eighteenth centuries. Artistic Directors and Founding Members Robert Eisenstein and Christopher Kendall form the core of the ensemble and are joined by internationally noted guest artists, both singers and instrumentalists. Folger Consort was voted Best Classical Chamber Ensemble at the 2009 and 2010 Washington Area Music Awards. …”

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Added on: Sep 29, 2011 | Hits: 1816

“MaryAnn Shore ~ Recorder & Baroque Oboe & Susan Patrick ~ Harpsichord”

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Added on: Mar 01, 2012 | Hits: 1811

"Fortune’s Wheel made its debut at the 1996 International Festival of Early Music in Mexico City, where critics acclaimed the group’s “style, diction, tuning, perfect balance, and total engagement with the music.” Since then, the ensemble has been presented by early music concert series in San Francisco, Seattle, San Diego, Tijuana, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Milwaukee, Houston, Jackson, Tucson, Columbus, Cambridge, and Duke University. They have also appeared at the Boston Early Music Festival, the Berkeley Early Music Festival, the Amherst Early Music Festival, The Cloisters and the Frick Collection in New York City, Yale University’s Collection of Musical Instruments, and many other series." See website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Feb 09, 2008 | Hits: 2080

"THE GOLIARDS present authentic medieval music in a lively and entertaining style. We perform on reproductions of actual medieval instruments and sing in the various dialects and languages of the period. We wear costumes based on the clothing of period musicians, completing the feeling of long ago.

The music is a wide variety of medieval tunes, chiefly from the 13th and 14th centuries. Selections can range from bouncy dances and drinking songs to hauntingly beautiful devotional and art melodies. In the style of medieval musicians, large sections of music are improvised, adding an unforgettable excitement to the songs. The Goliards can play, lead and teach dances to allow the audience to completely experience the music as it was originally presented. We have in the past worked with other performers in poetic and dramatic recitations. " See website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Feb 23, 2008 | Hits: 2377

“Welcome to the official Gravitación website. The quartet with guest performers are proud to present virtuosic programs of early music. Our focus is under-performed repertoire of the medieval, renaissance and baroque periods.“

Matthew Leese, baritone
Jay Carter, counter-tenor
Daniel Carberg, tenor
Sherezade Panthaki, soprano

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Added on: Jun 08, 2011 | Hits: 2022

"With their historical instruments, the Grenser Trio and friends explore late-classical and early-romantic chamber music as it sounded to its first audiences. Present-day audiences hear the Trio at The Metropolitan Museum of Art and SUNY Stony Brook as well as in New York City's Church of St. Francis of Assisi and the Interchurch Center. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Aug 06, 2008 | Hits: 2472

"Harmonia Baroque Players was established to perform the rich and plentiful small ensemble repertoire of the Renaissance and Baroque period, playing not only the popular works, but also the lesser-known masterpieces of this era. We are also deeply committed to providing affordable, high quality performances, thus making the enjoyment of live music concerts available to a wide audience which might not be able to afford higher priced events. Ticket prices are kept very low, but anyone who cannot afford even that will be admitted for free. " See website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Feb 10, 2008 | Hits: 2062

“Harmonious Blacksmith combines the best of creative conceptual programming with the fire of virtuoso performing and improvising. Uniquely focused on the connection between composition and improvisation in Renaissance and Baroque music, Harmonious Blacksmith looks back to the age-old practices of improvising dance music and ornamenting songs. …

Harmonious Blacksmith was founded in 2006 by harpsichordist Joseph Gascho and recorder player Justin Godoy. They met while studying at the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, performing together in the Peabody Renaissance Ensemble under the direction of Mark Cudek. They also performed together at the Amherst Early Music Festival, the International Baroque Institute at Longy, and in numerous recitals in the Baltimore/DC area.  …”

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Added on: Mar 02, 2012 | Hits: 1804

“Innovative, historically-informed and multi-cultural, HESPERUS’ collaborative artists perform a variety of programs designed to bring musical history alive including silent movie soundtracks of early and traditional music, musical portraits of a single culture through time, fusions of European early music with American traditional styles, and single-genre early music programs from medieval to Spanish and British Colonial music. Whatever the genre, HESPERUS performs with creative energy, technical assurance and a sense of fun.“

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Added on: Nov 12, 2012 | Hits: 5167

"Indianapolis Early Music (IEM) is America's oldest continuous presenter of Early Music. Originally known by its corporate name of Festival Music Society, it was established in 1966 as a not-for-profit organization to enrich, educate and entertain audiences with the music of Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque and early classic eras...

IEM is chiefly known for its annual summer Early Music Festival, a series of six concerts over four weeks. It presented its first festival in 1967.  The Festival presents national and international performers, performing on instruments of the period.  In addition, IEM presents a concert in the spring often featuring well-known groups on tour or those who are developing a following.  

Educational outreach is also a component of Indianapolis Early Music.  Programs are regularly developed and presented to area middle and high schools. ..."

Added on: Jul 30, 2011 | Hits: 1702

"Istanpitta is a United States based ensemble performing music of the 10th to 14th century Middle Ages including many traditional Middle Eastern dance tunes. The ensemble consists of 3-5 musicians playing a variety of period instruments including oud, lute, saz, early percussion, shawms, recorders, transverse flutes, krummhorns, vielles, Medieval harp, bagpipes and voice. The ensemble performs live at formal concert venues, universities, and festivals. " See website for more details. (ed.)

Added on: Feb 18, 2008 | Hits: 2302

"THE IVORY CONSORT, founded and directed by Jay Elfenbein, is an ensemble that specializes in medieval music performed in an exciting and historically informed manner. For over ten years, they have brought ancient music to life on stage and over the radio with stunning clarity and bold improvisation. The Consort presents a fascinating mosaic of songs from the Golden Age of Spain, when Jews, Muslims, and Christians forged a common musical language. The live program and CD Music in the Land of Three Faiths feature 10th through 13th century songs in Ladino, Hebrew, Arabic, and Galician-Portuguese and provide a historical context for the intermingling of cultures that took place before the 1492 Expulsion. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Aug 06, 2008 | Hits: 1894

"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: 2357

"La Donna Musicale was formed in 1992 and is a non-profit organization dedicated to the research and the historical performance of Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, and Contemporary music by women composers. The group presented three concerts in its inaugural year, using scores discovered through the research of its director, Laury Gutiérrez. Sponsored by Indiana University, the performances took place in Bloomington, Indiana during Women's History Month. An enthusiastic reception to those events prompted additional research and performances. Professional musicians and music producers in Bloomington and Boston encouraged the participation of the ensemble as a concurrent event during the 1993 Boston Early Music Festival. Its success attracted more performers to the group and led to the establishment of a Boston-based ensemble.

The ensemble is presently guided by a group of prominent individuals who, through the dedicated work as Boards of Directors and Advisors, represent both the artistic and business community. Since its inception, the researchers and performers of La Donna Musicale have studied more than 17 women composers, performed 100 pieces in 18 concerts, and gathered over 1,000 works. The ensemble has premiered the works of Milanese nun Chiara Margarita Cozzolani, Venetian courtesan Barbara Strozzi and the mysterious Antonia Bembo. Other composers include Julie Pinel, Bianca Maria Meda, Caterina Assandra, Elisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre, and Madalena Casulana. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

La Donna Musicale is a non-profit research, education, and performance organization devoted exclusively to the discovery, preservation, and promotion of sacred and secular music by women composers.  The internationally acclaimed ensemble uses period instruments and historically-informed performance practice to showcase the work of women composers from the Renaissance, Baroque, and Classical periods, as well as contemporary works. Based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, La Donna Musicale performs throughout the U.S. and internationally.

La Donna Musicale brings together world-renowned musicians and scholars to unearth, perform, and record music that, in many instances, has never been performed or recorded previously. Concerts have featured modern world premieres of works by Antonia Bembo, Anna Bon, Chiara Margarita Cozzolani, Julie Pinel, and Caterina Assandra, among others. Under the leadership of founding director Laury Gutiérrez, the ensemble translates the concept of historical performance into live and recorded music. Collaborating scholars, experts in their field, include Claire Fontijn, Robert Kendrick, Thierry Favier, Catherine E. Gordon-Seifert, David Lasocki, and Rebecca Messbarger.

Since its inception, La Donna Musicale has educated listeners through outreach programs, workshops, pre-concert lectures, extensive and informative CD liner and program notes, radio programs, and via its website which features online audio files. The Ensemble has also participated in music education series such as Harvard University’s Meet the Performer, and has been lauded by Early Music America as an ensemble that performs “…outstanding music stylishly performed…”  Each of La Donna Musicale’s four ground-breaking CDs of music by Antonia Bembo and Julie Pinel and Anna Bon has received national and international accolades."

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Added on: Mar 08, 2008 | Hits: 2045

“La Follia has appeared throughout Texas, and its members have recorded and performed throughout the world as soloists and with other ensembles. La Follia helped establish the annual Early Music Festival at the Festival-Institute at Round Top, Texas. The ensemble has performed throughout Texas and has appeared frequently on John Aielli's Eklektikos radio program on KUT, and Classical Austin on KMFA.

La Follia's name comes from folia (meaning folly), the name of a 16th-century Spanish dance. The music for this dance was based on a characteristic harmonic pattern, which became associated with a particular melody in the 17th century. This dance has fascinated composers down to our own time. Variations on La Follia have been written by Alessandro Scarlatti, Marin Marais, Arcangelo Corelli, J.S. and C.P.E. Bach, Antonio Vivaldi, Luigi Cherubini, Franz Liszt, Carl Nielsen, and Sergei Rachmaninoff. ..”

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Added on: Apr 18, 2010 | Hits: 2308

"The mythic figure of Orpheus – who moved men, beasts, woods, and rocks with the music of his lyre – is considered the patron saint of all musicians. When Claudio Monteverdi wrote his opera “L’Orfeo: in 1607, he introduced a completely new style of music which influenced generations of composers after him. La Gente D’Orfeo (The People of Orpheus) was formed in 2001 to play the chamber music repertoire of 17th century Italy, the time when Monteverdi’s new style began to flourish in the works of other composers as well.

La Gente has performed at the University of Michigan’s Museum of Art in connection with its exhibit “Women Who Ruled: Queens, Goddesses, Amazons 1500-1650,” and at the Detroit Institute of Arts’ Fine Arts Friday Series, and has recently collaborated with the vocal ensemble, Vox, at the DIA for the opening of the exhibit “Magnificenza! The Medici, Michelangelo, and the Art of Late Renaissance Florence,” as well as on the Academy of Early Music’s 2002-2003 concert series in Ann Arbor. " See website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Mar 03, 2008 | Hits: 2104

"In 1602, Giulio Caccini, the noted Italian composer and singer, wrote that the main aim of the composer and performer is to “stir the passions of the soul (muovere l’affetto dell’anima)”. Sparked by that thought, harpsichordist Lionel Party founded La Mela di Newton, a dynamic trio featuring Mr. Party and the dazzling artists Jonathan Keren (violin) and Ira Givol (cello).

La Mela di Newton performs the great Baroque repertoire in a style uniquely its own, bringing forth aspects of manuscripts that have been passed over for centuries, infusing timeless masterpieces with a fresh and powerful interpretation. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Aug 06, 2008 | Hits: 2389