Browsing: Baroque and Early

Chamberfest is, above all else, a celebration of form. With this festival, Artistic Director Carissa Klopoushak aims to highlight both the best of what chamber music is, and what it can be. “Chamberfest uses a very broad definition of chamber music,” she says. “It’s purposefully done, and it’s carefully done, too.” Chamberfest aims to create a milieu where chamber music builds connections among its performers, and between artist and audience. The smallness of the presenting ensembles and the intimacy of the venues shrink the distance between stage and house, allowing listeners to feel truly absorbed by the music. “We use…

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This summer, the 49th edition of Festival de Lanaudière sees the return of established partners and friends as they strengthen their professional and personal ties with this venue—which has become synonymous with summer cultural life in Quebec—as well as welcoming newcomers to the Lanaudière scene. “The theme of this year’s festival revolves largely around issues of power,” says the festival’s artistic director, Renaud Loranger. From July 3–Aug. 2, a series of concerts and performances will indeed place the audience at the heart of conflicts, rivalries and oppression. The program invites us to become aware of the climate of violence that…

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Ottawa, ON – Ottawa Chamberfest announces its 2026 Summer Festival, running July 23 to August 2, featuring a wide-ranging program of international and Canadian artists, bold new music, major chamber collaborations, and free community events across 11 days in the Nation’s Capital. Set against Ottawa’s bicentennial year, the 2026 edition reflects a city celebrating 200 years of history, growth, and cultural expression. At its core, the festival invites audiences to step away from the everyday and experience music as it happens: live, shared, and authentic. Chamberfest’s wide-ranging lineup of international and Canadian artists presents programs that span from baroque opera…

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With Chaconne et chocolat : délectations espagnoles, Les Idées heureuses continues a musical adventure it began a few years ago. Its theme: the fascinating chaconne. Having explored France, Germany, Italy and England, this new program invites audiences on a trip to Spain with a few detours to South America, cradle of many artistic influences that have nourished this musical form. The heart of the project is the richness and diversity of the chaconne. “The chaconne as a dance and an instrumental form is rather a chameleon: you can enter into all sorts of emotions, choose any genre, discover music that’s very…

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Guided by an idea as simple as it is inexhaustible—the art of imitation—La Nef’s latest program offers a fascinating musical journey through the centuries. From the Middle Ages to contemporary composition, Jeux d’imitation, jeux de miroirs will highlight the enduring nature and richness of the imitative process, which have never ceased to inspire composers. At the heart of the project lies an ancient—yet surprisingly modern—concept: the gymel (from the Latin cantus gemellus, or “twin song”). As Vincent Lauzer, the project’s musical director and flutist, explains: “The starting point was the medieval gymel, a form of composition and improvisation that seeks…

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When Jordi Savall spoke with La Scena Musicale in 2022, he was on a North American tour that took him to Ottawa and Montreal with his ensemble Hespèrion XXI. At the time, his repertoire centred on the golden age of consort music, a period spanning the 16th and 17th centuries. This year marks the 85th birthday of this illustrious viola da gamba player and conductor, a specialist in early music and unearther of rare gems. Despite his years, Savall demonstrates a passion for research and the unknown that remains as strong as ever. Indeed, in addition to his specialist ensembles,…

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Toronto, Ontario (February 11, 2026) —Tafelmusik today announced its 2026/27 concert season, a boldly curated year that balances iconic masterworks with rediscovered voices, interdisciplinary storytelling, and vibrant new perspectives, performed on period instruments with the ensemble’s signature energy, precision, and expressive depth. Subscription packages are now available at tafelmusik.org. New this season, Tafelmusik welcomes audiences into a year shaped by joy, reflection, and surprise. Acclaimed British violinist Rachel Podger has extended her tenure as Principal Guest Director for an additional three years, through to the end of its landmark 50th anniversary season. In 2026/27, Podger leads two major programs, Bach’s…

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Louis Couperin: Complete Works Jean Rondeau, harpsichord Erato, 2025 While most keyboard players succumb to modern tastes and decide to perform baroque composers on the piano, Jean Rondeau remains devoted to the sounds of the harpsichord. Under the French musician’s fingers, we are enveloped by the depth and vibration of this plucked string instrument. For his latest release on Erato, Rondeau offers us one of the most important projects of his artistic life: a complete Louis Couperin in no less than 10 volumes, totaling nearly 300 of his works. In the illustrious Couperin family, it is indeed the uncle to…

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Tafelmusik puts on its party shoes when it presents Rameau and the Art of Dance this month (February). Internationally-acclaimed baroque violinist Robert Mealy, artistic director of The Juilliard School’s historical performance program, leads a program of French baroque suites spotlighting Rameau’s magnificent operas. The Berkeley, Calif.-born performer and teacher is director of the Boston Early Music Festival Orchestra, principal concertmaster for Trinity Wall Street’s baroque orchestra, as well as co-director of the chamber group Quicksilver. For its Rameau program, Tafelmusik musicians will be joined by 15 string and wind players from Juilliard415, the school’s principal period-instrument ensemble founded in 2009.…

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Vox Aeterna was founded in 2008 to foster the vocal arts scene in and around Montreal, encouraging the growth of vocal concerts and educational opportunities. Four years later, the charitable organization created Festival de la Voix with these same principles in mind. The multi-week festival introduces audiences to professional vocalists from various backgrounds, cultures and musical styles. Discovering Beautiful Voices Artistic Director Kerry-Anne Kutz’s well-trained ear makes her an excellent judge of talent. “The first thing that I think about—no matter what the genre—is the beauty of the voice,” she says about programming. From established artists such as soprano Myriam…

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