History and Aim of Adelaide Baroque
Adelaide Baroque Inc. (AB) is Australia’s longest established organization
devoted to the presentation of baroque music on historically appropriate
instruments. Its aim is to excite contemporary audiences with the power
of baroque music. AB presents high quality concerts and workshops featuring
local, national and international artists in Adelaide, regional South
Australia, nationally and internationally. AB has contributed to the quality
of life in South Australia through the presentation of baroque music performances
of the highest artistic standard.
AB’ s performances consistently achieve high critical acclaim;
it has international recognition in the field; tours regionally, nationally
and internationally; regularly collaborates with both Australia’s
leading and emergent baroque performers in concert; has sound and stable
governance which conscientiously stages a full program of the highest
artistic merit.
The organisation is collaborating with South Australia’s leading
music High School on a major international music education project; has
a strong and successful relationship with South Australian Department
of Industry and Trade and AusTrade; stages well-regarded Baroque Master
Class programs; has rapidly developing relationships with major cultural
organisations in China, and; partakes as a leading player in industry
development and networking.
AB’s lead ensembles have performed at Government House, Adelaide,
the Launch of Olivet House, Stirling, The Art Gallery of South Australia,
Australia House in London, Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts, the Hong
Kong Club, Xinghai Concert Hall in Guangzhou, China and for numerous private
functions. In a partnership with Marryatville High School Special Interest
Music Centre AB presents music workshops, lectures and masterclasses featuring
international baroque specialists to students in Australia and South East
Asia. It promotes emerging artists in the field and present a youth concert
series. AB also produces CD’s and recordings of our principal ensembles.
AB’s success in sustaining baroque music practise in South Australia
is demonstrated by its ongoing commitment, for over 30 years, to the successful
presentation of South Australian artists in concerts and workshops of
baroque music performance – in Adelaide, nationally, in Hong Kong,
the UK and more recently in mainland China.
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To excite contemporary audiences with the power of baroque music
AB continues to play a significant role in enriching the quality and
diversity of music practice in Australia through the presentation and
promotion of programs of artistic excellence in local, regional, national
and international contexts. High quality artistic standards have always
been a priority of the organization, it is recognized that such unerring
focus on integrity and purity and the use of ‘period’ instruments
is what has kept the organization alive and won the support of audiences
and government.
AB is the first professional organisation established in Australia devoted
to the presentation and promotion of historical performance practise.
It has a long history of presenting high quality baroque performances
and workshops nationally and internationally. It has provided Australian
audiences with fresh recreations of baroque music which have now been
adopted by national organisations such as the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra.
Its groundbreaking initiatives include the presentation of innovative
programs of baroque music in local, national international contexts featuring
the most accomplished practitioners in the field.
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AB maintains a vigorous commissioning program and innovative cross-artform
projects
AB’s commissioning program has resulted in new works for old instruments
by some of South Australia’s leading composers performed in original
productions featuring cross art-form collaborations between musician and
actors. In recent years AB has commissioned noted Adelaide composer Tristram
Cary for a series of songs to compliment its “Catches and Rounds”
program featuring music from 17th Century England performed by Musica
da Camera and readings from social and political tracts of the period
read by accomplished Adelaide based actor Paul Blackwell. AB also commissioned
respected composer Quentin Grant for it “Psyche” program which
also featured a collaboration between Musica da Camera and Paul Blackwell
reading from his own script on the story of the goddess Psyche.
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AB’s Lead ensemble Musica da Camera is internationally recognised
AB’s lead ensemble is Musica da Camera which features accomplished
musicians Tessa Miller (soprano), Lesley Lewis (harpsichord), Lynton Rivers
(recorder) and Zoë Barry (cello). Musica da Camera performs and tours
regularly in Australia at public concerts and festivals including the
Adelaide Festival, The Barossa Music Festival and the Melbourne Early
Music Festival.
Recent highlights include its critically acclaimed collaboration with
Syntony choir for the 2006 Adelaide Festival Fringe. On October 30th Musica
da Camera presented “Catches and Rounds” at Thorn Park Country
House. This is a repeat performance of their highly successful presentation
of the program in Adelaide in June 2004, comprising music from the pubs
and taverns of old England, and brilliantly supported by the narration
of poems and social political tracts by Paul Blackwell. “Catches
and Rounds” also features a specially commissioned works for old
instruments by distinguished composer Tristram Cary. In June 2005 the
ensemble presented “Psyche” with actor Paul Blackwell reading
from his own script on the legend of Psyche. Interspersed with baroque
musical items “Psyche” also featured a newly commissioned
work by Quentin Grant on a text by Humphrey Bower. In April 2005 year
Musica da Camera performed alongside violinists Lucinda Moon and Ben Dollman,
Anna Webb (viola) and Zoë Barry (cello) to present “Zephyrus”
featuring music from the French court of Louis XIV.
Musica da Camera also tours regularly both nationally and internationally.
In February 2005 year they collaborated with UK based oboist Jane Downer
to tour their Adelaide presentation of “Travelling Baroque”
to Canberra. Musica da Camera toured to Hong Kong and China in April 2005
where they performed to enthusiastic audiences at the Xinghai Concert
Hall, Guangzhou, Shenzhen Middle School and the Hong Kong Academy of Performing
Arts. In January 2004 they performed for the Hong Kong Chamber Music Society
at the Hong Kong Club and ensemble member Tessa Miller performed with
the City of Hong Kong Chamber Orchestra in their ‘Venetian Delights
Program’. Musica da Camera has also toured the UK (1999) for critically
acclaimed performances at Warwick and Leamington Festivals and Australia
House in London. Musica da Camera broadcasts regularly in Australia and
when on tour.
The ensemble has also produced one self-titled CD and appears on the
April 2005 AB release Passion.
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AB encourages the development of emerging artists through Adelaide Baroque
Ensemble
The Adelaide Baroque Ensemble comprises a core group of four string players.
All are young accomplished players who are either in their final years
of study at the Elder Conservatorium or recent graduates. Many are already
award-winning musicians, such as Ben Dollman (Australian Brandenburg Orchestra),
Dominic Glynn (Pinchgut Opera), Anna Webb ( Zephyr Quartet) and Zoë
Barry (now principal of AB) and some have gained overseas study and performance
experience in the United Kingdom, Europe, Asia and the United States.
Under the direction of Lesley Lewis, and working with members of Musica
da Camera and guest artists, this dedicated ensemble of emerging early
musicians allows Adelaide Baroque to perform a more varied orchestral
repertoire.
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AB collaborates with leading national and international baroque musicians
AB’s lead ensemble has performed with leading national and international
baroque musicians in their concerts. In recent years they have included:
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2006 Sally-Anne Russell (soprano), Julie Hewison (violin, Melbourne),
Miriam Morris (viola da gamba, Melbourne), Laura Vaughan (viola da
gamba, Melbourne)
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2005 Lucinda Moon (violin), Ben Dollman (violin), Jane Downer (oboe,
UK)
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2004 Kate Morgan (cello, Sydney), Rosalind Halton (harpsichord,
Newcastle)
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2003 Sally Anne Russell (soprano), Kate Morgan (cello)
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2002 Hans Maria Kneihs (recorder, Vienna), Marion Middenway (cello,
Paris), John O’Donnell (organ/harpsichord)
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2001 Early Dance Consort (Sydney), Antony Chesterman (oboe, Sydney)
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2000 Alison Crum and Roy Marks (viola da gamba, UK
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AB tours nationally and internationally
AB has established strong relationships with a number of national music
organisations and has presented workshops and performances in recent years
for V’Vace Early Music and Recorder and Early Music Society of WA,
Early Music Enterprises, Canberra. It has also presented concerts for
Mildura Arts Festival, Frankland Estate Winery and in-schools workshops
in regional WA.
AB ensembles have also achieved international recognition. In 2005 Musica
da Camera received highly favourable responses to their performance and
pre-concert talk at the Xinghai Concert Hall, Gunagzhou, China.
Similarly the presentation to teenage Chinese students at Shenzhen middle
school was a test for a specially-devised Chinese “In Schools”
program, designed with accompanying CD and lecture notes in Chinese. The
Chinese experience was very positive and the ensemble has agreed to make
themselves available for future tours to China.
Hong Kong is familiar territory for Musica da Camera. The 2005 Musica
da Camera concert at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA)
was the follow up to a January 2004 tour. On that occasion the ensemble
met with the new Director HKAPA, Benedict Cruft and offer performances
and workshops.
During the 2004 tour, the ensemble performed for the Hong Kong Chamber
Music Society and Tessa Miller performed with the City of Hong Kong Chamber
Orchestra. The ensemble had also performed and presented lecture demonstration
in 1999 at the HKAPA.
The 2005 presentation at HKAPA was well received and resulted in discussions
on future artistic collaborations with Benedict Cruft, himself a baroque
violinist, and with other baroque musicians at the Academy.
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AB Trains and nurtures musicians and audiences through a vigorous education
program
In addition to its performance activities AB has been the training ground
for many Australian musicians in the art of baroque performance practice
through its workshops. It has been responsible for the development of
such musicians as Ben Dollman (Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, AB Ensemble),
Jane Downer (UK based baroque oboist), Joanna Dudley (Berlin based recorder
player) to name a few.
In July 2005 the Music Foundry was launched, a partnership between AB
and Marryatville High School Special Interest Music Centre that seeks
to develop comprehensive music training courses providing extensive musical
skills development and exciting performance opportunities. The Music Foundry
partnership evolved from successful past projects such as Adelaide Fringe
2004 YEP project, Reviewing the Fringe and the Inaugural Marryatville
Music Academy (July 2002).
Since 1977, AB through its performances, workshops and touring has played
an important role in the training of early music specialists and in aiding
South Australians to discover the delights of historically-informed baroque
music.
Marryatville High School through its highly regarded Special Interest
Music Centre has helped nurture musicians who now have careers as musicians
around the world. Frequently the School's prize-winning choirs, bands
and orchestras tour nationally and internationally to great acclaim.
Music Foundry has been established with the intention that in the next
five years, an International Music Academy will be established at Marryatville
High School. They also intend to provide vocational training and create
an international network of musical mentors and tutors.
In 2006 Music Foundry presented the workshop and public performance of
Handel’s: L’Allegro- Il Penseroso and courses in sight singing.
The partnership meets AB’s strategic objective of providing an
artistic mentorship program of the highest calibre. It is an artistic
development program that fosters the development of artists including
emerging artists.
The Music Foundry project also meets AB’s objective of developing
partnerships with non-arts organisations. It aims to develop national
and international markets for the Academy targeting South East Asia. The
Academy program will involve two components: On-going workshops and course
accreditation.
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AB receives critical acclaim and peer recognition
AB consistently receives critical acclaim for its performances locally
and nationally and internationally. It has received peer recognition through
its support from the State and Federal Governments and in 2006 was again
awarded triennial funding following 20 years of annual and triennial support
and in 2005 it was awarded Key Organisation Status from the Federal Government
through the Australia Council.
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