It’s always nice to see the achievements of those that we know in the news. Recently, Elinor Frey, who studied with Ovation Press co-founder Hans Jensen shared an incredible achievement with the world.
Ms. Frey is a performing member of the ensemble Pallade Musica, a collaboration of four of Montreal’s most prominent early music performers. Their achievement: recently taking home the Grand Prize from Early Music America’s First Baroque Performance Competition!
On October 10, 2012 a “marathon concert” was held. Six emerging period-instrument ensembles showcased the best of their musical abilities in 20-25 minute sets, with a panel of judges assembled from among the ranks of the early music community. Pallade Musica won the Grand Prize, as well as a cash award of $3,000.
Pallade Musica was the only Canadian ensemble among the six finalists coming from throughout North America. In addition to the cash prize, Pallade Musica will perform on concert series in Seattle (Early Music Guild), Milwaukee (Music Now), Pittsburgh (Renaissance and Baroque) and at the Indianapolis Early Music Festival during the 2013-14 or 2014-15 seasons.
“We will hopefully be giving many more concerts in the future, and I hope to see you all there,” said Frey, whose role as the group’s cellist helped carry them to this victory.
The level of playing from all groups this evening was exceedingly high, so it is a privilege to be singled out for this honor. We always focus on trying out different textures and colors, seeking out and sharing the special moments in this music. We’re also proud to have represented Canada’s thriving early music scene at the competition.
This is an interesting story in light of last week’s Daily Bow which discussed the future of period performance. In a world where the musical styles of general periods and specific composers seem to have been deemed “distinct enough” from one another, is there a place for performances and ensembles that attempt to recreate the authenticity of early music as thoroughly as possible? Or does it make more sense to play with a “historically informed” musical sense as our author posits?
Whatever the answer, Pallade Musica and Early Music America have tapped into a vibrant audience which believes that there is still a place for period performance in our modern world. Perhaps it is precisely because of the growth in musicology and the wealth of knowledge that history affords us which makes the nature of period performance that much more “authentic.”
About Pallade Musica
Pallade Musica brings together four of Montreal’s most promising Early Music performers. Grand Prize winners at the Early Music America Baroque Performance Competition in New York, October 2012, the quartet consists of Tanya LaPerrière, Baroque violon, Elinor Frey, Baroque cello, Esteban La Rotta, theorbo, and Mylène Bélanger, harpsichord. They played together in past seasons in groups such as Ensemble Caprice, Arion, Proemio, and the Montreal Baroque Festival before launching their own Montreal series at the Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours. This season the group will also perform Monteverdi madrigals with Viva Voce and soprano Shannon Mercer. Their formation seeks to explore the repertoire for violin, cello and continuo using the cello, theorbo, and harpsichord as instruments in a contrapuntal role, allowing for a diverse sound palette of various textures and colors. The members of Pallade Musica have varied backgrounds, coming from Quebec, the USA, and Colombia, and have studied at McGill, ESMuC Barcelona, Civica Scuola di Milano, Scuola Cantorum Basiliensis, Conservatoire Royal de Bruxelles, and the Juilliard School.
Regarding the competition, Pallade Musica writes:
We were tremendously happy to have been honored with the Grand Prize at the EMA Baroque Performance Competition. We found the competition intensely motivating both as a group and as individual artists and it sent us on an unforgettable musical journey. The event was also meaningful as a meeting point in which to exchange with other musicians around the world who were performing Baroque music at a remarkably high level. The prize not only brings our group’s music making to a wider audience but it also encourages our continued growth over the next few concert seasons and beyond.
For more information on Pallade Musica join their Facebook Fan Page, visit their website, or contact them at info@pallademusica.com
Also for more information on this competition, visit the website of Early Music America.
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