Archives des Focus – Total Baroque Magazine

Les Chemins du Baroque dans le Nouveau Monde: The Last Journey

From 18 to 25 October, the 39th Sarrebourg International Music Festival will bring the Chemins du Baroque adventure in the New World to a definitive close. In March 2026, the transfer to Asunción of the music collection assembled in Saint-Ulrich had already given concrete form to the passing on of this legacy. This final edition will focus in particular on the composer Domenico Zipoli, born in Tuscany in 1688 and who died in Córdoba, Argentina, three hundred years ago, in 1726.

by J.-E. Eichenlaub 28 September 2026

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International Young Artists Presentation (Antwerp)

Laus Polyphoniae: Where Careers Begin

The International Young Artist Presentation (IYAP), held each year during the Laus Polyphoniae Festival in Antwerp, gives six young ensembles the opportunity to benefit from artistic guidance. In 2026, the focus was on stage presence and communication with the audience. A brief look at the six ensembles selected for the IYAP in August 2026.

by Richard Lorber 24 September 2026

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Haymarket Opera Company: A Baroque Gamble That Paid Off in Chicago

Gambist Craig Trompeter conceived of a niche opera company around 2006 that would provide what he saw as a much-needed baroque complement to Chicago’s two long-established organizations in the field that rarely ventured into that era. The result was the Haymarket Opera Company, which launched operations in 2011 and defied typical marketing practices by putting an emphasis on contemporary premieres of 17th- and 18th- century operas of which most audiences had never heard. Fifteen years on, it has grown considerably and, from September 24 to 27, is taking on one of the monuments of the repertoire: Monteverdi’s “L’Orfeo”.

by Kyle MacMillan 21 September 2026

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The Mystery of Monsieur de Sainte-Colombe

Focus

Ensemble La Rêveuse – New CD

The Mystery of Monsieur de Sainte-Colombe

‘Tous les matins du monde’: beyond Pascal Quignard’s novel and Alain Corneau’s 1991 hit film, who knows of Monsieur de Sainte-Colombe, a master of the viola da gamba from the second half of the 17th century and a contemporary of Lully? On their new CD, Florence Bolton and Benjamin Perrot, of the French ensemble La Rêveuse, together with musicologist Matteo di Capua, attempt to unravel the mystery.

by Paolo Scarnecchia 15 September 2026

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“Crosswinds”, or how to reinvent Renaissance dance

Focus

Into the Winds & Les Corps Éloquents

“Crosswinds”, or how to reinvent Renaissance dance

With “Crosswinds”, Into the Winds and Les Corps Éloquents explore the dances of the early Renaissance through the spirit of alta capella (a ceremonial instrumental form), the expertise of dance masters, and the Neoplatonic imagery of the seven classical planets. A performance that blends historical reconstruction, theatrical invention, and a contemporary perspective, Into the Winds will be back on 18 September in Waha, Belgium, with “Le Grand Embrasement”.

by Louise Morfouace 3 September 2026

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Previously unknown 14th-century Italian scores discovered in an accounting register

Focus

Rimini (Northern Italy)

Previously unknown 14th-century Italian scores discovered in an accounting register

A financial document, a simple register of dues collected from the lands of the Benedictine monastery of San Gaudenzo, founded in Italy in the 14th century, concealed a treasure: a collection of 89 songs, including 19 previously unknown works, among them one by Francesco Landini, the most prestigious composer of the Italian Ars Nova. These pieces will be presented in Rimini on September 4 and performed for the first time by Ensemble Micrologus at Rimini’s Galli Theatre.

by Paolo Scarnecchia 1 September 2026

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The Boccherini Quartets: The Making of a Recording

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Concerto 1700 & Daniel Pinteño

The Boccherini Quartets: The Making of a Recording

On the occasion of the recording of the complete Op. 22 String Quartets by Luigi Boccherini, violinist Daniel Pinteño and Concerto 1700 offer a lively and experimental take on the string quartet in 18th-century Spain. Research into historical sources, interpretive freedom, and addressing the challenges facing the recording industry today: an interview that closely connects artistic vision and the practical realities of the profession, at a time shaped by budgetary constraints and streaming.

by Aaron Vincent 24 August 2026

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Alessandro Stradella: The ‘Bad Boy’ of Italian Baroque?

Focus

Andrea De Carlo – Festival Barocco Stradella

Alessandro Stradella: The ‘Bad Boy’ of Italian Baroque?

Alessandro Stradella was an extraordinarily prolific Baroque composer, a musical innovator, and, it would seem, an accomplished seducer. His talent led, fifteen years ago, to the creation of a festival dedicated to him; his love affairs, meanwhile, are said to have cost him his life in 1682. A dive into the eventful life (to say the least) of one of the seventeenth century’s most celebrated artists. The festival dedicated to him will take place from 29 August to 27 September in Viterbo and Nepi, Italy.

by Andrea Braun 17 August 2026

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Hildegard von Bingen: From the Rhine Valley to the United States

Focus

Opera creation

Hildegard von Bingen: From the Rhine Valley to the United States

From medieval mysticism to contemporary opera, Hildegard von Bingen has never ceased to fascinate. With “Hildegard”, her first opera, American composer Sarah Kirkland Snider brings together visions, illness, faith, desire, and artistic creation to revive Hildegard von Bingen, one of the most remarkable figures of the European Middle Ages. “Hildegard” will be performed on July 31 at the Aspen Music Festival in Colorado.

by Kyle MacMillan 21 July 2026

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GEMS, The Quiet Force Behind New York’s Early Music Community

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Gotham Early Music Scene

GEMS, The Quiet Force Behind New York’s Early Music Community

In New York, GEMS lives up to its name. Since 2007, this discreet yet indispensable organization has helped young early music ensembles grow, secure funding, organize concerts, and build their audiences. John Thiessen has served as Executive Director from 2022 until early 2026. As GEMS enters a new chapter under new leadership, the Canadian-born musician reflects on how the organization became one of the driving forces behind the American early music scene.

by Francine Labelle 30 June 2026

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A New Golden Age for the Mandolin in Marseille

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Mandol’in Marseille & Vincent Beer-Demander

A New Golden Age for the Mandolin in Marseille

From June 30 to July 6, Mandol’in Marseille returns for a sixth edition, honouring Vladimir Cosma. At the helm of the festival, Vincent Beer-Demander continues a long-term mission: restoring Marseille’s mandolin heritage, fostering dialogue between tradition, creation, and transmission, and demonstrating that an instrument long relegated to the margins can once again become a vibrant laboratory for musical innovation.

by Alexie Valois 24 June 2026

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Greg Skidmore: A Renaissance Man from Canada

Focus

The Canadian Renaissance Music Summer Schools

Greg Skidmore: A Renaissance Man from Canada

As a teenager in Canada in the 1990s, Greg Skidmore could not fully pursue his passion for Renaissance polyphony. Having since become a London-based baritone, he founded the Canadian Renaissance Music Summer Schools to offer others what he himself had lacked: the opportunity to study, sing and pass on this repertoire at the highest level.

by Fiona Hook 12 May 2026

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Focus

Les Chemins du Baroque dans le Nouveau Monde: The Last Journey

Laus Polyphoniae: Where Careers Begin

Haymarket Opera Company: A Baroque Gamble That Paid Off in Chicago

The Mystery of Monsieur de Sainte-Colombe

“Crosswinds”, or how to reinvent Renaissance dance

Previously unknown 14th-century Italian scores discovered in an accounting register

The Boccherini Quartets: The Making of a Recording

Alessandro Stradella: The ‘Bad Boy’ of Italian Baroque?

Hildegard von Bingen: From the Rhine Valley to the United States

GEMS, The Quiet Force Behind New York’s Early Music Community

A New Golden Age for the Mandolin in Marseille

Greg Skidmore: A Renaissance Man from Canada