Contre le Temps: Reclaiming the Middle Ages

Created in Basel (Switzerland), in the vibrant atmosphere of the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, the female vocal quartet Contre le Temps brings medieval music to life in a renewed form. Four singers—two French, two American—and four individual paths converging in a shared sound, always in search of itself.

"To sing. And to keep singing. Again and again, even when we are very old!" © Foppe Schut

Founded in 2019 by Julia Marty, Cécile Walch, Karin Weston, and Amy Farnell, Contre le Temps is a female vocal ensemble specializing in medieval music. Their name, borrowed from a song by the twelfth-century trouvère and Champagne knight Gace Brulé, may be understood as a gentle reminder: not to forget the singular beauty, the intact strength, the raw emotion of the music of this period. Their singing stands out for its captivating fusion of timbres, in which each voice retains its individuality while contributing to a shared velvety sound, woven from subtle vibrations and evocative resonances. After a first appearance at the Laus Polyphoniae festival in Antwerp, as part of the International Young Artists Presentation, the quartet reached a new milestone in 2025, this time invited among the established ensembles.

How did you all meet?

Amy Farnell: Karin and I are from the United States, Julia and Cécile from France. We met in Basel, during our studies at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis.

When did you decide to work together as a group?

Julia Marty: At the Schola, we often sang together. We were in different classes, so there wasn’t a specific moment when we decided to form an ensemble. It came gradually. In fact, little by little, we realized that singing as four was not only enjoyable, but self-evident!

Karin Weston: There was also a project centered on Guillaume Dufay. We started singing, and everything worked immediately, without needing to discuss phrasing or how to breathe together… It was very natural. After that, we said to ourselves: perhaps we should continue?

So, the Dufay project was decisive?

Karin: It was one of the elements, certainly. We had also all worked with the medieval singer and musicologist Katarina Livljanić, particularly in her ensemble class. In 2021, a concert from that class was especially striking for us: many duos, trios, vocal combinations… and the recurring and persistent feeling that this very particular sound was truly beautiful!