The Musicians of the Egg will current a live performance that celebrates good cheer in the midst of winter, that includes music from the European Renaissance. The musicians will carry out chansons, madrigals, dance tunes, motets and fantasias from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries on a variety of interval devices that embrace flute, hurdy gurdy, flutes, recorders and percussion, together with vocals.
This system is designed to deliver a word of heat to brighten the darker days of January, and takes place on January 24. It options music by quite a few composers, together with Lassus, Byrd, Campion, Weelkes, Crequillon, Eccard, and Morley, amongst others.
The Musicians of the Egg
The Musicians of the Egg embrace former members of the Toronto Consort, together with colleagues who’ve collaborated on tasks up to now. They’re introduced collectively by a want to make music collectively as soon as once more, one thing they had been reminded of when the group was invited to carry out on the Toronto Music Backyard in July 2025.
On that event, the Toronto Music Backyard publicist requested for a photograph to make use of, and for the reason that group didn’t have one instantly out there, they looked for a portray that dated from the European Renaissance that will convey their cameraderie. The Live performance of the Egg was painted by a follower of Hieronymous Bosch, and depicts a number of individuals making music in a big egg, joined by birds and different creatures. The image match the vibe, and even the egg as an emblem of renewed life resonated.
Therefore, The Musicians of the Egg was hatched.
Michele Deboer, soprano
Michele DeBoer is predicated within the GTA, and performs usually as a soloist and ensemble member with a number of organizations. Whereas singing a broad vary of repertoire, she has a specific ardour for Early Music, which led to common performances with Tafelmusik and the previous Toronto Consort. Profession highlights up to now have included performing L’Amour in Lully’s Persée with Opera Atelier in Toronto and Versailles, and singing in Tehillim and Music for 18 Musicians with Soundstreams for Steve Reich’s eightieth birthday celebration, amongst others.
Laura Pudwell, mezzo-soprano
Laura Pudwell is a GRAMMY-nominated artist who has carried out internationally in London, Paris, Salzburg, Houston, Vienna, and Boston. She sings a variety of repertoire that features each Early Music and up to date works, and has carried out on a number of acclaimed recordings. She has appeared in lots of operas offered by Boston Early music, and as a frequent visitor of each nationwide and worldwide presenters, she has labored with conductors reminiscent of Hans Graf, Hervé Niquet, Andrew Parrott, Ivars Taurins, David Fallis, Brian Jackson, John Sinclair, Bernard Labadie, Lydia Adams, Howard Dyck and Robert Cooper. Laura has carried out throughout Canada with Opera Atelier, the Calgary Opera, Vancouver Early Music, and Competition Vancouver, amongst others.
Cory Knight, tenor
Cory Knight earned a Grasp of Arts in Historic Efficiency Observe from the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis in Switzerland, and an Superior Diploma in vocal efficiency from the Glenn Gould College. He performs as a soloist and in varied ensembles, and has sung at main festivals throughout Europe, together with the Utrecht Early Music Competition, Trigonale Early Music Competition, and the Baroque Music Competition in Ambronay, France. In Canada, highlights embrace performances with Pacific Opera Victoria, Les Violons du Roy, Opera Atelier, La Chapelle de Québec, and Soundstreams. He has additionally contributed to a number of recordings.
Olivier Laquerre, baritone
Olivier Laquerre enjoys a various worldwide profession, and is a longstanding member of Toronto’s Opera Atelier. He has appeared in additional than 25 productions with OA, together with the title position in Monteverdi’s Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria, Figaro (Le nozze di Figaro), and Arbace (Idomeneo), amongst others. With OA, he sang the twin roles of Céphée and Méduse in Lully’s Persée in Toronto and on the Opéra Royal de Versailles, and was featured in a CBC documentary. He’s an everyday visitor on the Boston Early Music Competition, showing in quite a few productions and recordings. Olivier can be an lively member of the Canadian Armed Forces, the place he serves as a horn participant. He has simply accomplished two consecutive seasons as Drum Main of the Ceremonial Guard on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
Ben Grossman, percussion & hurdy gurdy
Improviser, studio musician, composer, and noisemaker Ben Grossman is a musician and sound artist. He’s performed on greater than 100 CDs, together with soundtracks for each movie and TV, and composed music and created sound design for theatre, dance, and installations. He’s labored on the whole lot from medieval to experimental music utilizing his instruments of alternative, together with electronics, percussion, and a favorite, the vielle à roue (hurdy gurdy), a up to date electro-acoustic string instrument with roots within the European center ages.
Alison Melville, recorder & flute
Alison Melville started taking part in the recorder in a faculty classroom in London (UK), and has since branched out to incorporate historic flutes. Her profession as a performer has taken her throughout North America, in addition to to New Zealand, Iceland, Japan and Europe, most lately to Spain. Profession highlights embrace taking part in on the soundtracks of The Tudors, Atom Egoyan’s The Candy Hereafter, and for CBC’s The Pleasant Big. Alison has carried out with all kinds of ensembles, and at the moment performs usually with Tafelmusik. She is a previous member of Ensemble Polaris and the Toronto Consort. Her contributions seem on 65 albums. Alison taught for a few years on the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and for different universities, faculties and workshops throughout North America.
Jonathan Stuchbery, lute
Primarily based in Toronto, musician Jonathan Stuchbery makes a speciality of devices of the lute and guitar household. He has carried out throughout Canada and past with ensembles and artists reminiscent of Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, Arion Orchestre Baroque, Pacific Baroque Orchestra, Early Music Alberta, Rosa Barocca, Capella Intima, and Dame Emma Kirkby. As Duo Oriana with soprano Sinéad White, Jonathan has toured all through Canada, the UK, and Eire, together with options with the English Lute Society (London), at Windsor Fortress, and with Early Music America. Their first CD How Like a Golden Dream was launched in 2023 beneath the Leaf Music label. Jonathan earned a Bachelor of Music in Guitar and Lute from McGill’s Schulich College of Music, and went on to check Early Music efficiency on the Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya. Jonathan can be a member of Toronto Renaissance vocal quintet Diapente.
The Musicians of the Egg: Winter’s Delight
The live performance takes place January 24, 2026 at St Thomas’s Anglican Church in Toronto, with its attractive acoustics.
- Discover tickets and different live performance particulars [HERE].
Are you trying to promote an event? Have a news tip? Have to know the very best events taking place this weekend? Ship us a note.
#LUDWIGVAN
Get the each day arts information straight to your inbox.
Join the Ludwig Van Toronto e-Blast! — native classical music and opera information straight to your inbox HERE.
Anya Wassenberg is the Toronto Metropolis Editor at Ludwig Van. Beforehand, she was a contract author with a specialty in tradition and journey for 3 many years, and a inventive writing teacher for Ontariolearn.
