Studio de Musique Ancienne de Montréal

Canadian Early Music Ensemble

Praised for its “rich-textured, vibrant sound” and “hypnotic beauty”, the Studio de musique ancienne de Montréal has established a reputation as Montréal’s finest early music vocal ensemble. Composed of 10 to 13 singers chosen for the remarkable clarity and purity of their voices, the choir is often accompanied with period instrument to perform Renaissance and Baroque choral masterpieces. Founded in 1974 by the organist and harpsichordist Christopher Jackson, and today conducted by the Artistic Director Andrew McAnerney, the Studio has brought more than 800 Renaissance and Baroque masterpieces before the public, and continues to reveal and share the vitality, sensuality, and emotional depth of early music. The ensemble’s concert series is a highlight of Montréal’s cultural and ranks as an integral part of the city’s lively baroque scene. Flowering from Montreal’s fertile early music scene in the early 1970s, the Studio was a pioneer ensemble in the North American period music movement. The Studio has toured Mexico, France, Spain and Luxembourg and has often appeared at the Festival International de Sarrebourg. Through frequent concert collaborations with many wellknown early music instrumental ensembles—including Skip Sempé’s Capriccio Stravagante Renaissance Orchestra — the Studio has partnered with many renowned artists, such as Jordi Savall, Ton Koopman, Dame Emma Kirkby, Guillemette Laurens, Suzie LeBlanc and Daniel Taylor. The Studio has made 17 widely acclaimed recordings, several of which are on the ATMA label, including Arvo Pärt/Stabat Mater, which earned the Toronto Star’s CD Pick of the Week, and Rise, O my soul, which Classics Today singled out for the “ardent, deeply-felt expression of the singers”. The Studio’s CBC recording, Heavenly Spheres, won a Félix (ADISQ) Award, and its Palestrina recording won the Prix Choc du Monde de la Musique. The Conseil québécois de la musique awarded an Opus Prize to the Studio’s Lagrime di San Pietro recording, and in January 2015, Terra Tremuit has been been nominated Album of the Year at the Juno Awards. On the eve of its 40th anniversary season, the Studio de musique ancienne was invited to perform a sold out concert at Carnegie Hall.