About
Italian/Irish duo Arparla and Canada’s Elixir Baroque Ensemble come together to brilliantly illuminate a program of 16th and 17th century music.
Arparla, Irish baroque harpist Maria Cleary and Italian baroque violinist Davide Monti, are proud owners of a Canadian canoe which they have rowed on the canals of Venice! Both notable improvisers, they will join forces with Canada’s celebrated Elixir Ensemble for a match of musical wit. Come and hear music never before heard in North America and enjoy a Venetian breeze during the long summer.
About Arparla
Arparla, an Italian/Irish duo, uses music as their way to speak and communicate with others, using the soft and refined sonorities of the harp and the expressive range of colours of the violin. Their repertoire focuses on the Baroque period and the transition period between classicism and romanticism (17th to 19th centuries), a repertoire that their instruments can perfectly express the aesthetic of these epochs.
The Cleary/Monti duo has performed to wide acclaim for audiences in Europe, Canada, Japan, Uganda and Australia; at international festivals and have also worked in collaboration with organizations like the Italian NGO COOPI with the Menuhin Foundation.
Davide and Maria founded the Helicona Method in 2013, which teaches musical improvisation in a historical multidisciplinary environment, using strategies drawn from disciplines such as dance, Commedia dell’Arte, fencing and horse riding, with the aim of facilitating the opening of the mind and exploring the physicality of the musical gesture. To date, over 1,000 people worldwide have taken Helicona Method courses. They teach at the Conservatorio di Verona, Vicenza, Cagliari and the Haute École de Musique de Genève.
The Arparla discography includes over 80 CDs, including recordings of Spohr’s complete sonatas for violin and harp, Marco Uccellini’s Opus 4 and 5 for violin and basso continuo and a collection of 17th century Italian sonatas.
About Elixir Baroque Ensemble
Founded in 2010, Elixir Baroque Ensemble strives to bring new life to music by serving up intoxicating programs that combine the lyrical with the virtuosic, and the well-known with the newly discovered. A major proponent of historical performance practice in the Greater Toronto Area, they also work as mentors to the younger generation, instilling in young minds a curiosity for gut strings, pointy bows, harpsichords and history. A finalist in the Early Music America Baroque Performance Competition, Elixir operates as a varied baroque ensemble performing with local and international musicians.
Dates & Times
Tickets
No tickets required
Venue
479 Queens Quay West,
Toronto, ON