About

Musique Royale is delighted to feature two stunningly talented early music specialists as part of our 39th Summer Festival, Belgian viola da gamba player and singer Thomas Baeté, joined by powerhouse harpsichordist Suren Barry. Harpsichord and viola da gamba, two instruments that were so popular till the end of the 18th century, when the concert halls and the orchestra became bigger, and their intimate timbres were drowned by the louder piano and cello.

Suren Barry and Thomas Baeté, two passionate explorers in the field of ‘early music’, are constantly in search of the spirit of the long lost instruments. But they explore the colours and expressions of the harpsichord and the viol not only in the old repertoire, but also in new music, improvising, and composing and arranging for the harpsichord and the viol.

This programme, tailor-made for the Nova Scotia audiences, will be on the crossroads of old and new, the familiar and the discovery, the danceable and the lyrical, the rootsyness and the refinement. These two tirelessly creative performers will perform at historic venues in Lunenburg, Arichat, Baddeck, Merigomish, Parrsboro and Wolfville mid-September.

About the Artists

Thomas Baeté, songs, viola da gamba

The moment you play or sing music from a distant past back to life, two things happen: you make an instant, personal connection with that past, and at the same time you create something completely new and unique to that very moment.

The meeting of these seemingly opposite currents form the waves Thomas Baeté rides when he performs, researches, teaches and directs early music.

His instruments are the viola da gamba and the medieval fiddles, which he also uses to accompany his singing. Based in Belgium, his musical activities brought him to over 20 European countries, as well as Morocco, Peru, Colombia, the US of A, Canada, Georgia and Japan.

Exploring his passion for 14th Century polyphony, he founded the ensemble ClubMediéval, and his project Transports Publics brings unknown 17th Century music to the light.

Thomas teaches in Brussels and Leuven.

Suren Barry, harpsichord

Hailing from Ottawa, Suren has established himself as a versatile artist, equally at home on piano, fortepiano, and harpsichord. Regularly performing as part of Duo Octavian, a piano duo dedicated to commissioning new music and arranging orchestral works for two pianos, Suren’s fascination for improvisation has also inspired him to pursue fortepiano performance, focusing on Mozart and developing techniques for improvising cadenzas (which was the topic of his doctoral thesis at McGill’s Schulich School of Music).

This passion for improvisation recently led Suren to pursue a Master’s in Historical Performance on harpsichord at Juilliard. Over the past two years, Suren has performed with some of the world’s leading early music ensembles in France, Germany, and the US, such as Les Arts Florissants (led by William Christie), Yale’s Schola Cantorum (led by David Hill), and many others. A self-professed generalist, Suren is happiest when learning new things and engaging in conversation, and has perhaps spent more time playing chess than he cares to admit.