EMA Artist Interview with Mary Anne Ballard of The Baltimore Consort

By Amanda Vail

Welcome to the second installment in our series of interviews with Early Music America member artists. For this session, we spoke with Mary Anne Ballard of The Baltimore Consort.

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EMA: The Baltimore Consort has a pretty extensive discography. What kind of process is it to choose which of your varied pieces or concerts are included in the recordings?

MAB: If it's good enough for a live audience, it's good enough to be recorded, so the process of choosing is no different from that for assembling a concert program. The only limiting factor is the need to achieve variety on the CD, in case we are drawing from a list of pieces that spans several concerts.

EMA: How do you attempt to convey the unique sound of Renaissance instruments into an electronic medium?

MAB: The variety of instruments played by the Baltimore Consort makes it tricky to get a good recorded sound. Having a good sound engineer who is tuned to the different acoustic properties of each instrument is an important place to start. The Dorian engineers once sent the gemshorn player into a nearby stairwell in order to get proper balance with the rest of the group on the stage.

EMA: What drew your consort together?

MAB: In our case, it was the desire to play the Morley Consort Lessons, which are arranged for Elizabethan "mixed consort" or "broken consort," an ensemble consisting of violin (or treble viol), flute (or recorder), lute, cittern, bandora, and bass viol.

EMA: And what keeps you going?

MAB: We are all friends after 30 years, and we realized early on that we worked well together.

EMA: What are the most challenging, or rewarding, aspects of touring?

MAB: The actual tour is the tip of the iceberg, and usually completely enjoyable. What is difficult is the preparation--finding sponsors, and making elaborate fool-proof travel arrangements that work. In 30 years, we have never been late to a concert or canceled, although we have had a couple of sponsors cancel due to snow (after we put chains on the van and managed to get there).

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The Baltimore Consort's December 20th concert, Wassail! Wassail!, was presented in honor of Early Music America's 25th Anniversary. Learn more about The Baltimore Consort, and view a list of this season's concerts, at their website: http://www.baltcons.com. You can also get to know them via YouTube here.

For more information on Early Music America member ensemble concerts presented in honor of EMA's 25th Anniversary during Winter 2010 and Spring 2011, please click here.

EMA Artist Interview with Anne Azéma

By Amanda Vail

Welcome to the first installment of our series of interviews with member artists of Early Music America. Recently, we spoke with Anne Azéma, Artistic Director of the Boston Camerata.

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EMA: Your December 5 concert, "The Sacred Bridge," focused on music from religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) that are too often depicted as opposites. What led you to choose these pieces and showcase them in close proximity to one another?

AA: In this concert we concentrate on the links among people of three faiths, rather than on the things that separate them. We present, for instance, as a medley two songs, Allahoo (in Arabic) and Yona toma (in Hebrew); these two texts from the Arabo-Andalusian repertoire of Morocco share a common melody. There are many other examples in music history, and in this program, of such commonalities and shared roots.

My earliest association with The Sacred Bridge was as a young solo singer. The moment in Paris was somber, because of a recent terrorist attack in that city. But both I and the audience were moved by the message of hope inherent in the material and by the collaborative efforts of the cast including Jewish, Christian, and Muslim musicians. Since that time, via many tours and a commercial recording, this program has evolved. In its current incarnation, in a collaboration with Sharq Arabic Musical Ensemble, it continues, in my opinion, to be one of The Boston Camerata’s important achievements.

EMA: December is a busy touring month for you, with seven concerts whose locations range from Boston, Massachusetts, to Schnectady, New York, to Strasbourg, France. Simply put: how do you do it? Especially during the generally hectic holiday season?

AA: The month of December is experienced by many as hectic and overcharged. The music we perform helps me to stay centered and focused on important and beautiful things. I am actually grateful to be touring with my colleagues during that season.

EMA: In May, 2011, the Boston Camerata will be performing in four European countries. What is the momentum behind this tour?

AA: Camerata will in fact be touring abroad five times in 2011. Years and years of work have helped bring these tours to fruition. Camerata's long standing commitment to early American repertoires (started by Joel Cohen in the 70s!) will bring us for the fourth time to the Cité de la Musique in Paris in February and to the Festival de Verdure – also in Paris - in August, 2011. The May tour in Finland, Holland, Germany, and France is a very happy return of our Borrowed Light production, a collaboration with the Tero Saarinen Finnish Dance company, built around Shaker songs. This production has been to three continents and continues to be very much in demand.

Another important chapter of our musical life revolves around music of the Middle Ages, an area that is a particular passion of mine. We have been invited for a residency in Reims, France, to help them celebrate the 800th Anniversary of their magnificent cathedral. They have commissioned us to create five new programs.

It is exhilarating to be able to continue to draw on Camerata's extensive 'book,' but also to create new projects and works that reflect who we are now. Sharing all this with the outside world is a great thrill.

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Boston Camerata's December 5 concert The Sacred Bridge was presented in honor of EMA's 25th Anniversary. Learn more about the Boston Camerata at their website, www.bostoncamerata.com

For more information on Early Music America member ensemble concerts presented in honor of EMA's 25th Anniversary during the Winter 2010 and Spring 2011, please click here.