Ensemble Masques
Composed of a core of 6 instrumentalists specialized in baroque music, Ensemble Masques is renowned for its expressiveness, eloquence and the depth of its interpretations.
The name of the group is inspired by the masques of Elizabethan England — dramatic entertainments that incorporated music, dance and poetry.
Renowned as much for its expressiveness and vitality as for its integrity and precision, the Masques ensemble fully embodies the multiplicity of the Baroque spirit. The core members of the ensemble each have a career as a soloist and performer with prestigious international early music ensembles. They are regularly joined by other instrumentalists who share the same desire to showcase the full expressive potential of the repertoire they perform.
Since its inception, the Ensemble Masques has deliberately chosen to explore different repertoires from the 17th and 18th centuries, rather than confining itself to a single style or genre. This curiosity, inseparable from its identity, reflects the reality of composition in the Baroque era, when influences crossed and mixed. This has led the Ensemble to explore 17th-century German music in greater depth, to reveal Telemann’s universalism and humanism, and to take an interest in the initiatory journey of the ‘Grand Tour’. All these artistic choices are underpinned by a taste for exchange, mixture, borrowing and cross-fertilisation, as evidenced by the variety of nationalities of the musicians who make up the Ensemble.
Musicians
Olivier Fortin | Harpsichord – Organ
A graduate with distinction from the Conservatoire de musique du Québec, OLIVIER FORTIN is the recipient of several scholarships for excellence which enabled him to pursue his training in Paris with Pierre Hantai and in Amsterdam with Bob van Asperen. A prizewinner at the Montreal Bach Competition and the Bruges Competition, he is much in demand as a soloist and chamber musician. He has performed throughout Europe, in Japan, China and South Korea, in Australia and New Zealand, in the United States and Canada with the Ensemble Masques, Capriccio Stravagante and the baroque orchestra Tafelmusik. He also performs with Skip Sempé and Pierre Hantaï in programmes of music for two and three harpsichords. From 2004 to 2008, he taught harpsichord and chamber music at the Conservatoire de musique de Québec. He directs and teaches at the Cluny Early Music Summer School and is professor of basso continuo and chamber music at the École Supérieure de Musique de Bourgogne-Franche-Comté.
Sophie Gent | Violin
Australian-born violinist SOPHIE GENT studied at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague with Ryo Terakado. Currently living in France, Sophie is in high demand as an orchestral leader and chamber musician throughout Europe and abroad, and appears regularly with Ensemble Masques, Orchestre Pygmalion, the Ricercar Consort, Ensemble Arcangelo, le Caravanserail, and the Orchestra of the Collegium Vocale, amongst others. Professor of baroque violin at the Amsterdam Conservatorium from 2011-14, she has also given masterclasses at the Antwerpen Conservatorium, the Jerusalem Early Music Workshop, the Abbaye aux Dames in Saintes, and at the Early Music Academy in Vannes. She is currently on faculty at the Conservatoire of Boulogne-Billancourt. Sophie plays a violin by Jacob Stainer from 1676.
Kathleen Kajioka | Viola
Praised for her “fire and chamber music smarts” (Globe and Mail), Canadian violinist and violist KATHLEEN KAJIOKA maintains a varied career, moving easily between musical worlds ranging from early to modern, from pop to Middle Eastern. Since returning to her home town after studies at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY, Kathleen has been a fixture in Toronto’s Early Music scene, touring and performing with Tafelmusik, Aradia, and Toronto Masque Theatre, and in Montreal as principal viola of Arion Baroque, among others. As a member of Ensemble Masques, she has appeared throughout Europe, Canada and the US, and recorded several award-winning albums on the ATMA, Alpha and Zig-Zag Territoire labels. She enjoys revisiting her maternal roots in Iceland, where she has served as concertmaster of the Reykjavik Chamber Orchestra and guest director of the Skálholt Bach Consort. She teaches Historical Performance at the Royal Conservatory of Music’s Glenn Gould School, and brings all her musical experiences to bear in her role as broadcaster and co-music director at the New Classical FM in Toronto, and as host of “The Concert Series,” airing across Canada on Vision TV.
Mélisande Corriveau | Violoncello – Bass viol
MÉLISANDE CORRIVEAU, critically acclaimed for her exceptional musical mastery, “belongs to a new generation of players bringing formidable performing skills and knowledge of period practices…” (Gramophone). She is a core member of Ensemble Masques, Les Voix Humaines, Bande Montréal Baroque, Sonate 1704 and Les Boréades. Her discography numbers over 40 titles on the ATMA Classique, Analekta, Harmonia Mundi, Paradizo, Zig‐Zag Territories and Alpha labels. A rare specialist in the pardessus de viole, her recent duo release with harpsichordist Eric Milnes featuring the 18th century French repertoire for the instrument was named among the 10 best classical discs of the year (2016) by CBC Radio, and was selected as Classical CD of the Year by Radio Canada. She is co-founder and Artistic Director of the ensemble L’Harmonie des Saisons, whose debut CD release ”Las Ciudades de Oro” (Cities of Gold) was the 2016 winner of the coveted Canadian JUNO Award for best classical CD of the year in the vocal and choral category.
Tuomo Suni | Violin
TUOMO SUNI studied baroque violin in his native Finland with Kreeta-Maria Kentala before attending the Royal Conservatory in The Hague, studying with Enrico Gatti and graduating with a master’s degree in 2005. Tuomo’s professional life has largely centred around chamber music, performing and recording with international ensembles including Opera Quarta, Ensemble Masques, Capriccio Stravagante and Ricercar Consort, with whom he has won several awards, including the Diapason d’Or for Opera Quarta’s cd of Leclair trio sonatas in 2007, and Ensemble Masques’s Romanus Weichlein cd in 2015. Tuomo is premier violon of Vox Luminis, principal second violin of The English Concert and leader of Hallgrímskirkja International Baroque Orchestra. He plays and records regularly with many other orchestras including Helsinki Baroque Orchestra, The Early Opera Company, Dunedin Consort and Bach Collegium Japan.
Benoît Vanden Bemden | Violone – Double bass
A musician through and through, BENOIT VANDEN BEMDEN is a much sought-after double bass and violone player, equally active in orchestral and chamber music. A founding member of the Brussels-based baroque orchestra Les Muffatti, he is also a member of Ensemble Masques and the Hathor Consort. He collaborates regularly with Vox Luminis, Ricercar Consort, Capriccio Stravagante, Stradivaria, Le Caravansérail, Il Gardellino, and Gli Angeli Genève, among others. After completing studies at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels under Christian Vanderborght, Benoît quickly turned to Early Music and historically informed performance practice. In 2002 he earned a Diplôme Supérieur in chamber music, with distinction, from the Conservatoire Royal de Mons, and completed his Master of Music degree in violone at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague. He teaches historical double bass and violone at the Académie de Musique de Woluwe-Saint-Lambert (Brussels). A true foodie, Benoît takes full advantage of his time on tour to explore the local cuisine, sharing what he discovers on his blog, “Ripailles et Passacailles.” And he never forgets to pack his tango shoes !