The Convivium
The concert hall came later.
The intimacy came first.
The convivium, Latin for living together, was a Roman tradition of private gathering. The host received a chosen circle of guests. Music and conversation were inseparable from the occasion.
Baroque and classical music was born in similar settings. We are professional musicians specialised in the music of the 17th and 18th centuries, performing on period instruments across Europe. These are the centuries in which the language of classical music was formed, and we return that music to the private settings it was written for.
The Experience
A concert in its oldest form.
Musicians among guests, music chosen for the hour, played once, for that room only.
At a few meters, the music regains its original scale. What carries is the playing itself, and the exchange it creates: between the musicians, and with everyone in the room. Attention travels in both directions, and the guests are part of the occasion rather than apart from it. It is the standard of the concert stage, without the distance.
The Scale
The scale is yours to set.
- IA solo violin
- IIA violin and a lute
- IIITwo violins and a bass instrument
- IVA string quartet
- VAn ensemble with harpsichord
- VIAn ensemble with singers
- VIIA chamber orchestra
- VIIIAn opera, given in a private hall
- Or whatever the occasion asks for
Tailored to the Occasion
Shaped entirely around your evening.
Whether central to the evening or woven discreetly into it, every performance is built for the occasion it belongs to.
Repertoire, formation and duration are discussed directly with you. No fixed packages.
Direction
Alexandre R. Turmel
Alexandre is a French Canadian baroque violinist based in The Hague. Trained at the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal and the Royal Conservatory of The Hague, he performs regularly across Europe with ensembles including Holland Baroque, PRJCT Amsterdam and Die Kölner Akademie.