INFUSION BAROQUE
Infusion Baroque draws new audiences to early music through a truly captivating concert experience, deftly combining seasoned musicianship with theatrical elements. Playing music ranging from the seventeenth to twentieth centuries on historical instruments, the four women of Infusion Baroque enthrall audiences across North America with their creative and interactive programming.
Founded in 2013, Infusion Baroque won the Grand Prize and Audience Prize at the Early Music America’s Baroque Performance Competition in 2014. Since then, they have performed extensively in North America with series such as the Montreal Baroque Festival, Ottawa Chamberfest, Stratford Summer Music, Early Music Now (Milwaukee), San Francisco Early Music Society, Indianapolis Early Music, Houston Early Music, and the Gotham Early Music Scene in New York City. In 2024 they are slated to make their South American debut at the Teatro Mayor in Bogotá, Colombia. Their performances have been described as “dynamic and alive” (Early Music America) with “polish, energy, and finely-honed style … merrily breaking established traditions” (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel). They have released three albums with the Canadian label Leaf Music to critical acclaim.
Infusion Baroque’s research and creative programs highlight not only important figures of the past, but also relatively unknown composers and musicians and new frontiers in historical performance practice. The ensemble’s debut recording, 1747, is a collection of trio sonatas for flute, violin, and basso continuo by C.P.E. Bach. It reached #3 on the iTunes Classical Music chart and was described as “real baroque … gripping and full of character” (Radio-Canada). Their second album, Kreüsser, features world-premiere recordings of Georg Anton Kreüsser’s Op. 10 Quintettos, and was nominated for a Prix Opus Album of the Year. According to Fanfare, “the playing of these musicians…is superb. They play with a liveliness and unforced energy that seems to grow naturally out of the music… combining spontaneity and abandon with technical perfection.” Early Music America commended Infusion Baroque’s “elegance and refinement … alongside a lovely sense of wit, pathos, and verve”.
Since 2017, one of Infusion Baroque’s main initiatives has been “The Virtuosa Project,” a series of concerts, lectures, videos, and recordings highlighting historical female musicians. The ensemble has produced two web series - The Virtuosa Series (which tells the stories of four women performers of the Baroque and Romantic eras), and #virtuELLES (about women making music at home in historical and contemporary circumstances). Their third album, Virtuosa, consists of works composed or performed by women from the 17th to 21st centuries, and reached over 500K streams within the first six months of release. According to La Scena Musicale, “With its polished textures and resolutely dynamic but refined interpretations, [the album] unfolds in sprawling movements, as explosive as they are contemplative.”
Their latest project, East is East, began in 2022 and is a transcultural collaboration that offers a modern perspective on the 18th-century European approach to music from the East. Their new album of the same name, released in March 2024, explores common musical practices between the East and West, featuring old and new music with roots in Iran, India, and Europe. Infusion Baroque is joined by guest artists Amir Amiri (santur), Vidita Kanniks (soprano), Hamin Honari (tombak and daf), Shawn Mativetsky (tabla), Thibault Bertin-Maghit (double bass) and Hank Knox (harpsichord).
Founded in 2013, Infusion Baroque won the Grand Prize and Audience Prize at the Early Music America’s Baroque Performance Competition in 2014. Since then, they have performed extensively in North America with series such as the Montreal Baroque Festival, Ottawa Chamberfest, Stratford Summer Music, Early Music Now (Milwaukee), San Francisco Early Music Society, Indianapolis Early Music, Houston Early Music, and the Gotham Early Music Scene in New York City. In 2024 they are slated to make their South American debut at the Teatro Mayor in Bogotá, Colombia. Their performances have been described as “dynamic and alive” (Early Music America) with “polish, energy, and finely-honed style … merrily breaking established traditions” (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel). They have released three albums with the Canadian label Leaf Music to critical acclaim.
Infusion Baroque’s research and creative programs highlight not only important figures of the past, but also relatively unknown composers and musicians and new frontiers in historical performance practice. The ensemble’s debut recording, 1747, is a collection of trio sonatas for flute, violin, and basso continuo by C.P.E. Bach. It reached #3 on the iTunes Classical Music chart and was described as “real baroque … gripping and full of character” (Radio-Canada). Their second album, Kreüsser, features world-premiere recordings of Georg Anton Kreüsser’s Op. 10 Quintettos, and was nominated for a Prix Opus Album of the Year. According to Fanfare, “the playing of these musicians…is superb. They play with a liveliness and unforced energy that seems to grow naturally out of the music… combining spontaneity and abandon with technical perfection.” Early Music America commended Infusion Baroque’s “elegance and refinement … alongside a lovely sense of wit, pathos, and verve”.
Since 2017, one of Infusion Baroque’s main initiatives has been “The Virtuosa Project,” a series of concerts, lectures, videos, and recordings highlighting historical female musicians. The ensemble has produced two web series - The Virtuosa Series (which tells the stories of four women performers of the Baroque and Romantic eras), and #virtuELLES (about women making music at home in historical and contemporary circumstances). Their third album, Virtuosa, consists of works composed or performed by women from the 17th to 21st centuries, and reached over 500K streams within the first six months of release. According to La Scena Musicale, “With its polished textures and resolutely dynamic but refined interpretations, [the album] unfolds in sprawling movements, as explosive as they are contemplative.”
Their latest project, East is East, began in 2022 and is a transcultural collaboration that offers a modern perspective on the 18th-century European approach to music from the East. Their new album of the same name, released in March 2024, explores common musical practices between the East and West, featuring old and new music with roots in Iran, India, and Europe. Infusion Baroque is joined by guest artists Amir Amiri (santur), Vidita Kanniks (soprano), Hamin Honari (tombak and daf), Shawn Mativetsky (tabla), Thibault Bertin-Maghit (double bass) and Hank Knox (harpsichord).
ALEXA RAINE-WRIGHT Baroque flute and recorder
Equally at ease on the recorder and the baroque flute, Alexa Raine-Wright has shared her passion and talent for early music with audiences across the United States and Canada with ensembles such as Flûte Alors!, Ensemble Caprice, Arion Baroque Orchestra, Apollo’s Fire, I Musici, Studio de musique ancienne de Montréal, and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Alexa was awarded the Grand Prize and Orchestra Prize at the 2016 Indianapolis International Baroque Competition, as well as First Prize at the National Flute Association’s 2015 Baroque Flute Artist Competition in Washington DC. She is a graduate of McGill University.
SALLYNEE AMAWAT Baroque violin
A native of Chicago, violinist Sallynee Amawat enjoys performing with North American period ensembles such as the American Baroque Orchestra, Arion Baroque Orchestra, Pacific Baroque Orchestra, and Studio de musique ancienne de Montréal. While living in Thailand, she performed regularly with ensembles such as the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra, with tours in Japan, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Singapore. She holds a Master of Music in Violin Performance from the Hartt School, and a Master of Music and Doctor of Music in Early Music Performance from McGill University, where her research was focused on repertoire of the early French violin school.
ANDREA STEWART Baroque cello
Cellist Andrea Stewart has been heard in venues across North America, Europe, and Asia performing solo recitals and collaborating with ensembles including Infusion Baroque, collectif9, Grammy-nominated Uccello, Gruppo Montebello, and Ensemble Caprice. A laureate of the Golden Violin Competition (McGill University), the Eckhardt-Gramatté National Music Competition, and the Prix d’Europe Competition, Andrea holds the degrees of Doctor of Music (2015) and Master of Music (2009) from McGill University. Her research has been supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council in Canada, the Canada Council for the Arts, and the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec.
RONA NADLER Harpsichord
Known as a sensitive and stylish continuo player, harpsichordist Rona Nadler has performed with some of the most prestigious ensembles in the Montreal area including Ensemble Caprice, I Musici, the McGill Chamber Orchestra, and Les Voix Baroques. She has worked as a vocal coach and music director for Compagnie Baroque Mont-Royal, Opera da Camera, and Opera McGill, and is artistic director of the vocal ensemble One Equall Musick. Rona studied harpsichord at McGill University with Hank Knox and at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis with Jesper Christensen. She serves as Music Director and Cantorial Soloist at Temple Emanu-El-Beth Shalom.
