Tafelmusik

Tafelmusik, formally known as the Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, is a Canadian period-instrument ensemble headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. Founded in 1979 by oboist Kenneth Solway and bassoonist Susan Graves, it developed around the historically informed performance movement: musicians use instruments, playing techniques, ensemble practices, and interpretive approaches associated with the periods in which the repertoire was created. Although its name and identity are strongly associated with Baroque music, its programmes also extend into Classical and Romantic-era works when historically appropriate instruments and performance practices can be applied. The ensemble is built around a core of sixteen full-time musicians, supplemented by guest artists and additional players according to the requirements of individual programmes. Its artistic history includes the long leadership of violinist Jeanne Lamon, who guided the organization from 1981 until 2014. Elisa Citterio subsequently served as artistic director from 2017 through 2021. In 2022, Cristina Zacharias, Dominic Teresi, and Brandon Chui began working as artistic co-directors, leading the orchestra during a period of pandemic recovery and organizational renewal. Violinist Rachel Podger joined the artistic team as Principal Guest Director in autumn 2024. Tafelmusik's Toronto activities include more than fifty concerts in a typical subscription season. Its principal venues include Jeanne Lamon Hall at Trinity-St. Paul's United Church and Koerner Hall at the TELUS Centre for the Performing Arts. The orchestra also collaborates regularly with Opera Atelier at the Elgin Theatre and presents an annual Sing Along Messiah traditionally associated with Massey Hall. These activities place the ensemble within Toronto's broader classical-music, opera, choral, and arts-education ecosystem. International touring has been a central part of Tafelmusik's identity. The ensemble has performed in approximately 350 cities across 32 countries, with touring activity spanning Canada, the United States, Europe, Asia, and Australia. From 1993 to 2011, it held an orchestral residency at the Klang und Raum Festival in Irsee, Bavaria. Its international profile has also been reinforced by an extensive recording catalogue of more than eighty recordings, DVDs, and CDs released through labels and partners including Sony Classical's Vivarte series, Analekta, and CBC Records. In January 2012, the organization established Tafelmusik Media as an independent label. Beyond conventional concert presentation, Tafelmusik has developed multimedia and educational projects that connect music with science, history, visual culture, and storytelling. Projects such as The Galileo Project, House of Dreams, Circle of Creation, and Tales of Two Cities have used theatrical or multimedia formats to make historical repertoire accessible to wider audiences. The Tafelmusik Chamber Choir, founded in 1981 and directed by Ivars Taurins, complements the orchestra in choral and large-scale vocal repertoire. Education is another major strand of the organization. Established in 2002, the Tafelmusik Baroque Summer Institute is a two-week programme for pre-professional and professional musicians. It combines masterclasses, private instruction, orchestral and choral rehearsals, chamber music, lectures, seminars, and Baroque dance classes. Tafelmusik's work has received ten Juno Awards, including recognition for classical recordings and the children's release Baroque Adventure: The Quest for Arundo Donax. Its recordings have also received distinctions from organizations and publications including the Echo Klassik awards, Gramophone, BBC Music Magazine, Diapason, and The Absolute Sound.

Tafelmusik was founded in Toronto in 1979 by oboist Kenneth Solway and bassoonist Susan Graves. From its beginning, the organization was associated with the historically informed performance of early music, an approach that considers period instruments, historical technique, articulation, ensemble size, tuning, and contemporary performance evidence when interpreting older repertoire. The orchestra's core repertoire has included Baroque music, while its use of historically appropriate instruments and practices has also supported performances of Classical and selected Romantic works. Violinist Jeanne Lamon became the orchestra's principal artistic leader in 1981 and remained in that role until 2014. Her tenure helped establish Tafelmusik as a prominent Canadian period-instrument ensemble and expanded its presence both in Toronto and internationally. In the same year that Lamon began leading the orchestra, the Tafelmusik Chamber Choir was formed under conductor Ivars Taurins. The choir gave the organization a permanent vocal partner for large-scale choral repertoire and became an important part of its artistic identity. Tafelmusik developed a substantial touring profile over the following decades. It has performed in roughly 350 cities in 32 countries, with regular activity in North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Between 1993 and 2011, the orchestra served as orchestra in residence at the Klang und Raum Festival in Irsee, Bavaria. Its Toronto base has supported a regular subscription season of more than fifty concerts, presented principally at Jeanne Lamon Hall in Trinity-St. Paul's United Church and Koerner Hall at the TELUS Centre for the Performing Arts. It has also maintained recurring collaborations with Opera Atelier and presented an annual Sing Along Messiah traditionally associated with Massey Hall. The organization broadened its educational mandate in 2002 with the creation of the Tafelmusik Baroque Summer Institute. This two-week programme provides intensive instruction for pre-professional and professional musicians through masterclasses, individual lessons, orchestral and choral rehearsals, chamber music, lectures, seminars, and Baroque dance. The institute connects Tafelmusik's performance practice with the development of the next generation of instrumentalists and singers. Tafelmusik has also experimented with concert formats that move beyond standard orchestral presentation. Some performances are given without sheet music, while multimedia productions connect historical repertoire to scientific, artistic, and social themes. The Galileo Project, House of Dreams, Circle of Creation, and Tales of Two Cities exemplify this interdisciplinary direction. These projects have helped the ensemble present historically informed music through narrative and visual frameworks intended to reach audiences beyond specialist early-music circles. Recording has remained another major activity. Tafelmusik has produced more than eighty recordings, DVDs, and CDs, with releases associated with Sony Classical's Vivarte series, Analekta, and CBC Records. The repertoire has included music by Bach, Handel, Vivaldi, Haydn, Mozart, Mendelssohn, Salamone Rossi, and Joseph Bologne, as well as a complete Beethoven symphony cycle conducted by Bruno Weil. In 2012, the organization created Tafelmusik Media as an independent label. Its recordings have earned ten Juno Awards and other recognition, including an Echo Klassik award for Orchestra of the Year and favourable distinctions from Gramophone, BBC Music Magazine, Diapason, and The Absolute Sound. After Lamon's departure, Elisa Citterio served as artistic director from 2017 to 2021. In 2022, Cristina Zacharias, Dominic Teresi, and Brandon Chui assumed collective artistic leadership. Their tenure has included pandemic recovery and organizational renewal. Rachel Podger joined the artistic team as Principal Guest Director in 2024, adding another internationally recognized period-performance specialist to the ensemble's artistic structure. Tafelmusik remains an active Toronto orchestra with international touring, recording, education, chamber choir, opera, and multimedia activities.

• 2024

  Rachel Podger joins as Principal Guest Director

  [1]Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestraen.wikipedia.org

  Rachel Podger joins Tafelmusik's artistic team in the autumn as Principal Guest Director.

• 2022

  Collective artistic direction begins

  [1]Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestraen.wikipedia.org

  Cristina Zacharias, Dominic Teresi, and Brandon Chui become artistic co-directors.

• 2017

  Elisa Citterio becomes artistic director

  [1]Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestraen.wikipedia.org

  Violinist Elisa Citterio takes over artistic direction, serving through 2021.

• 2012

  Tafelmusik Media is established

  [1]Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestraen.wikipedia.org

  The orchestra launches an independent label for its recording activities.

• 2002

  Baroque Summer Institute launches

  [1]Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestraen.wikipedia.org

  The organization creates a two-week professional and pre-professional training programme focused on Baroque performance practice.

• 1993

  Klang und Raum residency begins

  [1]Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestraen.wikipedia.org

  Tafelmusik begins an orchestra residency at the Klang und Raum Festival in Irsee, Bavaria.

• 1981

  Jeanne Lamon begins artistic leadership

  [1]Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestraen.wikipedia.org

  Violinist Jeanne Lamon becomes the orchestra's artistic leader, a role she holds through 2014.

• 1981

  Tafelmusik Chamber Choir is formed

  [1]Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestraen.wikipedia.org

  The chamber choir is established under the direction of Ivars Taurins to complement the orchestra.

• 1979

  Tafelmusik is founded

  [1]Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestraen.wikipedia.org

  Oboist Kenneth Solway and bassoonist Susan Graves establish the Toronto-based orchestra.

A leading Canadian historically informed performance ensemble that combines period-instrument expertise with international touring, acclaimed recordings, interdisciplinary presentation, and musician education.

• Orchestral performances

  Subscription concert season

  Tafelmusik presents more than fifty concerts in a typical Toronto subscription season. Programmes centre on historically informed performances using period instruments and techniques, with repertoire ranging from Baroque composers to Classical and selected Romantic works. Principal venues include Jeanne Lamon Hall at Trinity-St. Paul's United Church and Koerner Hall at the TELUS Centre for the Performing Arts.

• Choral ensemble · 1981

  Tafelmusik Chamber Choir

  Founded in 1981 and directed by Ivars Taurins, the Tafelmusik Chamber Choir works with the orchestra on vocal and choral repertoire. It extends the ensemble's performance capacity beyond instrumental programmes and supports historically informed interpretations of large-scale Baroque and related works.

• Music education · 2002

  Tafelmusik Baroque Summer Institute

  This two-week institute serves pre-professional and professional musicians through masterclasses, private lessons, orchestral and choral rehearsals, chamber music, lectures, seminars, and Baroque dance classes. It translates Tafelmusik's performance expertise into intensive practical and scholarly training.

• Record label · 2012

  Tafelmusik Media

  Established in 2012, Tafelmusik Media is the orchestra's independent recording label. It complements releases made with Sony Classical's Vivarte series, Analekta, and CBC Records and provides a platform for documenting the ensemble's period-instrument repertoire.

• The Galileo Project

  Canada · International touring markets

  A multimedia and interdisciplinary production connecting historically informed music with the life, ideas, and scientific context of Galileo. It represents Tafelmusik's effort to frame orchestral repertoire through narrative, visual, and educational material.

  Outcome. The project became one of the ensemble's notable multimedia presentations and supported audience engagement beyond conventional concert programming.

  Source
• House of Dreams

  Canada · International touring markets

  A multimedia performance project that uses historical themes and visual presentation to create a narrative setting for Tafelmusik's music.

  Outcome. It contributed to the orchestra's reputation for interdisciplinary and theatrically framed concert experiences.

  Source
• Circle of Creation

  Canada · International touring markets

  An interdisciplinary production combining historically informed performance with multimedia and historical storytelling.

  Outcome. The project broadened the ways Tafelmusik presented early music and connected performance with contextual interpretation.

  Source
• Tales of Two Cities

  Canada · International touring markets

  A multimedia concert project using historical connections between cities as a framework for presenting period repertoire.

  Outcome. It formed part of Tafelmusik's broader programme of accessible, story-driven historical music productions.

  Source

• 2022

  Adopt collective artistic leadershipStrategy

  Background

  Following Elisa Citterio's period as artistic director and the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Tafelmusik entered a phase of recovery and organizational renewal.

  Action taken

  Cristina Zacharias, Dominic Teresi, and Brandon Chui began serving as artistic co-directors.

  Aftermath

  The ensemble continued its concert, touring, educational, and recording activities under a shared artistic leadership model.

  Source

• 2012

  Launch an independent recording labelStrategy

  Background

  After recording for external labels and broadcast-related partners, Tafelmusik pursued a more direct role in documenting and distributing its performances.

  Action taken

  The orchestra launched Tafelmusik Media as an independent label.

  Aftermath

  The label became part of the organization's recording infrastructure alongside releases associated with Sony Classical's Vivarte series, Analekta, and CBC Records.

  Source

• 2002

  Create a dedicated Baroque performance instituteStrategy

  Background

  Tafelmusik sought to extend its performance mission into professional development and practical instruction in historically informed performance.

  Action taken

  The organization established the Tafelmusik Baroque Summer Institute, combining performance coaching, academic sessions, chamber work, and Baroque dance.

  Aftermath

  The institute became an ongoing educational component of the organization's activities.

  Source

1. 1Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestraen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Tafelmusik official websitetafelmusik.org