The Leyden Baroque Ensemble from Holland, established in 1988, makes its Scottish debut with mezzo-soprano Nicola Wemyss.
The Leiden Baroque Ensemble specializes in early music from 1600 to approximately 1775: spectacular music composed for the Royal courts, or for festivals and celebrations; spiritual contemplative music for religious events; and inspiring tunes for everyday life, for dancing and relaxation. The number of fine composers and excellent compositions is almost unlimited. The authentic instruments and natural gut strings that the Ensemble uses provide the bright and lively sound characteristic for this period.
In the past 25 years, the Leyden Baroque Ensemble has made numerous successful concert tours, performing for audiences in London, Rome, Firenze, Siena, Vienna, Oxford, Copenhagen, Embrun, Amsterdam, Brussels and many other historical towns. In 2013, the orchestra celebrated its 25th anniversary with a tour to beautiful Portugal.
The Ensemble presents Scottish mezzo-soprano Nicola Wemyss, who hails from near St Andrews. She graduated with honours from Birmingham Conservatoire and completed her postgraduate degree specializing in Early Music and Historical Performance Practice at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague, where she studied with Rita Dams and Marius van Altena.
Nicola began her solo career by winning the premier prix in the first International Chimay Competition for Baroque Singing in 2000, with a jury chaired by William Christie. She has since then been invited to perform with various leading orchestras and ensembles, including: Les Arts Florissants, the Orchestra of the 18th Century, Musica ad Rhenum, the Netherlands Bach Society, the Telemann Chamber Orchestra (Osaka), the Netherlands Radio Chamber Orchestra, the Junge Kantorei Frankfurt, working with conductors such as Frans Brüggen, William Christie, Richard Egarr, Ton Koopman, Jed Wentz and others.
Nicola has also performed several operatic roles which include Hébé in Rameau’s ‘Les Indes Galantes’ (with Brüggen and the Orchestra of the 18th Century), the title roles from Purcell’s ‘Dido and Aeneas’ (with Wentz and Musica ad Rhenum) and Rossi’s ‘Orfeo’ and Dorotea in ‘Don Chisciotte in Sierra Morena’ by Conti.
Admission: Edinburgh – Full £ 10 / Concessions £ 8
St. Andrews – prices on request