25 years of commitment to baroque music

Paris, ---

The BNP Paribas Foundation, partner of CAMINOS 2011

Over a period of some 20 years, thanks to the efforts of the Centre International des Chemins du Baroque based at the Convent of St Ulrich, a vast cultural heritage – a veritable musical treasure trove that lay forgotten in the cathedrals and Jesuit missions of Latin America and the Caribbean – has been rediscovered and preserved. During these two decades, with the support of the BNP Paribas Foundation plus a number of other public and private sector partners, an outstanding programme of cultural cooperation has been put in place in fifteen countries. The programme includes restoration work on historic works, training workshops for lute players and young musicians, the publication of musical scores and recordings and the organisation of musical events.

As a follow-up to this programme, the organisers of Chemins du Baroque have created CAMINOS 2011, which brings over six hundred musicians – two hundred of them from Latin America – together in France for a series of around a hundred concerts from 16 September to 2 October. These concerts will tell the story of this important episode in the history of music.

Highlight of this splendid musical adventure will be a special event running at the Musée du quai Branly, a Paris museum dedicated to the dialogue between cultures, where from 22 September onwards ten concerts will be staged. The concerts will be accompanied by a series of activities within the Museum itself designed to embed the musical heritage in its overall context, including its ethnological aspects. The lectures, films and music workshops on offer will help to evoke a clash of cultures and civilisations rendered humane through music.


25 Years of Support for Baroque Music
The BNP Paribas Foundation made its first foray into the world of Ancient and Baroque Music in 1984, supporting alongside ARCAL a ground-breaking production of Francesco Cavalli’s Ormindo. The Foundation has expanded its activities in this field over the years, supporting many different ensembles and organisations, including the Lorraine Institute of Ancient Music, The Ensemble Organum founded by Marcel Peres, the Sagittarius ensemble conducted by Michel Laplénie and the Elyma ensemble led by Gabriel Garrido. Alongside its support for Chemins du Baroque and CAMINOS 2011, the BNP Paribas Foundation is today working with flautist Jean-Christophe Frisch of the XVIII-21 Le Baroque Nomade ensemble, conductor Hervé Niquet and his Le Concert Spirituel, lutenist Eduardo Eguez and his La Chimera ensemble and choirmaster Etienne Meyer and cornettist Judith Pacquier of Les Traversées Baroques.



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Discover CAMINOS 2011 programme and make reservations online

http://www.cd-baroque.com/index.php/cdbaroque/content/view/full/2104