Online Newsletter
September 2008
French Singer Azéma to Direct Camerata
Boston, MA--Big changes are underway at the Boston Camerata, the local early
music ensemble with a major international reputation.
Directed for the last 39 years by Joel Cohen, who has led the group from modest
beginnings to a round-the-globe touring and recording career, the Camerata has
appointed the French-born Anne Azéma as its new Artistic Director.
Anne Azéma begins her tenure in September; at the same time, Joel Cohen will
assume his new role as Music Director Emeritus.
Ms. Azéma, distinguished soprano, ensemble director, and scholar, has built a
major, independent career as a leading specialist in medieval song, all the
while remaining closely associated for many seasons with The Boston Camerata.
With Camerata she has been present as soloist, pedagogue, and frequent guest
director. She has collaborated on virtually all of the group’s tours and
recordings since the early 1980s, and is a co-recipient of the Grand Prix du
Disque for her role as Iseult in Camerata’s production of Tristan et Iseult.
As an independent recitalist and researcher, Anne Azéma has produced five CD
recordings of music from the French and Provençal middle ages, earning numerous
awards and distinctions here and overseas in the process. Her recent teaching
activities include extended residencies at the University of Oregon and the
University of Tennessee, Knoxville, as well as lectures and workshops in
Germany, France, the Netherlands, and elsewhere.
Ms. Azéma will be guiding the fortunes of Camerata’s long-established in-town
series, now in its 54th year, as well as planning and leading tours and
recording projects. As Music Director Emeritus, Joel Cohen will continue to
perform and to offer an assisting role to the new Artistic Director.
“I've sung with The Boston Camerata for many a season and many scores of
concerts,” she continues, “and occasionally directed a Camerata production
with my wonderful musician colleagues. This year, however, marks my first as
Camerata's Artistic Director, and I am thrilled at the opportunity. The overall
title of this new season is ‘Lands of Pure Delight’, says Azéma. “The common
theme of these concerts is exploration: migrations and immigrations, yearnings
for distant love and dreams of lands not yet known.” ”
The Boston Camerata, founded in 1954 at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, was
directed from 1969 to 2008 by Joel Cohen, who remains active with the ensemble.
Camerata’s discography now numbers over 30 recordings, with a fresh Christmas
compilation scheduled for release in October 2008. The early music group tours
extensively the world over, most recently, in 2007-2008, to France, Australia,
and New Zealand.
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The
Boston Camerata
