Incense of Music 73 : gamba, liuto e controtenore

Michael Taylor: countertenor

Vanessa Chartrand: viola da gamba

Pedro Alcàcer Doria: lute

Incense: Artemisia vulgaris, Mentha arvensis

Immerse yourself in Early Music and new senses. An intimate concert with Michael Taylor (countertenor), Vanessa Chartrand (viola da gamba), and Pedro Alcàcer Doria (lute). Accompanied by a fragrant composition of Artemisia (mugwort) and Mentha arvensis (field mint). This event is not recommended to people sensitive to smoke.

Michael Taylor

Acclaimed for his “great virtuosity,” “vocal radiance,” and “outstanding voice,” Canadian countertenor Michael Taylor performs leading roles in operas from the Baroque to contemporary repertoire worldwide.

He began as a violinist at age three and later sang as a treble at St. Michael’s Choir School in Toronto, performing almost daily for ten years. After completing a degree in Physics and Neuroscience at McGill University, he continued vocal studies in Germany with Jeanne Piland and leading early music specialists including Andreas Scholl, Sara Mingardo and Michael Hofstetter.

Taylor is a prize-winner of the Gürel International Singing Competition in Istanbul and the International Voice Competition Kammeroper Schloss Rheinsberg, and a grant holder of the Jacqueline Desmarais Foundation for Young Canadian Opera Singers.

His operatic roles include works by Britten, Handel, Cesti, Scarlatti, Pergolesi, Hasse, Henze, Purcell, Porpora, Monteverdi and Sciarrino, performed across Europe and North America. He also appears regularly as a concert and oratorio soloist and is a member of Berlin’s Solistenensemble Phønix16, specialising in contemporary vocal music.

countertaylor.com

Vanessa Chartrand

Berlin-based Canadian conductor Vanessa Chartrand is a recipient of the Opera Awards Foundation bursary and a scholarship holder of the Royal Philharmonic Society of London.

Originally trained as a singer and viola da gamba player, her work as a conductor ranges from baroque and opera to contemporary and symphonic repertoire. In the 2025/26 season she will make her debut with the Berliner Symphoniker at the Berlin Philharmonie and present the premiere of Dear IRIA, a film by Finnish director Janna Kyllästinen with her original score.

Chartrand has worked with orchestras including the Danish Philharmonic, Orchestre National d’Auvergne, Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra, Kiev Symphony Orchestra, Chroma Ensemble London, Ensemble UnitedBerlin, Zafraan Ensemble and Mosaik Ensemble. She was assistant to Vladimir Jurowski at the Royal Opera House in London and with the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin.

As a composer, her works include the opera GAIA-Cyborg and the award-winning documentary soundtrack A Body Like Mine (DOC.BERLIN 2023). In 2018 she founded the Berlin chamber orchestra OpusXX, dedicated to rediscovering female composers and commissioning new works by women.

vanessachartrand.com

Pedro Alcàcer Doria

Born in Mexico City in 1982, Pedro Alcàcer Doria began his musical education under the influence of his father, the Catalan jazz musician Francesc Alcàcer.

He studied jazz guitar, classical guitar and composition in Mexico and later specialised in Renaissance and Baroque plucked instruments in Spain and Germany. In Barcelona he received the professional title for Renaissance and Baroque plucked instruments at the Conservatory of Girona under Xavier Diaz-Latorre, before continuing his studies in lute at the University of the Arts Bremen with Joachim Held and Lee Santana.

Further artistic work with Evangelina Mascardi in Italy led to an active career as a soloist and continuo player. He has collaborated with conductors such as Gabriel Garrido, Alessandro di Marchi, Marco Mencoboni, Riccardo Doni and Burak Özdemir, and performed at festivals across Europe and Latin America. He currently lives in Berlin and works with various early music ensembles.

pedroalcacer.com

Incense

Artemisia vulgaris (Mugwort)
A perennial herb native to Europe, Asia and North Africa. When burned as incense, mugwort produces an earthy, bitter aroma with sage-like notes. Traditionally used in ritual cleansing and dream practices, it is believed to promote vivid dreaming and purification. Because of its thujone content, it should not be used during pregnancy.

Mentha arvensis (Corn Mint)
A mint species with a strong, fresh menthol fragrance. Native to temperate regions of Europe, Asia and North Africa, it grows in moist habitats such as fields and riverbanks. Its aroma is associated with clarity and mental focus. The essential oil is potent and should be used in moderation and avoided during pregnancy.

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Credits: Fabio Dondero

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