Simon Martyn-Ellis – Blue Heron

Simon Martyn-Ellis began playing the lute after finding the classical guitar repertoire too restrictive for ensemble performance. After traveling to Europe from his homeland Australia for postgraduate studies, Simon stayed in Germany for over 10 years to continue to work in the Historical Performance arena, appearing regularly with leading orchestras, theatres, and chamber groups throughout Europe. In the US, Simon is a founding member of ACRONYM and Duo Corbetta and has appeared with the Handel & Haydn Society, Apollo’s Fire, Les Délices, Bach Collegium San Diego, Opera Theatre of St Louis, and Opera Columbus, and at the Oregon Bach Festival. His particular interests are in vocal collaborations, either in opera or intimate recitals, baroque guitar repertoire, and finding the groove in Early Music. But really, he just has a great time making music with people.

Blue Heron is engaged in the exploration of Renaissance and medieval vocal music, putting the study of original sources in the service of vivid live performance. Widely regarded as the finest ensemble of its type in North America, Blue Heron presents a subscription series in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and a catalog of exceptional recordings is available on the Blue Heron label. The ensemble’s accolades include the 2018 Gramophone Classical Music Award for Early Music, making Blue Heron the first group from outside Europe to receive the award; the Noah Greenberg Award from the American Musicological Society; and the Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik. Touring engagements have taken the group across the United States, Canada, England, and Europe.

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