Education

By Jacques-André Houle, Arion violinist

A violin is a violin, right?  To paraphrase Shakespeare's Juliet, "What's in a name?  That which we call a violin by any other name would be as enchanting."  As enchanting, yes, but definitely in a different manner, if one describes it as baroque and returns to its roots.

When you meet someone new there are always standard questions.  What's your name?  Where are you from?  What do you do?   "I play the baroque cello" is not something that they hear everyday.  Usually the answer is followed by another question:  "What ELSE do you do?" or more often "What does that mean?"

By Mathieu Lussier

The bassoon

As the low-pitched instrument of the winds family, the bassoon quickly found its place in the group of instruments that form the basso continuo, a distinct feature of Baroque music.  Invented near the end of the 16th century, the bassoon as we know it today is a modern version of an Italian instrument created during the Middle Ages--the dulcain.

Have you always wondered where the name Arion originated?  It comes from a cantata by André Campra (1660-1744) entitled “Arion”, which is itself taken from a Greek myth.  This cantata was played at the first concert presented by Arion, over 30 years ago.