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Based in the wild and unspoiled island state of Tasmania at the southernmost tip of Australia, ‘Australia’s Baroque supergroup’ Van Diemen’s Band (= VDB) is made up of some of the country’s most highly respected early music specialists, who between them have worked with leading ensembles such as Les Arts Florissants, Les Talens Lyriques, Ensemble Pygmalion, Il Pomo d'Oro, Orchestre des Champs-Elysées, The English Concert, Academy of Ancient Music, Orchestra of the 18th Century, Le Parlement de Musique, and the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra.
Founded in 2016 by violinist Julia Fredersdorff, VDB varies in size from an intimate chamber group to a larger mid-18th-century orchestra working with regular guest directors such as French Baroque specialist Martin Gester, exploring the creativity and freedom of expression in music of the Baroque while deferring to historical sources on style and instrumentation.
Van Diemen’s Band’s debut CD "Cello Napoletano", featuring soloist Catherine Jones in the cello concertos of Nicola Fiorenza was released internationally in 2018 to critical acclaim. Since then, the group has appeared in concerts and festivals in its home state and around mainland Australia, establishing itself as one of the most distinguished new groups in the arts scene ‘Down Under’. A CD recording of J.S. Bach: Bass Cantatas with David Greco appered on the ABC Classic label in November 2020 and the group’s debut recording of the Concerti Grossi Opus 3 by George Frideric Handel for the Swedish label BIS will be released in June 2021. |
