.png)
The Winnipeg Baroque Festival continues this week with a brand-new ensemble set to introduce itself to the city’s classical music audience.
The Trio Leonarda, consisting of violinist Elation Pauls, cellist Alyssa Ramsay and keyboardist Leanne Regehr Lee, owes their name to the Ursuline nun and composer Isabella Leonarda from the early 17th century. Leonarda’s music will play a key role in their debut concert called Heaven Will Always Return.
“It’s always great to come up with a name that has some Italian connection,” shared Pauls in an interview on Morning Light. “I was looking through the Baroque composers, specifically female composers, and I came across her and it turns out that she is actually the first female composer to have published a set of instrumental sonatas. So how perfect is that?”
Born into a well-off family, Leonarda committed herself to a convent at the age of 16, where she remained for the rest of her life. She became the music director in her abbey and enjoyed a prolific composing career. Pauls describes her sound as being both “mysterious” and “spicy”.
“To immerse yourself in this sound world is so beautiful. It’s really fulfilling.”
The Trio Leonarda adds to the sound world with compositions by J.S. Bach and G.F. Handel, as well as adding a guest artist in soprano Lara Ciekiewicz to the instrumental mix.
As for the fulfilling nature of the concert, Pauls chalks it up to the close relationships that she has forged with her fellow musicians. “Leanne and actually go way back to entering first year of college together,” she laughs, noting that she shares time in the Prairie Sky String Quartet with Ramsay. The close-knit nature of the ensemble has meant that the detailed preparation for this concert has come more naturally.
“When you start out as a group, that first concert is so important for establishing your sound, your sort of base repertoire.” And, as she nods towards what could come next for the fledgling trio, ”there are a lot of different directions we could go.”
Heaven Will Always Return takes the stage at Canadian Mennonite University’s Laudamus Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. on April 2. Tickets and more information can be found at the Winnipeg Baroque Festival’s website.