If you think the early music movement passed Cincinnati by, think again. A new vocal/instrumental group claims to be the first professional Baroque ensemble in the Tristate.

        “I think it's a very strong movement, and it will keep living and thriving,” says Thomas Juneau, founder and director of Cincinnati Baroque. “This type of ensemble needs to exist in Cincinnati. That's a niche we were missing.”

IF YOU GO

What: Cincinnati Baroque performs Handel's Messiah    When: 7:30 p.m. Dec. 8    Where: Memorial Hall    Tickets: $20; $17 seniors; $10 students; 241-7469

        Mr. Juneau, 24, a Houston native with a degree in choral conducting from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, placed an ad in the Enquirer last May for auditions. He was “blown away” by the response.

        “All these early music specialists came out of the woodwork,” he says.

        Although Cincinnatians hear Baroque music in concerts, there is much that is never heard, he says.

        “There are six Brandenburg Concerti and so much more Baroque music. Our goal is to bring all of that: Henry Purcell, J.S. Bach, Antonio Vivaldi and Claudio Monteverdi, an important composer of the early Baroque,” he says.

        The group has 18 singers, and uses period instruments in concert. For instance, its September concert used viola da gamba, a cello-like stringed instrument popular in the 16th to 18th centuries, usually balanced on the knee.

        Cincinnati Baroque's presentation of Handel's Messiah will use harpsichord and theorbo, a large, lute-like instrument.

        Mr. Juneau is seeking early music specialists, including those who play recorder, viola da gamba or Baroque violin. Contact him at 257-6771.
       

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