Of Head and Heart with Il Gardellino

Accademia de’ Dissonanti (Montréal) with Il Gardellino (Belgium)

Accademia de’ Dissonanti and Il Gardellino bring together the 18th-century repertoire of Bach, Vivaldi, and contemporaries, with the North American premiere of a new composition by Christian Mason (shown in photo, left) for solo tenor cello, 2 traversos, strings, and postive organ. Christian Mason wrote this work commissioned by Phyllis Lambert for Elinor Frey and Il Gardellino. This concert is in celebration of Lambert’s 100th birthday. One of the most important figures in Montréal’s recent history, Lambert has been a tireless advocate for historical preservation and architectural creativity. 

Mason himself is a rising star in the world of contemporary music. He is the winner of the 2025 Grawmeyer Prize, and has already received commissions from the Wiener Philharmoniker, Konzerthausorchester Berlin and the Arditti quartet, among others. Cellist Elinor Frey is world-class in the field of historical cello. The combination of Mason, Frey and Il Gardellino creates an intriguing and captivating confrontation between music from the 21st and 18th centuries.