Paradisi porte

The all-female Tiburtina Ensemble was established in 2008 and today ranks among the leaders in its field. It focuses on the musical interpretation of Gregorian chant, medieval polyphony and contemporary music.   Its concerts feature purely vocal repertoire, based on liturgical sources from the Middle Ages, as well as vocal and instrumental repertoire presenting medieval sacred and secular music. The ensemble is not shy of unusual projects, such as collaboration with the Berg Orchestra or David Dorůžka’s jazz trio.   The Tiburtina Ensemble has appeared at prominent Czech and international festivals. The ensemble has recorded several successful CDs: “Flos inter Spinas”, “Apokalypsis”, and “Ego sum homo”. It has also released recordings on the Deutsche Harmonia Mundi and Accent labels. The CD “Apokalypsis” was nominated for the Czech Academy of Music’s “Anděl” award as one of the three most outstanding jazz/crossover recordings in 2013.   The title of the ensemble is inspired by the figure of the ancient prophetess Sibylla Tiburtina, whose prophecies possessed the ability to see to the end of time, a privilege forever denied to men, however learned.

Barbora Kabátková has dedicated herself to music since early childhood. After completing grammar school, she studied Choir Conducting of Church Music at the Faculty of Education of Charles University in Prague and Musicology at the Faculty of Arts of Charles University in Prague, where she is now researching Gregorian chant in her doctoral studies.   The musical interpretation master classes she attended under the guidance of Marius van Altena, Peter Kooij, Julie Hassler, Howard Crook, and Joel Frederiksen inspired her interest in early music, which has become the core of her musical activities. She plays medieval harps and psaltery and is the artistic director and dramaturg of the highly acclaimed all-female Tiburtina Ensemble.   Barbora Kabátková regularly performs in prestigious Czech and international concert venues, collaborating with ensembles such as Collegium Vocale Gent, Collegium 1704, Collegium Marianum, Musica Florea, Cappella Mariana, Concerto Melante, Accentus Austria, La Grande Chapelle, Concerto Palatino, Il Gardellino, and the Ricercar Consort.   She also takes part in contemporary music projects (Berg Orchestra, Ostravská banda) as well as cross-genre projects – in 2014 she was invited to participate in the production of the latest album by the Eben Brothers, “Čas holin”.

The name of Oltremontano Antwerpen is a reference to the Flemish polyphonic composers who greatly influenced and defined the European musical style of the 15^th and 16^th centuries. The musical journey of the ensemble started with research into a vocal approach and a way of playing sackbuts, cornettos and double-reed instruments. The ensemble has focused on works of composers such as Giovanni Gabrieli, Michael Praetorius, Heinrich Schütz and Claudio Monteverdi, as well as on little-known masters.   This historical brass ensemble has recorded several CDs and has been invited to perform at the most prestigious festivals of early music in Europe and the USA. The artistic director of the ensemble is the internationally renowned bass sackbut player Wim Becu.   Oltremontano Antwerpen has collaborated with many leading ensembles throughout Europe (the Pluto Ensemble, the Hathor Consort, Capella Cracoviensis, the Gesualdo Consort, the Tiburtina Ensemble, and Capilla Flamenca). Oltremontano was appointed as artist in residence at the Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten Antwerpen.

Wim Becu studied at the Koninklijk Conservatorium and at the Koninklijk Conservatorium Den Haag, where he currently teaches. His great passion for music and unflagging enthusiasm quickly made him one of the most prominent performers in many international ensembles and orchestras.   He performs on almost every historical trombone and his repertoire ranges from the Middle Ages to the Romantic era. With the founding of Oltremontano Antwerpen in 1993, Wim Becu created his own platform and studio for historical brass instruments.   He has worked alongside outstanding artists such as Philippe Herreweghe, Jos Van Immerseel, Jordi Savall, Masaaki Suzuki, and many others. For more than a quarter of a century, he has recorded more than 350 CDs.   In 2015, he received the prestigious Christopher Monk Award from the Historic Brass Society in the USA for his many virtuoso concerts and recordings covering a wide range of periods.