CAPE TOWN BAROQUE TRIO
The Cape Town Baroque Trio is a spirited ensemble dedicated to exploring baroque repertoire through the lens of Historically Informed Performance Practice (HIPP). Comprising of Cape Town Baroque Orchestra section leaders, Annien Shaw and Ralitza Macheva (baroque violins) and Rosamund Roth (baroque cello, viola da gamba), the trio brings together a passion for expressivity and a deep understanding of period performance practices.
Founded in 2023, The Cape Town Baroque Trio has fascinated audiences with their vibrant interpretations and technical prowess. Individually, the members have garnered training in HIPP from the UK, Bulgaria, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Canada. Together, they combine their expertise to bring chamber works of the baroque era to South African stages.
UPCOMING TRIO CONCERTS
This program explores the evolution of polyphony through the Baroque era and earlier, highlighting the equal importance of every voice in the ensemble. The repertoire will begin with early consort music for three treble viols, adapted for two violins and one treble viol, and progress through later works, culminating in the intricate Three-Part Inventions by J.S. Bach. The pieces chosen emphasize the collaborative nature of polyphonic music, where no single part takes precedence, and every voice contributes equally to the whole.
Interwoven with these ensemble pieces will be solo works for each member, showcasing individual artistry while maintaining a sense of cohesion with the overall theme. These solo moments include early division music for viol, examples of early solo violin music, and a movement from a solo Bach violin work. Carefully placed within the program, these solos will create a narrative that flows naturally and enriches the audience’s experience.
The program is designed to showcase a wide variety of repertoire and identify the pieces that best align with the trio’s vision: To present unique repertoire that emphasizes collaboration, equality, and the joy of shared musical expression. The trio consists of seasoned baroque performers, Annien Shaw, Ralitza Macheva and Rosamund Roth. With this program the trio aims to bring audiences into the intimate, interconnected world of polyphonic music while celebrating the individual voices that make it possible.
The program will include works by Lupo, Gibbons, Guignon, Bach and Jenkins. Duration: 60 minutes (no interval).
BOOK HERE
ARTIST BIOGRAPHIES
Bulgarian violinist, Ralitza Macheva is a Graduate of the Pancho Vladigerov Music Academy in Sofia, and the Conservatorium van de Enschede, The Netherlands. Her primary teachers were Russian born Prof. Alexander Kramarov and Prof. Boyan Lechev. In several prestigious national Violin and Chamber Music competitions such as the “N. Simeonova”, “The Golden Diana” and “Béla Bartók” competitions, she was awarded the First Prizes, which led to various Radio and Television recordings. She relocated to South Africa in 2000, when she was appointed as the Co-Principal Second Violinist of the KZN Philharmonic Orchestra, Durban. From 2023 she joined Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra as Principal Second Violin.
Her strong devotion to music of the Baroque era resulted in her appointment as Leader of the Durban-based orchestra, Baroque 2000, with which she has appeared as a soloist on numerous occasions. Tours with Baroque 2000 have included the HIFA Festival in Zimbabwe and the Maputo Music and Arts Festival in Mozambique, and most notably, a production of Jean Jacques Rousseau’s Opera “Le Devin du Village” which toured South Africa in numerous performances. As Leader of this ensemble, she has worked closely with the distinguished French conductor François Xavier Roth. She took Baroque Violin Masterclasses with Chiara Banchini at the renowned “Schola Cantorum Basiliensis” in Basel, Switzerland, and works in close collaboration as Guest Concertmaster with the Baroque Ensemble “Camerata Tinta Barocca” in Cape Town. Active baroque chamber music collaboration with various South African and international baroque musicians.
Rosamund Roth was born in Pretoria and started her musical education at an early age. She attended Pro Arte High School for the Arts and went on to obtain her BMus from the University of Stellenbosch, where she studied under Magdalena Roux. There she also completed honours degrees in both Latin and English Literature. During her studies she played with professional orchestras like the CPO and the KZNPO on a regular basis as an ad hoc player.
Her studies next took her to Zürich, Switzerland where she studied in the class of Prof. Roel Dieltiens. She obtained a master’s in music Pedagogy, as well as a Masters in Transdisciplinary Studies from the Zürcher Hochschule der Künste. She was very active as a teacher in St. Gallen, Appenzell, and Zurich, and as a performer all around Switzerland. She was co-principal cellist with the Zürcher Kammerphilharmonie for six years.
During the Covid pandemic, she started playing the viola da gamba after discovering a great passion for early music and took private lessons with Paolo Pandolfo in Basel. In 2022 she returned to Cape Town to play full time with the CPO, and to focus on a career as a performer on the cello, the baroque cello, and the viola da gamba.
Dr. Annien Shaw is a soloist, chamber musician, baroque violinist and teacher based in Cape Town. She holds a PhD in Performance Practice from the University of Cape Town, a PGDip and FRSM in solo performance from the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester UK, a Masters in Chamber Music from the University of Stellenbosch, and an Honours degree in Psychology from the University of South Africa.
Annien is a founding member of the Juliet String Quartet. This quartet actively promotes new South African compositions. In 2023 the Juliet String Quartet released their debut album, Maike, consisting of South African compositions, which was nominated for a SAMA award. Annien is also the founding member of The Flat Mountain Project and as a student of performance practice, she has a keen interest in artistic research. In 2012 she was awarded a FRSM Diploma from the ABRSM for demonstrating the different uses of neo-classicism in the compositions of Stravinsky and Prokovief. Her PhD research into the fingerings principles of Louis Spohr is intended as a guideline for performance practice.
She has been actively involved in the developing Baroque scene in Cape Town as a member of the Cape Consort and a Guest Concert Master and soloist of Cape Town Baroque (CTB). Her interest in baroque violin was sparked by Darragh Morgan and his involvement with the Baroque 2000 group based in KwaZulu Natal in Durban of which she was a member from 2004 to 2009. During her studies at RNCM, she took baroque violin lessons with Pauline Nobes and upon her return to Cape Town has had many masterclasses with Antoinette Lohmann. Annien is a regular attendant of the Tafelmusik Baroque Summer Institute where she receives classes from Julia Wedman.
From left to right: Ralitza Macheva (baroque violin), Rosamund Roth (baroque cello, viola da gamba), Annien Shaw (baroque violin)