Puy de Saint - Cyr | Medieval Music Ensemble

Biography

The "Puy de Saint-Cyr" Ensemble, founded in 2020, draws inspiration from the ancient civic brotherhoods of musicians and poets in Northern France.
The members of the ‘puys’, both men and women, would gather to make music together, competing in composition and improvisation contests, thereby creating a refined and vibrant intellectual and artistic hub within their local communities.

The Ensemble offers a musically attentive and historically informed rediscovery of the medieval and pre-Renaissance repertoire, combining music with moments of poetry, dance and recitation, modelled on the performances of the ancient ‘puys’. The contemporary audience is taken by the hand on a journey of discovery into a fascinating past of surprisingly bright and vivid colours.

The "Puy de Saint-Cyr" Ensemble performed in 2020 for the Collegium Musicum Classense in Ravenna and for the Levi Foundation in Venice; the ‘Concerts a Boire’ at the FloReMus Festival 2021, the ‘Concerti al Cenacolo’ 2022 in Florence, and has given numerous concerts at the Pinacoteca di Brera in Milan, both live and via streaming. In 2023, the ensemble performed at the archaeological excavations of San Tomè in Carvico (Bergamo) and for the prestigious Trentino festival Trento MusicAntica. In May 2024, they will make their debut for the Goede Rede Concerten in Almere (Amsterdam, NL).

The ensemble’s line-up varies in number and type of performers depending on the programme of each individual performance. This allows the sound and timbre of Puy de Saint-Cyr to be adapted in a flexible and creative manner.
Collaborating with us: Angelo Basile on viella and vocals, Laia Blasco Lopez on vocals and recorders, Margherita Burattini on Gothic harp, David Brutti on cornetto, bombarde and recorders, Benedetta Ceron on cornetto, Caterina Chiarcos on vocals, symphonia and co-conductor, Susanna Defendi on Renaissance trombone, Lorenzo D’Erasmo on percussion, psaltery and co-conductor, Andrea Gavagnin on vocals and recorders, Davide Gazzato on bagpipes, recorders and percussion, Sofia Masut on the Gothic harp, Velia Moretti on vocals, Jeremy Nastasi on medieval and Renaissance lute and vihuela, Timothy Nastasi on vocals and medieval transverse flute, Luis Neiva on vocals, and Matthijs van der Moolen on Renaissance trombone and pull-trumpet. Some artists who collaborate or have collaborated with Le Puy de Saint-Cyr reside in other countries such as Spain, Belgium, Portugal and the Netherlands, underscoring the international scope that characterises the work, research and flexibility in the spirit of the Puys’ brotherhoods.

The Mission of Puy de Saint-Cyr

"To truly understand the medieval repertoire, merely deciphering historical sources is not enough; we must reconstruct its profound interpretive value.
Our vision extends beyond a purely technical approach to restore the music’s emotional nuances and vibrant human element.

This does not diminish our academic commitment. Rigorous scientific research drives our work: we personally transcribe programmes from original manuscripts, delve into period treatises, and meticulously study historical organology. Yet, this musicological foundation represents our starting point, not our final destination.

While philological rigour guides our research behind the scenes, the stage demands a metamorphosis. In performance, we become artists, shaping the fruits of our research to bring them to life for each unique occasion. Musical improvisation, the performance of the 'unwritten', and extemporaneous arrangement are not modern concessions, they are intrinsic elements that have defined the Puys’ performances since their historical origins."