Mare Balticum, Vol. 1: Music in Medieval Denmark Ensemble Peregrina, Agnieszka Budzińska-Bennett & Benjamin Bagby

Ensemble Peregrina
founded in 1997 by Polish singer and musicologist Agnieszka Budzińska-Bennett in Basle, researches and performs sacred and secular music from ninth to fourteenth century Europe. The ensemble’s main interest lies in the early polyphonies and monophonic repertories of the Notre Dame school and Aquitanian nova cantica; the aim always being to look for a creative “counterpoint” to the mainstream in the less known peripheral sources. The ensemble’s programmes are characterised by a careful choice of themes and pieces, always paying close attention to their textual and musical interrelationships. ​

Peregrina’s interpretation and style is informed by the original source materials and treatises, as well as the latest musicological and historical research. The ensemble strives to approach a performance transmitted in the sources as closely as possible without having to renounce a well-balanced and beautiful vocal performance. ​

The ensemble’s continuing partnership with the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, where its members met and studied, led to the CD recordings Mel et lac (Raumklang 2005) with Marian Aquitanian songs of the 12th century and Filia praeclara (Divox 2008) with medieval music from 13th and 14th century Polish Clarisse convents. Both CDs have received critical acclaim in the European and American press including among others: twice Goldberg 5 (ES), Selection Musicora (CH), CD of the month (Muzyka 21 PL), Supersonic Pizzicato (LUX). Filia praeclara has also won the prestigious ECHO-KLASSIK Award 2009 for the best a cappella recording of the year. Between 2011-2017, six new CDs have been released: Crux with Parisian Easter music from 13th & 14th centuries (Glossa 2011), Sacer Nidus with the oldest extant music from medieval Poland (Raumklang 2011), Veiled Desires – Lives and Loves of Nuns in the Middle Ages (Raumklang 2012, International Classical Music Awards 2013 nomination), Cantrix, presenting the musical past of the Maltese Order form the Royal Convents of Sigena and Las Huelgas (Raumklang 2013), Miracula with medieval music for St. Nicholas (Tacet 2014) and Codex 457 with medieval music from Tyrol (Musikmuseum 2017). On the first volume of a four-CD project Mare Balticum with the oldest extant music from Denmark (Music in medieval Denmark, released by Tacet 2017), Peregrina was joined by the renowned performer Benjamin Bagby (Sequentia). This album has won the International Classical Music Awards 2019 in the early music category. The next Mare Balticum recording – Medieval Finland and Sweden (Tacet 2019) – has just received Supersonic Pizzicato and the nomination for International Classical Music Awards 2020.

Peregrina has performed at numerous festivals in Switzerland (such as Lucerne Festival), Belgium (Bozar), Poland, Germany, Spain, France, Austria, Great Britain, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Iceland, Italy, Czech Republic, The Netherlands and the USA. Peregrina’s concerts have been regularly broadcast on SFR2, Deutschlandfunk, Südwestfunk, SWR2, BR, Klaasika Radio, PR2 und BBC3. ​

The name peregrina, the wanderer, alludes to the transmission of music and ideas throughout Europe in the Middle Ages, but also reflects the personal journeys of the singers themselves. The ensemble members (coming from Poland, Switzerland, Finland, Germany, France and Great Britain) together achieve a dynamic balance through their different origins, and they unite to emulate the interaction and convergence of the cultures and histories of the music they perform. ​

At present the core of the ensemble is Agnieszka Budzińska-Bennett, Lorenza Donadini, Hanna Järveläinen, Grace Newcombe, Baptiste Romain and Marc Lewon. For the project Mare Balticum the ensemble was joined by Benjamin Bagby (Sequentia). ​

Kelly Landerkin (who recently stopped her singing career) has been most valuable ensemble member for 20 years. During over two decades of our concert activity, we've also been working with singers Ulrike Andersen, Clara Coutouly, Anita Dettwiler (the co-founder of the group), Kate Dineen, Eve Kopli, Els Janssens, Veronika Jensovska-Holliger, Agnieszka Kowalczyk, Sabine Lutzenberger, Hanna Marti, Tobie Miller, Kinga Misiak, Cristina Rosario, Reiner Schneider-Waterberg, Csongor Szántó, Mathias Spoerry, Witte-Maria Weber and Agnieszka Tutton, and instrumentalists Jane Achtman, Susanne Ansorg, Annette Bauer, Viva Biancaluna Biffi, Isacco Colombo, Bolette Roed, Elisabeth Rumsey, Félix Verry and Mara Winter.

Agnieszka Budzinska-Bennett
Singer, harp-player, musicologist. Nominated twice for the prestigious Paszport Polityki Award (2012 & 2013), a. o., “for promoting Polish early music at the highest performance level" (A. Suprynowicz, Polskie Radio) and “for consistence in discovering medieval music, diligence in getting to its artistic essence, insightful recognition of its historical and cultural contexts, and the joy of sharing its beauty” (D. Cichy, Radio Kraków); named “one of the best ambassadors of our country” (W. Paprocki, Ruch Muzyczny).

Starting with a piano diploma, she decided to study musicology at the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań (Ph.D. in 2010). Her love for medieval times began with her early passion for Old Norse, Anglo-Saxon and Middle Latin literature and culture. Being already a trained musician and musicologist, she got inspired by Sequentia’s performances and deeply influenced by their serious and creative approach to medieval song. This meeting made her to study medieval and Renaissance music and voice at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis in Switzerland where she currently lives and works. She trained voice with E. Kirkby, A. Boothroyd (London), B. Thornton, B. Bagby (Cologne), R. Levitt, D. Vellard, E. Tubb and S. Haselhoff (Basle).

After finishing her vocal education at the Schola Cantorum in 2001, she took postgraduate studies in Musicology at the Musicological Institute of Basel University, working on early medieval notation, style and performance practice with Prof. W. Arlt. Apart from her musicological studies, she was able to continue her early interest in Germanic languages by attending the Norse Philology faculty, taking courses in Old Norse language and literature as well as modern Norwegian and Icelandic. From 2001-2004 she was employed as an Assistant at the Microfilm Archive of the Musicological Institute of Basel University, using its rich working facilities for her practical work as a medieval music performer.

She’s the founder and artistic director of the international ensemble Peregrina specializing in early medieval music. The group has so far released ten albums that gained the international critical acclaim: Filia praeclara was awarded the prestigious ECHO-KLASSIK 2009 for the best a capella recording of the year, Mare Balticum vol. 1 has just won 5 Diapason and the International Classical Music Awards 2019

Agnieszka is a member of many well-known early music groups (a. o. ensemble Perlaro, ensemble Dragma), performing both medieval music as well as repertoires of the 17th and 18th centuries at the most important early music festivals across Europe and Asia. She works also as a guest conductor by the Polish Radio Choir, preparing a monumental 10 CD recording of the complete psalms by Mikołaj Gomółka (the first two vols, released 2018, were nominated to Fryderyk 2019 for the best recording of Polish music). She has also been leading projects of Capella Cracoviensis, Cracow Singers and the schola of Flores Rosarum. She records regularly for Raumklang, Glossa, Ramée, Divox, WDR, L’Empreinte Digitale, Claves, Pan Classic and collaborates with the major radio and TV stations. Her artistic portrait has been filmed and presented on TVP Kultura 2018.

Agnieszka made her stage debut at the Theater Basel in the production of Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea (Amor/Valletto) directed by K. Junghänel in the 2003/2004 season. Her performances include also first performances of contemporary music and opera with works like A. Pflüger’s Mord im St. Johann (2009), G. Bennett’s Columba Nitens pour soprano et bande magnétique (2010) or D. Glaus’ Miserere mihi. Proprium missae für zwei Soprane (1992).

In 2002-2003 Agnieszka has lectured on the liturgical music of the 12th century at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis and in 2011-2014 she belonged to the research faculty of this institution. 2013-2015 she taught Gregorian chant and early music history at the Musikhochschule Trossingen in Germany and 2016-2017 - music history at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis. Her pedagogical and academic work also includes guest lectures on medieval music and master classes in early singing f. e. Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, Universität Zürich, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Fachhochschule Kalaidos, Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Leipzig, Letnie Metodyczne Kursy Muzyki Dawnej Warszawa, Würzburg Universität, University of Madison WI (USA), Universitätsbibliothek Leipzig, F. Chopin Music University Warsaw, Akademia Muzyczna w Bydgoszczy, University of Tartu.

Agnieszka has been constantly praised for her passionate performances (including solo recitals with medieval Lamentationes and the Ultima Thule program with Icelandic music of the Middle Ages) and the careful way of preparing Peregrina’s programs which has secured her the respectable place among the musicologists and early music performers alike.

2019 Agnieszka has been awarded Decoration of Honor Meritorious for Polish Culture (Medal “Zasłużony dla Kultury Polskiej”) as well as with the Silver Cross of Lesser Poland (Srebrny Krzyż Małopolski - Odznaka Honorowa Województwa Małopolskiego).

Booklet for Mare Balticum, Vol. 1: Music in Medieval Denmark