No two musical instruments better typify the early music revolution of recent decades than the harpsichord and the 7-string viola da gamba. Unlike the violin and brass families whose members evolved but remained in use across the 17th to 20th centuries, the viol and the harpsichord had all but disappeared by the late 1700s. They returned to concert stages in the 1960s and 70s and have not left the podium since! Over the years they have built their own fan base of admirers.

The Marais Project’s Jenny Eriksson and Anthony Abouhamad have performed together for many years. Most recently appearing together on the ensemble’s ‘Australian Monody.’ 

About the artists

Anthony Abouhamad is a harpsichordist who enjoys an active performing and teaching career. Currently, he teaches theory and historical performance at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, where he earned his doctorate in 2021. Prior to this, Anthony studied the harpsichord and fortepiano at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague. While studying in The Hague, Anthony was privileged to learn from pioneers in the field of historical performance and experienced the exciting life that a cosmopolitan European city has to offer. In addition to his teaching activities, Anthony enjoys being a part of Australia's classical musical scene. Alongside engagements with symphony orchestras in the country's state capitals, he regularly performs with the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra and the Australian Haydn Ensemble. In 2016, Anthony co-founded the Muffat Collective with violinist Matthew Greco; after years of performing together since their undergraduate years, the pair were inspired to share their love of baroque music with Sydney audiences.

Jennifer Eriksson grew up in the village of Warragamba where her father worked while Sydney’s major water supply dam was built. She completed her initial musical studies at the Sydney Conservatorium and then moved to The Netherlands for three years to undertake viola da gamba tuition with Jaap ter Linden at Rotterdam Conservatorium. She founded The Marais Project in 2000 and has directed Musica Viva in Schools ensembles for thirty plus years appearing in some 3,000 concerts across Australia. Jenny has recorded eleven albums and commissioned more than thirty works for viola da gamba and electric viola da gamba. She enjoys collaborating with a broad range of early, folk, and jazz musicians. She has performed in Sweden, Norway, Singapore, The Netherlands, Germany, New Zealand, Canada, and New Caledonia. Jenny is Australia’s only electric viola da gambist and leads the electric viola da gamba band, Elysian Fields.

The Marais Project is a celebration of music for the viola da gamba inspired by Marin Marais, the great French virtuoso viola da gamba performer and composer. Formed by Jennifer Eriksson in 2000, the ensemble’s original aim was to perform the complete viola da gamba works of Marais – a monumental task which is more than 85% complete. However, over the years they have extended their repertoire to include folk music, mediaeval and renaissance repertoire, 19th century Australian songs as well as commissioning and recording many new Australian works. The Marais Project has released nine albums, was the 2019-20 Ensemble in Residence at Fine Music 102.5, and broadcasts regularly on the ABC and Australian Digital Concert Hall. They have toured across Australia, New Zealand, and Sweden where in 2023 they performed at an invitation only concert at the Australian Embassy, Stockholm.

https://www.maraisproject.com.au

• Performance begins at 2pm (no interval). Doors open at 1:45pm

• Chat with the Jenny and Anthony after the concert - 'meet the artist'

• Parking (free):
  on-site for 5 cars; 
  overflow parking on-street in dedicated parking lane on Namatjira Drive;
  additional parking at Chapman Oval on Tauchert St (approx 500m).

• Public transport:
  Buses 70 & 71 (Woden-Tuggeranong via Cooleman Court); 64 (Woden-Weston Creek)
  Closest bus stops are 1269 & 1264 (on Namatjira Drive).