INTERNATIONAL COURSE IN EARLY MUSIC
THE WONDER OF ITALIAN BAROQUE SONG - A NEW PATH FOR THE MODERN STUDENT
Our Team
JAMES GRAY
Musical Director
studied singing and piano accompaniment at the Royal Academy of Music in London where he was student répétiteur to the Opera Class. Also in London, he studied the piano privately with Tamas Vesmas and then with Ivan Moravec at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague. During his time in the czech capital, he also took an intensive course of vocal studies with Terezie Blumová. He made his solo debut in 1976 at the Prague Madrigalists’ inaugural Czech Philharmonic concert.
On an Italian Government scholarship, he continued his vocal studies with Nella Anfuso and carried out research at the Centro Studi Musicali Rinascimentali near Florence. He holds a BA (Hons.) degree from The Open University where he completed an MA in musicological research. He was guest director of the Prague Madrigalists 1980-81 before moving to Germany to work as a répétiteur at the Nationaltheater Mannheim.
His subsequent move to Italy reflected his growing interest in Italian baroque music. His recordings include Domenico Scarlatti Unpublished Cantatas; Monteverdi ‘Lamento d’Arianna’ etc. (Grand Prix Académie du Disque Français); and Benedetto Marcello Unpublished Vocal Works. He was organist at the Basilica of Santo Spirito in Florence from 2008 -2013 and at the Church of Santa Felicita from 2013-2016; at present he is assistant director of music to the Philippian Fathers at the Oratory Church of San Firenze. He divides his time between performing, research and a small teaching practice where he passes on the approach to singing developed by the distinguished pedagogue Lajos Szamosi.
DONALD FRANCIS
Baroque dance lessons
Donald Francis started dancing as a young boy and then during his time at University in Melbourne, Australia, he discovered the world of Early Music and Historical Dance, then in its early years of development.
In 1975 he travelled to Italy to study the Italian language and in 1985 opened his own school in Florence, L'Atelier de Danse, teaching Historical Dances of the nineteenth century, the first school in Italy to offer such a programme of dance study.
In 1992, he invited Flavia Sparapani, a pupil of Barbara Sparta and Andrea Francalanci, to introduce Baroque Dance to the Atelier and he now continues teaching this dance tradition, which has become a featured part of the regular programme. He has carried out considerable research in this specialist field.
Each year Donald Francis organises three Historical Balls, the Napoleonic Era 1800 - 1820; Second Empire 1860 - 1890 and Ragtime 1910 - 1920, all presented in period costume with live music in historically suitable venues in and around the city of Florence.
KATEŘINA BLASONE FÜRSTOVÁ
Soprano / vocal lessons
Kateřina Blasone Fürstová studied oboe at Brno and Prague Conservatories and then at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. In 1990 she won the first prize for oboe playing in the competition of Czech Conservatories. In 1997, she became a solo oboist in the Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra in Ostrava. Meanwhile, in Prague, she studied singing with Terezie Blumová and established herself in the world of early baroque music, collaborating with leading Czech ensembles such as Musica Antiqua Praha, Musica Florea, Musica Fresca, Capella Regia, Ritornello, and Ensemble Inegal.
Among her most significant experiences are participation in international masterclasses with such distinguished figures as Emma Kirkby and James Bowman, as well as performing in world premieres of works like the oratorio Divina Commedia by Václav Hálek and Three Psalmodie by Svatopluk Havelka.
Since 2003, Kateřina has lived in Italy, where she focuses on both performing music and on her pedagogical activities, including choir conducting. With many years of experience as a soloist and educator, she brings empathy and professionalism to her teaching approach.
This will be Kateřina's first time with Course in Early Music.
JUNKO GRAY
Vocal therapist / group warm-ups
Junko Gray studied singing at Laulukoulu in Finland where she successfully completed the full- time four-year diploma course Uncovering the Voice*, subsequently specialising for a further year in Art Song. In parallel, she also undertook a course of studies in Germany under Thomas Adam at Langenberg in Germany, gaining the diploma in Singing Therapy. After a period as assistant teacher at Laulukoulu, and working both as teacher and therapist with children, the elderly and with the mentally handicapped, she moved to Italy where she continues her work and studies in Florence.
*An approach developped by Valborg Werbeck Svärdström under the aegis of Rudolf Steiner.
MICHAEL POSPÍŠIL
Bass / vocal lessons
Michael Pospíšil studied singing at the Prague Conservatory under Professor Jaroslav Horáček and later privately with Terezie Blumová. He specializes in early music and baroque repertoire, which he pursues both as a singer and as a conductor, musicologist, dramaturg, and music editor. In 1993, he founded the ensemble Ritornello, which focuses on baroque music and historically informed musical projects.
In addition to his work with his own ensemble, Michael Pospíšil collaborates with many prominent Czech and international ensembles, such as Musica Antiqua Praha, Musica Florea, and Collegium Quodlibet. Since 1996, he has also led the Pražští komorní pěvci ensemble, with which he has prepared a series of thematic concerts on the stairs of the National Museum in Prague. He is the author of several CDs and actively participates in the revival of historical musical traditions.
Michael is also dedicated to pedagogy, organizing interpretive seminars and leading courses focused on baroque music. He first became a lecturer at the Course in Early Music in 2021.
GABRIELA MACHOVÁ
Costume designer
Gabriela Machová is a graduate of the History of European Culture at the Catholic Theological Faculty of Charles University in Prague. After that, she was a student of classical singing at the Opava Conservatory. In 2018, she participated in the Course in Early Music as a student for the first time. In 2019, she designed and sewed the costumes for Händel's opera Acis and Galatea. Since then, she has been intensively dedicated to creating historical costumes. Gabriela has become an indispensable part of the Course in Early Music where she has been responsible for the realization of all costumes and props since 2021.