A recurring Ascension Day outing

Eglise Saint-Martin - Chapaize

Since 2007, when we saw an announcement for a concert by Roundelay in the beautiful Romanesque church of Chapaize, we have been present every Ascension Day in that church ever since. The Dutch (Madrigal) Choir Roundelay, specialized in Early Music, performs there each year on that particular day.

Roundelay 2016

This year they celebrated their tenth concert in Chapaize, from which we could figure out that we had attended all their concerts in that church.
Each year they have a different repertoire, and each year they draw a full house. Just to find out where in the Netherlands this choir is based I have been searching the internet, but to no avail.

Roundelay o.l.v. Renée Kartodirdjo 2013

Until I got this bright idea to search for the name of the conductor, Renée Kartodirdjo. With a (Javanese) name like that the chances to stumble on the wrong person are quite slim. The lady in question lives or has lived in the Southern part of the Netherlands (Noord-Brabant), and is or was the artistic leader of the Ensemble Ariosto.
I quote: "The Ariosto Ensemble, performing since 2002, is a project ensemble, varying its membership per projected programme".

Roundelay 2013

On their website I noticed a number of faces I recognized from Roundelay, hence Roundelay could well be one of the occasional groups recruited from the Ariosto Ensemble. They ended up in Chapaize because one of Roundelay's singers has a (most likely second) house in Chapaize.
Although I am not knowledgeable when it comes to Renaissance and early Baroque composers, I have found in the diverse programs several well-known names, like those of Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, William Byrd, John Dowland, Josquin des Prez.

Roundelay 2013

Whether the Ariosto Ensemble is still alive I do not know; their website has been updated for the last time in 2015, as was their Facebook page.
However, as long as Roundelay keeps returning to Chapaize, we should not complain!

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