Consortium Carissimi was conceived of by Garrick Comeaux, Artistic Director, in 1996 while living in Rome, Italy. In 2007, Consortium Carissimi organized as an official 501(c)(3) nonprofit. This Minnesota-based performing ensemble has the mission of uncovering and bringing to 21st century audiences the long-forgotten Italian baroque music of the 16th and 17th centuries. It does so through live concerts, master classes, recordings and publications. Consortium Carissimi bears the name of the famous composer whose music was known for its simple, fresh approach to text, melody and accompaniment.
Much of the music that Consortium Carissimi performs has not been heard since it was first created in the 16th or 17th century—and it is only through the transcriptions of these original documents that this music may be heard today. The unique strength that Consortium Carissimi possesses is that it has in its library over 200 transcriptions of these long-forgotten works. Currently, there are no other organizations in the United States that have transcriptions such as these. As a result of this uniqueness, Consortium Carissimi contributes to the cultural vitality of the Minnesota community in four key and distinct ways:
- Performances: the ensemble of mixed voices and instruments performs at least three concerts annually of repertoire from the Italian-Roman sacred and secular music of the 16th and 17th centuries.
- Educational programs: Consortium Carissimi conducts master classes with educational institutions located in Minnesota and Tri-State area. Master classes include intense studies of vocal and instrumental practices of 16th and 17th century Rome.
- Manuscript transcription and publication: Consortium Carissimi is the only organization in the United States that has in its library transcriptions of over 200 manuscripts of this time period, including the complete works of Giacomo Carissimi.
- Recordings: Consortium Carissimi intends to extend public access to and knowledge of this musical tradition through digital recordings.
Founder & Artistic Director
Consortium Ensemble
Garrick Comeaux, Artistic Director
Garrick returned to the United States in 2005 after 25 years of life in Italy and Germany, with extensive experience in early music, both as a singer and as a conductor. Following his musical formation at an early age in piano studies, bass viola and cello, as well as private voice lessons, Garrick attended Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota where he sang under the direction of Paul J. Christensen. He then dedicated his energies in vocal studies at Indiana University Music School in Bloomington.
Garrick moved to Rome, Italy in 1981 where his studies in voice continued at the Music Conservatories of Santa Cecilia in Rome and F. Morlacchi in Perugia, Italy. He soon took residence in Munich Germany in 1986, continuing vocal studies and performing as a member of the Bayerischer Rundfunk Konzertchor – Munich, Germany and also sang in concerts and recordings conducted by directors such as Sawalish, Solti, Maazel, Sinopoli, Barenboim and Bernstein. His keen interest in early baroque music began in the years spent in Germany, performing various works and oratories of Schütz, Buxtehude, Bach, Carissimi, Monteverdi and Purcell.
Garrick has worked extensively over the years with various early music groups, predominately in Italy but throughout the European continent. He has collaborated with ensembles and directors such as the Coro della Radiotelevisione Svizzera Italiana, Lugano, Switzerland, Diego Fasolis; L’Homme Armè, Fabio Lombardo and Andrew Lawrence King; Capella Ducale in Venetia, Livio Picotti; De Labytintho W. Testolin. In 1996, he founded the original Consortium Carissimi in Rome, Italy, with the aim of presenting – above all – the sacred and secular music of early Roman Baroque.
In addition to performing the works of Giacomo Carissimi, the Minnesota based ensemble also performs pieces by his contemporaries that, either because of similarity of style or because of their freshness and inventiveness, have often been mistaken for music by Carissimi, thus providing a clearer picture of the extraordinary effervescence that existed in the music world during the early Baroque period in Rome.
Consortium Carissimi Performers for Madrigals October 2023 Performance
Heather Cogswell, soprano, joined Consortium Carissimi in 2010. Heather has also sung with The Bach Society of Minnesota, The Rose Ensemble, and The Gregorian Singers. A native Minnesotan, Heather completed her undergraduate work in vocal performance and music education at Illinois Wesleyan University and her graduate degree in music education at The University of St. Thomas. In addition to performing, Heather has taught music to children in kindergarten through 12th grade and has also taught early childhood music to parents and their newborns up to age 5. Heather currently serves as the choir director and organist at Parkview United Church of Christ in White Bear Lake, MN. She is also a very busy mother of two small children.
Thomas Walker, Jr., lives in St. Paul, Minnesota. He began studying the lute with Phillip Rukavina and Edward Martin in the mid- 1990s and has since performed with various Twin Cities early music groups, including the Rose Ensemble, Ensemble Polaris, and Consortium Carissimi. In addition to his solo lute performance, he has teamed up with Phillip Rukavina, Paul Berget, and Rockford Mjos for the performance of various renaissance and baroque lute duets, trios, and quartets.
Julie Elhard, viola da gamba, appears regularly as a soloist and chamber musician and has made several appearances with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, including the St. Matthew Passion by Bach under the direction of Nicholas McGegan. She has been a guest artist with Apollo’s Fire in Cleveland and is a founding member of Violes Egales and Glorious Revolution Baroque. Ms. Elhard was awarded a 2011 Artist’s Initiative grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board and has also received a Jerome Foundation grant. Ms. Elhard received a Performing Artist Certificate from the Royal Conservatory of Music in The Hague, Netherlands and has taught at workshops in North America and at the Viola da Gamba Society of America’s national Conclaves. She currently teaches viola da gamba at St. Olaf College and Macalester College and is director of the early music programs at the St. Paul Conservatory of Music. She has recently published a new method for the viola da gamba including music for Renaissance Band.
Steve Staruch’s life revolves around music. He is the afternoon classical host at Classical MPR. As a freelance violist and singer he has performed with the Minnesota Beethoven Festival Chorale, Dale Warland Singers, Consortium Carissimi and his own ensembles, The Incidental Trio and the American Roots band, Belvidere Oasis. A graduate of Oberlin College and the Eastman School of Music, Steve’s interests include cooking, gardening and travel. He and his wife, Naomi, have hosted trips to India, Germany the Seattle Opera’s Ring Cycle, and most recently, with MPR, to Poland and the Czech Republic.
Ginna Watson is a Minneapolis-based violinist and early music specialist. She performs with The Rose Ensemble and the Lyra Baroque Orchestra, as well as with many of the early music ensembles in the Twin Cities. She has appeared on early music series throughout the United States, as well as the Boston, Indianapolis, and San Antonio early music festivals. Internationally, Ginna has performed in the Tage Alte Musik early music festival in Regensburg, Germany, and the Los Siglos de Oro early music series in Madrid, Spain, as well as festivals in Italy and France. Ginna is the violin instructor at Hamline University in St. Paul, where she teaches private violin lessons and beginning/intermediate class violin as well as coaching sectionals and chamber music and teaching a course on Popular Music. Ginna also gives master classes on medieval and baroque performance practice in the Twin Cities and throughout the country, including Houston Baptist University, Colorado State University, Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, and the Center for Jewish Culture and Creativity in Los Angeles.
Garrick Comeaux, Artistic Director of Consortium Carissimi, returned to the United States in 2005 after 25 years of life in Italy and Germany, with extensive experience in early music, both as a singer and as a conductor. Garrick began his musical formation at an early age in piano studies, bass viola and cello, as well as private voice lessons. Comeaux attended Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota and sang under the direction of Paul J. Christensen, then dedicated his energies in vocal studies at Indiana University Music School in Bloomington. Garrick moved to Rome, Italy in 1981 where his studies in voice continued at the Music Conservatories of Santa Cecilia in Rome and F. Morlacchi in Perugia, Italy. He soon took residence in Munich Germany in 1986, continuing vocal studies and performing as a member of the Bayerischer Rundfunk Konzertchor – Munich, Germany and also sang in concerts and recordings conducted by directors such as Sawalish, Solti, Maazel, Sinopoli, Barenboim and Bernstein. His keen interest in early baroque music began in the years spent in Germany, performing various works and oratories of Schütz, Buxtehude, Bach, Carissimi, Monteverdi and Purcell. Comeaux has worked extensively over the years with various early music groups, predominately in Italy but throughout the European continent. He has collaborated with ensembles and directors such as the Coro della Radiotelevisione Svizzera Italiana, Lugano, Switzerland, Diego Fasolis; L’Homme Armè, Fabio Lombardo and Andrew Lawrence King; Capella Ducale in Venetia, Livio Picotti; De Labytintho W. Testolin. In 1996, Comeaux founded the original Consortium Carissimi in Rome, Italy, with the aim of presenting – above all – the sacred and secular music of early Roman Baroque. The Minnesota based Consortium Carissimi was established in 2006. In addition to performing the works of Carissimi, the ensemble also performs pieces by his contemporaries that, either because of similarity of style or because of their freshness and inventiveness, have often been mistaken for music by Carissimi, thus providing a clearer picture of the extraordinary effervescence that existed in the music world during the early Baroque period in Rome.
Soprano Sophie Caplin, originally from Charlottesville, VA, obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Music/French from Duke University in 2018. She has performed as Oberto in Alcina with Chicago Summer Opera. Previous roles with UNCG Opera Theatre include Jenny Slade (Roman Fever), Dr. Blind (Die Fledermaus), Le Cercatrice (Suor Angelica) and La Ciesca (Gianni Schicchi). An avid chamber musician, Sophie has studied at CCM Baroque Collective, Oberlin Baroque Performance Institute, as well as Haymarket Opera Company. She won the Canadian Sinfonietta Young Artist Competition in Spring 2019 and was a finalist in the inaugural Camille Coloratura Awards in Fall of 2019.
Countertenor Keith Wehmeier is a native of St. Louis, Missouri. Praised by the San Diego Story for his “bright, agile vocal technique”, he most recently portrayed the role of Polinesso in Handel’s Ariodante with Opera NEO. Prior to this, Keith performed the role of the Sorceress in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas while in his Post-Graduate studies at the New England Conservatory. In his debut season, Keith played the role of Oberon in Benjamin Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Miami Music Festival to great acclaim. The South Florida Classical Review said of his performance, “Keith Wehmeier’s countertenor voice was both strong and dulcet and he phrased the text with subtlety.” He looks forward to this new season of ensemble debuts, concert work, and operatic role debuts throughout the United States.
Benjamin Wegner‘s compositional style explores common threads in a diversity of choral genres. He has received commissions from a variety of school and community ensembles. A graduate of Luther College and now residing in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Benjamin is Director of Music at Jehovah Lutheran Church and performs with The Singers, Minnesota Choral Artists and the Bach Society of Minnesota. Since 2014, he has arranged the music for the University of Minnesota’s 4-H Arts-In program in Washington County. Benjamin is currently a member of the American Choral Director’s Association.
Basso Cantante Jonathan Ten Brink has been seen throughout the continental United States in Opera, Oratorio, Operetta, Concert, Recital, and Chamber settings. His “big voice” that “rumbles like foghorns” (Pioneer Press) is regarded as “rich” (Madison Magazine), “heartwarming” (Examiner), and “possessing considerable agility (Grand Rapids Press). He has been a featured performer with the Minnesota Orchestra, Skylark Opera, Fresco Opera Theatre, Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, and at the Oregon Bach Festival. He has recently been seen as “Hamen” in Handel’s Esther, “Father” in Hansel and Gretel, “Scarpia” in Tosca, and “Belcore” in L’elisir d’amore. A frequent collaborator in chamber music Jonathan tours with the early music group The Rose Ensemble and supports the performance of new music with the First Readings Project. His discography includes recordings of the Messiah, Matthäus-Passion, Psalmkonzert, and Mozart’s Grand Mass. He holds degrees from the University of Minnesota (DMA), Bowling Green State University (MM), and Calvin College (BA), and currently is on faculty at Crown College and North Central University.
Miriam Scholz-Carlson lives in Minneapolis, MN where she plays regularly with Lyra Baroque Orchestra, The Bach Society of Minnesota, Flying Forms, Oratory Bach, Consortium Carissimi, and other local groups, as well as The Newberry Consort in Chicago. She was a founding member of Glorious Revolution Baroque. As a music director, Miriam selected, arranged and performed Elizabethan music for Great River Shakespeare Festival’s regional premier of Shakespeare in Love in the summer of 2018. She teaches both privately and at St. Olaf College and has trained as a teacher of the Alexander Technique and Learning Methods in order to help musicians perform with greater ease and efficiency.
A harpsichordist and composer, Asako Hirabayashi’s first recording, on the Albany Label, entirely composed and played by her, was selected as one of the top ten albums of the year 2018 and was awarded the Gold Medal Award by the Global Music Awards. It was also selected as one of the five best classical CDs of 2010 by Minneapolis Star Tribune. Ms. Hirabayashi has won numerous grants and awards including the 2009 McKnight Fellowship for Performing Musicians and two Minnesota State Arts Board’s Artist Initiative grants. She won the 2016 McKnight Fellowship for Composers, was an awardee of MN Opera’s Miniatures 2021 grant for Tiny Operas and Big Ideas, and has appeared as a featured guest soloist in international concert series worldwide since her New York debut recital at Carnegie Hall. Her live performance of her own composition was featured in the United States’ most popular classical music program, Performance Today in 2018. She holds a doctoral degree in harpsichord performance from the Juilliard School and a master’s degree in composition from Aichi Art University in Japan.
Soprano Sarah Jackson is an active soloist and recitalist in the Twin Cities area. She has appeared at various venues including Chamber Music Amarillo, Calvary Baptist Church, and the Institute of Vocal Artistry. More recently she has joined the Hyperion Singers. Her repertoire ranges from the music of the Baroque period to German Romantic Lieder, and she has a special passion for the music of J.S. Bach. She holds a degree in Music from the College of St. Catherine and has done further graduate study at the University of Minnesota.