About the Early Music Studio

Founded in 1996 by Professor John Griffiths to consolidate a long-standing commitment to excellence in early music, the Early Music Studio provides instrumental and vocal training, research facilities and a base for community involvement. Study at the EMS is also available e through the University’s Community Access Program. The dedicated early music facilities of the Early Music Studio provide an ideal environment for performance and study. One recent EMS highlights has been the Australian premiere in April 2006 of the recently discovered Dixit Dominus by Antonio Vivaldi, recovered  by EMS scholar Dr Jan Stockigt.

HISTORICAL PERFORMANCE on early instruments is an established, integral part of contemporary musical culture. Whether on CD, in concert or in radio, the proportions of the early music industry are immediately evident. No longer is early music the exclusive domain of musical eccentrics, it is now a viable professional pathway for young musicians. The University of Melbourne has pioneered this area since the 1970s, creating the EMS in 1996 to provide students with a dedicated learning centre to develop early music as a real career option. The EMS was thus instituted to consolidate the leading role of the Faculty of Music in early music performance and research over several decades. Faculty of Music and EMS alumni have achieved considerable national and international distinction on instruments such as recorder, baroque flute, harpsichord, baroque oboe, baroque violin, viola da gamba and lute.

LIBRARY

The Louise Hanson-Dyer Music Library possesses a rich collection of early music resources including a large collection of original sources from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, facsimile editions of many of the most important early manuscripts, printed music and theoretical sources, as well as scholarly and performing editions and research materials.