Biographies

Named after a Marian hymn contained in the Utrecht Songbook (late 15th century), Rubens Rosa is a young medieval music ensemble based in Basel. It is co-directed by Aliénor Wolteche (bowed fiddle and Renaissance violin) and Matthieu Romanens (tenor), two young graduates of the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis. Its repertoire ranges from the accompanied monody of the 13th century to the vocal and instrumental polyphony of the late Middle Ages.
The founding act of Rubens Rosa is the participation in the interdisciplinary festival Erasmus klingt (Basel, September 12-18, 2022), which aims to highlight the impact of Erasmus on the sciences of the following centuries. The ensemble is selected by competition to perform a concert as the opening act for the prestigious Huelgas Ensemble under the direction of Paul van Nevel.
 
The interdisciplinarity and complementarity of musical approaches, both of which are fostered by shared leadership, is the hallmark of Rubens Rosa. The dynamic of the ensemble is based on the musicological, literary and organological expertise of the two founding members. The ensemble passionately pursues a sonic and poetic alchemy between voice and ancient instruments, whether in secular monody accompanied by fiddle, harp or lute, or in sacred polyphony.   
 
In August 2022, Rubens Rosa takes part in the Festival BallArte (ES), an artistic project dedicated to the cultural promotion of the Benasque Valley (Huesca) through the interpretation, research and dissemination of early and contemporary music. In August 2023, the duo Aliénor Woltèche and Matthieu Romanens present the program Oude muziek in de remix in collaboration with the jazz duo Schntzl as part of the MA Festival Bruges. The program combines accompanied monody with jazz improvisation on percussion and synthesizers. Also in August, the ensemble is invited to perform at the International Young Artist Presentation (IYAP) at the Laus Polyphoniae festival in Antwerp. In September, Rubens Rosa presents a new program devoted entirely to the 16th-century tenorlied tradition at the ReRenaissance Basel festival. The ensemble will have the opportunity to develop its new program as well as an educational project devoted to the troubadour Guiraut Riquier in September 2024 at the Abbaye aux Dames de Saintes as part of the Odyssée 2024 program (Residencies for foreign artists).