About

A photograph of thirteen classical musicians sitting and standing together in a group, holding their instruments, outside on a promenade next to a river

Melbourne Baroque Orchestra was founded in 2015 by local period instrumentalists eager to nurture and develop historical performance practice in Melbourne.

Founding musicians include violinists Shane Lestideau and David Irving, baroque flautist Greg Dikmans and cellist Rosanne Hunt. The orchestra enjoys the patronage of Elizabeth Wallfisch.

In and around Melbourne, MBO hosts its own annual concert series presenting baroque and classical repertoire on original instruments and showcasing the outstanding qualities of our local players.

Melbourne Baroque Orchestra regularly collaborates with the Australian Chamber Choir, the Choir of Newman College, Polyphonic Voices, the Choir of Christ Church South Yarra and the Scots' Church Choir.

In December 2023, at the Melbourne Recital Centre, MBO made its debut with The Australian Boys Choir. Then in March 2024, the orchestra joined them, along with Polyphonic Voices and The Choir of Trinity College (University of Melbourne) and a stellar line up of soloists, under the direction of Michael Fulcher, for a performance of J.S.Bach's St Matthew Passion. In January 2024, MBO performed Handel's oratorio "Alexander's Feast" to great acclaim at the Organs of the Ballarat Goldfields Festival.

The support of the Robert Salzer Foundation, The Erica Foundation, Creative Partnerships Australia, and our growing family of generous private donors is gratefully acknowledged.

Meet some of our players

Cameron Jamieson

Violin

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Cameron has always been passionate about the clean, earthy qualities of refined baroque playing. Although he has earned a reputation as a gun for hire across the full range of Melbourne’s performance scene, in the period performance world he’s featured as acting concertmaster of the Melbourne Baroque Orchestra, guest leader of Genesis Baroque and associate concertmaster of the Australian Haydn Ensemble. Originally from Brisbane, Cameron moved to Melbourne to study modern violin at the Australian National Academy of Music in 2012. Since then he’s enjoyed mentoring from all of Australia’s leading historical performers including Sophie Gent, Lucinda Moon, Shaun Lee-Chen, Ben Dollman and Davide Monti with whom he studied with briefly in Italy. Outside of historical performance, this year Cameron has led, the string section for The Cat Empire’s forthcoming album, the chamber orchestra at Stonnington’s Opera in the Park and new music chamber ensembles Homophonic! and Inventi Ensemble.

Greg Dikmans

Flute

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In 1973, while still at school, I was invited to join the pioneering Sydney ensemble The Renaissance Players directed by Winsome Evans (Sydney University). I played a variety of flutes, recorders, crumhorns, plucked strings and percussion and was soon hooked on Early Music. I played, toured and recorded with the ensemble until I completed my undergraduate studies (BMus) at Sydney University in 1977.

In the early 1980s I was touring and recording with lutenist Max Hynam in the Early Music Duo. We played music from the Middle Ages to the 18th century. I was a proud member of what was then called the Early Music Revival and took part in lots of summer schools and festivals.

In 1982 I went to Holland and Belgium to do postgraduate studies on baroque flute (traverso) with Barthold Kuijken at the Royal Conservatorium in Brussels. I was strongly influenced by the approach taken by him, his brother Sigiswald (violin) and Gustav Leonhardt (harpsichord) that combined careful scholarship with subtle, tasteful and unpretentious musicianship.

I returned to Australia in 1984, moved to Melbourne to start teaching at Melbourne University and founded the Elysium Ensemble to bring together the growing number of Australasia’s period instrument players to perform and record an extensive repertoire of chamber and orchestral music. And the rest is history.

http://dikmans.net

Josephine Vains

Cello

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I have always felt a deep emotional connection to baroque music, and as a child I could noodle away at Bach on the piano for hours. These days I am more likely to be found enjoying the splendid, less predictable sounds of historical cellos and bows. In recent years I have completed a Masters in Historical Performance, with a focus on the music of the early 19th century. I am grateful to have worked alongside many inspiring and generous musicians along the way; notably Davide Monti and Lucinda Moon (violins) and Greg Dikmans (flute) and the artists who comprise Melbourne Baroque Orchestra, Genesis Baroque, Elysium Ensemble, Gryphon Baryton Trio, ARCO and Accademia Arcadia. I've recorded on historical instruments for Tall Poppies, ABC and Resonus Classics, and have been reviewed in Gramophone Magazine. I love performing on a Thomas Dodd Cello (1800), London.

http://www.josephinevains.com

Miranda Hill

Violone

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Described by the ABC as “a woman changing the face of classical music”, Miranda Hill is dedicated to championing the work of under-heard musicians, and bringing new music to diverse audiences. After studying at the VCA, University of Michigan, Hartt School of Music, and a sabbatical in London studying violone, Miranda has an active double bass and G violone performing career spanning historically informed baroque to free jazz, with an unexpected sideline in community marching bands.

Starting on violin and graduating to bigger and better things with the double bass, Miranda is now an enthusiastic proponent of the G violone, the 6 stringed fretted beauty of the late renaissance and early baroque. Taking this instrument to new and modern heights with commissions from contemporary composers, improvisation, and grooves with Prog-Baroque quartet Croissants & Whiskey.Artistic Director of Homophonic!, a long running concert series of chamber music by LGBTIQ+ composers, Co-Founder and Co-Director of Prog-Baroque quartet Croissants & Whiskey, and a core member of Genesis Baroque, Melbourne Baroque Orchestra, BOLT ensemble, Adam Simmons Creative Music Ensemble, and performs with early and contemporary ensembles around Australia, and can be heard regularly on ABC classic FM.

In 2023 Miranda won the prestigious Luminary Award for Homophonic! services to the Victorian art music community at the APRA AMCOS art music awards, and released a Pride Playlist for World Pride on ABC Classic.

Photo: Albert Comper

http://mirandabass.net

Rosanne Hunt

Cello

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"Hunt’s playing throughout was of the finest quality; subtle and delicate when required, but strongly present when in the spotlight." (MBO Classical Quartet, ClassikON review, July 2024)

I was a founder of MBO back in 2015. One of my teachers was Dutch baroque cello pioneer Anner Bylsma, and I shared a flat in those days in the Hague with Paul Dyer. It was back in Australia that Paul, who had recently formed the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, encouraged me to pick up baroque cello. (Thank you Paul!) I worked with ABO for many years, and also cut my baroque teeth with Greg Dikmans in his Elysium Ensemble. I’ve also played with the Australian Romantic and Classical Orchestra and Jacky Ogeil’s Accademia Arcadia, and have recorded on baroque cello for ABC Classics and Tall Poppies.

Shane Lestideau

Violin

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Shane Lestideau is an Australian violinist with a passion for historical music and instruments. A celebrated baroque and classical violinist, she is also in demand as an artistic director, teacher and researcher. Shane’s performing career has taken her across Europe and Australia where she works regularly with the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, Evergreen Ensemble and Melbourne Baroque Orchestra. She has performed for, directed and produced three albums of Scottish-Australian repertoire for ABC Classics and tutors Music History and Baroque Ensemble studies at the University of Melbourne. Shane is also undertaking PhD studies on the historically informed performance of 19thC Scottish-Australian music.

http://www.shanelestideau.com

About

Meet some of our players

Cameron Jamieson

Greg Dikmans

Josephine Vains

Miranda Hill

Rosanne Hunt

Shane Lestideau

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