Lillian Gordis, harpsichord & Jérôme Hantaï, viola da gamba

Renowned European early music artists present a master class with SMTD students and chamber ensembles. Part of the Sally Fleming Master Class Series and hosted by the Stearns Collection of Musical Instruments.

Jérôme Hantaï (viola da gamba) and Lillian Gordis (harpsichord) have been performing as a duo since 2018, inspired as much by the contrast between the vocality of the viol and the cutting crispness of the harpsichord as by the mix of rich and varied timbres of their instruments. Together, they seek a common sound that lies between the singing inertia of the bow and the percussive attack of the keyboard. This ensemble is a chance for these artists to play with new energy and to explore the fresh synergy nourished by their respective identities as soloists.

GUEST ARTIST BIOS

Born in 1992 into a family of scholars and mathematicians in Berkeley, California, LILLIAN GORDIS fell in love with the harpsichord at age 9 and never looked back. Five years later, Pierre Hantaï discovered her during a tour to the United States, and, captivated by her touch, he encouraged her to move to France for further studies. Lillian moved to Paris at 16, where she was mentored by Hantaï and Bertrand Cuiller.

Hailed as a “Martha Argerich of the harpsichord” (ResMusica), Lillian regularly performs as a soloist in festivals across Europe and the United States and plays frequently in a duo with Jérôme Hantaï.

Her most recent album, a double-disc dedicated to Bach (Paraty Productions, 2022) was awarded a Diapason d’Or and has received praise in the press worldwide (Gramophone, Scherzo, American Record Guide, Fono Forum, Qobuz…). It was a “coup de cœur nouveauté” on France Musique (Relax !, Lionel Esparza) and was also featured on the program Le Bach du Dimanche (Corinne Schneider). Her first solo recording, Zones (Paraty Productions, 2019) was entirely dedicated to the sonatas of Domenico Scarlatti.

2023 marked Lillian’s New York début at the Maison française NYU during a 6-city US tour with J. Hantaï, and her début with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra at the Soraya Center, as well numerous performances across Europe.

Lillian holds dual nationality with the United States and France and resides in Paris. In the 2023-24 academic year, she will serve as Visiting Assistant Professor of Harpsichord at Oberlin Conservatory.

Born in 1961, JÉRÔME HANTAÏ studied the viola da gamba with Wieland Kuijken at the Brussels Conservatory. Alongside this, he took a keen interest in early keyboard instruments, especially period pianos.

During his studies, he gave numerous concerts on both viol and piano, and collaborated with pioneers in the renewal of early music, including Sigiswald Kuijken, René Jacobs and Jean- Claude Malgoire. He was also associated from the start with the adventure of the Orchestre Baroque d’Île de France and the Ensemble Orlando Gibbons in the 1980s.

Above all, however, he is a member of the Trio Hantaï, with his brothers Marc (transverse flute) and Pierre (harpsichord), an ensemble that has acquired international renown. In addition, since 2001, Jérôme Hantaï has directed his own ensemble, Spes Nostra, and played in the Trio Almaviva.

A sought-after soloist, he has appeared throughout Europe and in the United States, and travels to Asia for tours, notably in China, India, Japan, the Philippines, Taiwan and Cambodia. Finally, he also devotes a large part of his activity to teaching, at the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional de Cergy-Pontoise and in masterclasses.

His many recordings include an anthology of folksong settings by Beethoven and a programme of keyboard trios by Haydn (Naïve), three volumes of Pièces à une and plusieurs violes by Marin Marais (Virgin Veritas), a programme of pieces by John Jenkins entitled Fantazia (Naïve/ Ambronay), and Consort Music au temps de Shakespeare (Musicales Actes Sud). All of these CDs have received critical acclaim.