Performers
Ann Allen
Shawms and Recorders
Originally from England, Ann Allen went to study shawms and medieval music at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis in 2000. She now performs throughout Europe as a freelance player and is a regular member of Les Haulz et Les Bas and Triskilian as well as taking part in many improvisation/crossover projects.
She is also active as a Stage Director and Dancer and is the Artistic Director of 'morethanmusic' which puts on the much acclaimed yearly Early Music Crossover Festival NOX ILLUMINATA in Basel.
Viva Biancaluna Biffi
Fiddle and Voice
After studying modern cello in Italy, Viva Biancaluna Biffi turned her interest to Early Music. From 1998 she studied medieval fiddle, renaissance gamba and singing with Randall Cook, Richard Levitt and Dominique Vellard at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis in Switzerland. As both a singer and fiddle player she performs with some of the most important Early Music ensembles, including Ensemble Lucidarium, Alla Francesca, Salon des Musiques, Gilles Binchois and Hesperion XXI. Since 2005 she has taught at the Royaumont Foundation with Ensemble Lucidarium (La fabula d'Orfeo and the Chantilly Codex projects) and has regularly been invited to give masterclasses at the CNSM de Lyon, the CMMP de Paris and the Geneva Conservatoire. She is currently working on a solo project concerning the "frottole" repertoire, intabulated for viola bastarda and voice, looking especially at their poetic forms.
Massimiliano Dragoni
Percussion and Dulcimer
Massimiliano has specialised in traditional Italian percussion techniques and also medieval and Renaissance repertoire. After studying Philosophy at University he became very interested in medieval philosophy and concentrated on theoretical music treatises of the Middle Ages, especially concerning Boethius. He has been active as a musician for over ten years now performing all around the world including Brasil, Chile, Marocco USA as well as Europe. He plays with many groups including Ensemble Lucidarium and Micrologus. He teaches in Perugia and Umbria and has given courses at Fondation Royaumont in Paris and the Geneva Conservatoire.
For several programmes the trio combines forces with MedivAlta to create an evening full of diversity and for bigger projects Mediva is joined by guest artists as you can see in MultiMediva.