The Alberta Baroque Ensemble is a professional chamber orchestra whose repertoire is primarily the music of the 17th and 18th centuries and whose performance practices reflect the spirit and style of the period in which the music was composed.

 

Formed in 1980 by its Founder and Artistic Director Paul Schieman, the Alberta Baroque Ensemble performs an annual concert series in Edmonton. Concerts include music by well-known composers such as Bach and Handel and not so well-known composers such as Stamitz and Hertel. The ensemble features many local artists as soloists in the Edmonton concert series and has commissioned three works by Edmonton composer Allan Gilliland.

 

All members of the Alberta Baroque Ensemble are full-time professional musicians. They have been trained at the finest universities and music conservatories and all have a special interest in the performance practices of music from the baroque era.

 

Founder and Artistic Director Paul Schieman is a graduate of McGill University in Montreal. There he majored in oboe and organ performance graduating with a Bachelor of Music degree With Distinction in 1978. In 1979, at the age of 23, he was appointed the Assistant Principal Oboe and English horn of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra. That same year he became Organist and Choir Master of St. Andrew’s United Church in Edmonton. In 1980 he formed the Alberta Baroque Ensemble and has held the position of Artistic Director ever since.

 

In 2001 Schieman was inducted into the City of Edmonton Cultural Hall of Fame. In 2002 he was one of several prominent arts figures to be awarded a Commemorative Medal for the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, acknowledging Canadians who have made a significant contribution to their community. In 2005 he was awarded an Alberta Centennial Medal for his contribution to the arts in Edmonton and the Province of Alberta.