Sylvain Bergeron is the kind of musician that you feel lucky to hear, let alone play music with. He is a master of plucked instruments like lute, archlute and baroque guitars. He teaches at McGill University and elsewhere, leads ensembles, and has done in-depth research into the music and techniques for his instruments. It shouldn’t be so surprising that as a kid he wanted to be an archeologist.
Sylvain is originally from Quebec City but has been living in Montreal for over 30 years. He co-founded the group, La Nef, a creative and vibrant early music ensemble; but he has also played with so many other groups, including Les Violons du Roy, Apollo’s Fire, the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, all of which call on his talent for improvisation with old scores that often leave a lot to the informed imagination.
Sylvain has played on more than 90 recordings, and I am sure it’s thousands of concerts. And I think I can say his playing raised the standards for these instruments in Canada, where he used to be one of the few lute players—in Quebec, for sure. If you’re in Quebec this summer, you might catch him at Domaine Forget, an international music festival.
He's also down to earth, and great company. I hope you enjoy our conversation.
Music Played:
Theme: Ali Berkok, “The Wolf,” from his album Never Get Lost for Long
Bandcamp
Pièces en sol mineur: (Toccata 1) from Livre de luth de Gioseppe Doni
Sylvain Bergeron, lute. ATMA ACD: ACD22724
“Alain, Alain, s’fhad an cadal thu….” (Alain, alain, Gaelic song. Concert, The Gloomy Forest, 2004. Stephanie Conn, voice; Sylvain Bergeron, baroque guitar; and Patrick Graham, percussion. Private recording.
The King's Suite: IV. Tweedsyde, old and new ways, by Mr. Beck.
From The Balcarres Lute Book A 17Th Century Scottish Manuscript.
Sylvain Bergeron, lute. ATMA ACD: ACD22562
Speaking of Bach…
Here’s Sylvain playing some Bach for Orchestra of St. Luke’s Music at Home series.
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