About Us

 An ensemble dedicated to mediating theory and practice in spirited performance, Artifex Consort derives its name from that of the 17th-c. alchemical adept hard at work in both library and laboratory; the perennial student whose craft centers on cultivating knowledge, through the artful imitation of Nature. This perspective lends itself well to the mission of reanimating lesser-known works of the 17th-c. Hamburg school of contrapuntists, but the ensemble is equally at home in the rich viol repertoires of the French Baroque and English consort traditions. Since its 2022 founding, Artifex has been featured on the Taylor Johnston Early Music Series at Michigan State University, in performances and lecture-performances on the Pomona College Music Department concert calendar, at The Benton Museum of Art, at the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library in La Jolla, and at the Wende Museum in Culver City.  

Artifex's base in Claremont, California invites blended inspiration from the cultural riches of metro Los Angeles and the rugged foothills of the San Gabriel mountains. Thirty miles from Downtown LA and Pasadena, Claremont is home to the renowned Claremont Colleges (five top-ranking undergraduate institutions), Claremont Graduate University and Keck Graduate Institute, the California Botanic Gardens, and the Benton Museum of Art.