Toronto’s Diapente Renaissance Vocal Quintet will be performing at the Royal Ontario Museum on October 29 and 30 as part of the ROM Speaks series. The performance will complement the current special exhibition Saints, Sinners, Lovers, and Fools: 300 Years of Flemish Masterworks with music from the region and era, focusing on 16th century Antwerp.
Saints, Sinners, Lovers, and Fools: 300 Years of Flemish Masterworks showcases more than 80 art works and objects from the medieval, Renaissance, and baroque periods, including paintings, sculptures, and more from the Flanders region from 1400 to 1700.
16th Century Antwerp was particularly significant to the region and era.
Antwerp, in modern-day Belgium, was a European powerhouse in the 16th century. At the time it was part of the Duchy of Brabant, and became a centre for commerce and culture. The city doubled in size between 1500 and 1569.
It was a major shipping base for Portuguese vessels, who brought back spices from Asia, and the sugar capital of the world, among other things. It became a major port for cross-Atlantic trade.
The program includes music by Flemish composers Noé Faignient, Hubert Waelrant and Andreas Pervenage, among others, from drinking songs to motets and epitaphs. After the one-hour concert, audience members will have the opportunity to wander through the exhibition.
We spoke with Adam Moffatt, Manager of Performing Arts at the ROM, about the event.
Adam Moffatt: The Interview
Combining the exhibit with performance allows for a deeper experience and understanding of the culture of the era and region.
“That’s exactly what we’re trying to do. It’s an incredible and unique thing we get to do at the ROM here,” says Moffatt.
The music offers more context to the exhibition, along with more talking points.
“It’s a lot of fun finding local artists to tie into the theme,” he says. “We have the program which is about an hour, and then we have a reception after,” he adds. Edibles will be on offer. “We always have a wine and cheese reception after. They can mingle with the artists.”
The event is intended to allow for discussions and conversations about the experience and exhibition.
Finding an ensemble performing Flemish music from that era was something of a challenge.
“It was actually a really great challenge, a fun challenge, to find them,” Adam says. “There’s really not many artists doing this kind of music.”
He and his ROM team spent some time researching the Toronto music scene for appropriate artists, reaching out to organizations and individuals for referrals. They asked about repertoire, and found no one was performing that music — except Diapente.
“Luckily they live in Toronto,” he says. “They fit the bill, they were excited, and they’re a great group of young performers. They got back to us right away.”
Moffatt says that when Diapente came in to see the exhibition for the first time, they gravitated towards a period map of Antwerp.
“They had to do a selfie with it.”
In Moffatt’s discussions with Dr. Chloé Pelletier, guest curator of exhibition, he recalls her talking about the hidden details of the era.
“That’s something that Diapente is doing as well. They ask why the music is important and explain it.”
Diapente Renaissance Vocal Quintet are known not only for performance, but for researching the music of the Renaissance era to unearth forgotten composers and works.
“That’s why were’ really excited to have them showcase these works of art.”
The music tackles different themes and offers a glimpse at everyday life during the 16th century. Diapente brings those concepts to the event.
Is there a running thread through Flemish art of the time?
“I think themes is the way to think about it,” Moffatt says. The city of Antwerp takes centre stage.
“How it affected and worked with the Renaissance — it was a really unique place.”
Over the course of the century, Antwerp changed, from boom to decline during the latter half of the 1500s. The final work in the concert is a farewell to the city.
ROM Speaks
ROM Speaks is a longstanding program that has built up steam since the COVID-era shutdown.
“We are popular,” Adam says. “We have a great audience here at the ROM.”
Each ROM Speaks event is different, and offers something unique.
“What we do for ROM is that every event is different.”
They’ve hosted musicians, actor Saul Rubinek, and an AIDS activist from the 1990s, among others.
“All the nights are different,” he adds. “What’s unique about Diapente’s performance is that it’s in a space that’s normally not open for the public.”
The space is adjacent to the European gallery, where the reception takes place. Saints, Sinners, Lovers, and Fools: 300 Years of Flemish Masterworks is right next door.
- Find more details and register for the event [HERE].
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