GALATEA, founded and directed by Paul Beier, has performed in prestigious European festivals, and has recorded several CDs dedicated to Biagio Marini (Emanuela Galli, soprano; Monica Huggett, violin), Barbara Strozzi (Emanuela Galli, soprano), and Giovanni Battista Buonamente (Monica Huggett, violin and Bruce Dickey, cornetto). The repertoire of Galatea is centered on innovative Italian music of the beginning of the Seventeenth Century, experimental and virtuosic, of high artistic level, a bridge between the mature Renaissance and the Baroque period. The group comprises different instruments or voices according to the program, giving particular importance to the lute and other plucked stringed instruments for a rich and varied continuo. The name, recalling the legend of Pygmalion, who through his love transformed the marble statue of Galatea into a living person, symbolizes bringing Renaissance and Baroque music to life according to the spirit and practices of the period.
