Calliope

Calliope is a new and innovative ensemble, founded by five befriended musicians from four countries who know each other from years of shared concert experience. Their fervent desire is to
present to audiences an almost forgotten member of the clarinet family, the chalumeau (pl.: chalumeaux). This family has four members, all of which are to be heard in the current programme – soprano, alto, tenor and bass chalumeaux.

The inspiration for this ensemble’s name comes from Calliope calliope, the Latin name for the Siberian Rubythroat, a little-known but beautiful member of the thrush family of songbirds. Its song has been described as “a sweet, complex, penetrating and slightly melancholic warbling, containing
both clear, flute-like tones and shrill notes”.