PHOENIX is a broad ensemble specialized in early music. The Israel-based band performs music from the Middle Ages to the early 19th century on period instruments (different instruments for each period) joined by singers, choirs and actors. The ensemble was founded in 1998 by viola da gamba player Myrna Herzog, since then its musical director, programmer and conductor. High standards and a commitment to quality have been PHOENIX's trademark since its concert debut in May 1999, hailed as "a red-letter day for Israel’s musical life" (The Jerusalem Post). PHOENIX is responsible for numerous Israeli premieres, including the oratorios by Michelangelo Falvetti (Il Diluvio Universal, Nabucco) & Francesco Rossi (La Caduta dell'Angeli), the staging of early operas (the medieval Play of Daniel, Torrejón Y Velasco's baroque La Purpura de la Rosa, Stephen Storace's classical The Pirates) and the world premiere of 17th-century Mexican Misa Zapoteca. In 2017, marking the 250th anniversary of the birth of José Maurício Nunes Garcia (Brazil's most important colonial composer), PHOENIX premiered his 1816 Requiem performing as a classical orchestra on period instruments. PHOENIX has also signed the first complete renditions on period instruments in Israel of important works: Bachs' Art of Fugue and Musical Offering, Rameau's Pièces de Clavecin en Concert, Mozart’s flute quartets. Its repertoire includes also contemporary music written for old instruments. https://www.phoenixearlymusic.com/