Bio
Margaret Little is one of the prominent figures in the viola da gamba scene in Canada and internationally. Known for her deep artistic commitment, musical intelligence, and expressive clarity of her playing, she has dedicated her career to promoting the viola da gamba, both as a soloist and in ensembles. She also plays the baroque viola.
In the 90s, Margaret founded the viola da gamba ensemble Les Voix humaines with Susie Napper. Together for over thirty years, they redefined the art of the viol duo, recording more than forty discs and performing on stages around the world. Their musical complicity made them exceptional ambassadors of the viol repertoire, earning them critical acclaim and several prestigious awards (Opus Prize, Adisq, Diapason d'Or...).
More recently, Margaret has performed in duo with Christophe Gauthier (harpsichord), Sylvain Bergeron (lute) and Antoine Malette-Chénier (harp). She explored with Stéphanie Brochard the dialogue between music and dance and contributed to the creation of the show "Atempor/elle". She frequently plays on both sides of the Atlantic as a soloist or with ensembles such as the Studio de musique ancienne de Montréal, Clavecin en Concert, Les Violons du Roy, Les Boréades, Pallade Musica, Les Idées Heureuses, Spinoza and Poiesis ensembles, as well as Capriccio Stravagante. She has performed in concert with renowned soloists such as Skip Sempe, Jordi Savall, Wieland Kuijken, Barthold Kuijken, Charles Daniels, Suzie LeBlanc and Dan Taylor. She is regularly invited to play the viola da gamba solos in J.S. Bach's Passions with various orchestras.
Margaret has recorded over a hundred discs (mainly on the ATMA label), including three solo albums, the most recent of which is dedicated to J.S. Bach's sonatas for viola da gamba and obbligato harpsichord with Christophe Gauthier.
She taught viola da gamba at Concordia University, Cegep Saint-Laurent, and the University of Montreal and teaches viola da gamba at the CAMMAC Music Centre. She gives workshops and masterclasses in Canada, the United States, Australia, Japan, and Mexico. Margaret regularly serves on juries for the Conseil des Arts et des Lettres du Québec, the Conseil des Arts de Montréal, Musicaction, and the Matthieu Duguay Competition in Lamèque.
Margaret Little plays on a seven-string viola da gamba by Judith Kraft and Bernard Prunier in Paris (1982) after Colichon. Her bows are by Quebec bow maker Louis Bégin.
Artist's Statement
"The true beauty of music lies in its ability to create connections between people. It conveys a message, and we musicians are its messengers."
— Roy Ayers
As a performing musician, I see myself first as a messenger: I transmit, I interpret, I bring stories and emotions to life through music. The audience is of course an integral part of my approach, because whoever transmits does so for others! Indeed, the discourse is always influenced by the people who listen, as in a conversation.
For me, interpretation is an act that calls upon great creativity; it's like, for example, reading a story to a child. We give different inflections and colors to the characters' voices, we bring out the mysterious atmosphere of an undergrowth at dusk, the intimacy of a confidence, the joy of a celebration!
The Renaissance and Baroque repertoire offers immense freedom to the performer: there are so few indications in the scores that I can truly choose my version of the story to tell. Of course there is the knowledge of different historical performance styles, the "performance practice" that I have studied and integrated. There is also that "good taste" which the treatises speak of. But there is also great freedom of expression, exploration, and discovery. And each time, as when I walk again along a beloved path, I discover new treasures and I love sharing them.
"Where words fail, music speaks."
— Hans Christian Andersen
