Doha Baroque Ensemble are collaborating with Bach Coral Society to present two Baroque music concerts. By Umer Nangiana

The first and only of its kind ensemble in town, The Doha Baroque Ensemble are collaborating with Bach Coral Society to present Baroque music concerts, Baroque in Qatar, on two consecutive days at two different venues.
Presenting the German-British Baroque music maestro, George Fredric Handel’s Messiah, the ensembles will perform alongside soloists Anna Dieterich Soprano, Clint van der Linde Alto, David de Winter Tenor, and Simon Robinson Basso at Doha English Speaking School on December 9 and at Anglican Centre Doha the next day.
Born the same year as Johann Sebastian Bach and Domenico Scarlatti, Handel is regarded as one of the greatest composers of the Baroque era, with works such as Water Music, Music for the Royal Fireworks and Messiah remaining steadfastly popular.
Founded in 2011 by professional musicians, The Doha Baroque Ensemble is the first and only ensemble of its kind in the Gulf Region. These musicians are Baroque music specialists, experts in historical Baroque performance practice and they play on actual Baroque instruments.
In addition to giving lively performances in the style of this period, the Ensemble’s goal is to develop dialogue between the oriental and occidental cultures, co-operating with local Arab musicians. In co-operation with the Bach Choral Society, the ensemble also performs sacred music.
Ines Wein, the co-founder and viola player, was born in Eichstätt, Germany. She studied viola, chamber music and musicology in Munich and completed her studies with the Masterclass Diploma. Additionally she studied baroque viola and viola d’amore at the Institute for Historical Perfomance Practice in Munich.
Chamber music and Early Music are her major interests and she performed with many ensembles widely in Europe. Since 2008 Ines has been a member of the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra (QPO).
Another member of the group, the German born violinist Tobias Gette started playing the violin at the age of 4. He studied violin in Halle, Berlin, St. Petersburg and Hamburg. Since 2008 he has also been a member of the QPO.
Living since 2010 in Doha, the co-founder of the Doha Baroque Ensemble and the Bach Choral Society, Katrin Meingast studied cello with Peter Buck, cellist from the Melos Quartet, from 1994–1999 at the University of Music Stuttgart, at Luisiana State University, Baton Rouge, USA.
She later studied baroque cello at the University of Music, Leipzig. Besides teaching, chamber music and orchestra projects, her passion is based in the baroque music.
Radovan Hetsch, the double bass player, was born in Prague, Czech Republic, and studied at the Prague Conservatory with and at the Academy of Music. From 1996 to 2008, Radovan was a member of the renowned chamber music ensemble, Czech Nonet.
Since 2008, Hetsch has been a member of the QPO. During his musical life in Prague Radovan Hetsch also played many concerts with early music ensembles such as Musica Florea, Marek Stryncl, Collegium Marianum, Jana Semeradova, Collegium 1704.
Alexander Kamenarov, soloist and chamber music artist, received his first piano lesson at the age of five and his first percussion lesson at age of seven. He completed his music education with two master degrees from the National Music Academy Pantcho Vladigerov in Sofia, Bulgaria, and the Mozarteum University in Salzburg, Austria.
The Bach Choral Society was founded under the name Doha Bach Choir in 2011 by Katrin Meingast. It is an amateur choir comprising singers of different nationalities who are living in Doha. This choir enjoys singing music at the challenging end of the choral spectrum. Under the direction of Ian White the choir performed the first cantata of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, together with the Doha Baroque Ensemble.
This ensemble, founded by Ines Wein and Katrin Meingast, comprises a group of members of Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra. Following the success of this first performance, the combined choir and orchestra have since sung Faure’s Requiem, Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater, in 2013 for the opening of the Anglican Church they performed Handel’s Messiah.
This was the first time the Messiah was sung in Qatar. In December 2014, the choir and orchestra performed JS Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, Cantatas 1 and 2.
To appeal to a wider singer base, in 2014 the choir changed its name to the Bach Choral Society and following Ian White’s departure to new pastures, is now conducted by Giovanni Pasini, conductor of the Qatar Music Academy Youth Orchestra and principal viola player in the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra.