La Chartreuse de Valbonne presents well-known and forgotten songs from Baroque, Rococo and Romantic times. With Jelma van Amersfoort's passion for research and Sigurd van Lommel's sense of irony and theater, the ensemble brings original and innovative concert programmes, full of unheard musical jewels. The world of these songs is populated by nymphs, shepherds, dissapointed lovers and sleeping beauties, who deal with the bigger and smaller issues of life.

Jelma van Amersfoort is a musicologist and performer on lutes and early guitars: she plays original 18th- and 19th century instruments. She published on 19th centuy guitar repertoire in Oxford Early Music and plays in serveral early music groups. Sigurd van Lommel has a background in (musical) theatre and sings both classical and modern music.

After collaborating on the recording of the CD-album 'Salamone Rossi Ebreo' with the French-Italian group 'Hypothésis' in the abbey of La Chartreuse de Valbonne in the south of France (2003) Jelma and Sigurd decided to continue to work together as a duo. They focus on songs from the 1650 – 1800 period, accompanied on historical plucked string instruments. So far they performed in various Dutch concert halls, and repeatedly in France and Germany. Their first CD - La Bonbonnière Lyrique - will be available in 2014.

Jelma in front