Who we are

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Anastassia Rakitianskaia

Anastassia is a soprano passionate about early music and intimate vocal chamber performance. She is a founding member of Tempro Ensemble and has appeared as a soloist and ensemble singer at Cambridge Early Music and Oxenfoord Summer School. Currently studying at TU Dublin Conservatoire, she has trained with distinguished artists including Orla Boylan and Aisling Kenny. Her work centres on Renaissance and Baroque repertoire, with a particular love for lute song.

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A watermark of a man playing the lute.

Brian Payne

A founding member of the Lute Society of Ireland Brian Payne is a Lutenist from Co. Down. Brian learnt to  play the lute with Tom Finucane throughout the 1990s and complimented this with further tuition from Jakob Lindberg. The printed and manuscript sources from the 16th and 17th centuries have informed Brian’s approach to the Renaissance repertoire, performing both as a soloist and accompanist. The Lute song is an invaluable addition to any Lutenist’s repertoire. Leslie McCarrison of the Belfast Telegraph wrote, “no praise could be too high for the quite beauty of Brian Payne’s lute support".

A watermark of a man playing the lute.