In a process of collaborative experimentation, Liane Sadler & Elias Conrad translate Renaissance vocal works into pure sounds through the intimate synthesis of renaissance flute and lute.

While both musicians are in demand as performers with several notable early music ensembles, they intentionally carve out space in their schedules for dedicated work as a duo. Sadler & Conrad offer captivating fragility and yet rich, evocative colour palettes. Their repertoire ranges from diverse 16th-century polyphony and dance forms, to 17th century airs de cour and instrumental works, experimenting with corresponding innovative historical practices to discover new sounds and musical languages. Taking impulses from the song texts to transmit vocal music without voices, techniques such as diminutions, bastarda arrangements, and improvisation are applied in new ways to create intricate lattice-like arrangements which distill the polyphony’s words into sonic expressions.

In performance, Sadler & Conrad sit in the centre of the space, encircled by the audience, blurring the lines between performer and listener to nurture an intensely intimate shared experience.

Forming a duo after meeting during their studies at the prestigious Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, they debuted with performances at the Oude Muziek festival in Utrecht and productions for the Dutch radio station Concertzender. In 2022 they completed an artistic residency at the Château de l'Esparrou in Perpignan, France, as part of the Odyssée Artist-in-Residence funding programme. In 2023 they were selected for the prestigious International Young Artists Presentation in Antwerp, were finalists at the International Van Wassenaer Concours in Utrecht, and performed concerts at the Alte Musik Fest Friedenau in Berlin and around Switzerland. They are a Sustainable-EEEMERGING ensemble for 2024-2025, and recently enjoyed performance highlights at the MA Festival Bruges, Magdeburger Telemann Festtage, Forum Alte Musik Zürich Festival, Festival Torroella, and the Festival d’Ambronay.

LIANE SADLER
// Discant, tenor, and bass renaissance flutes

ELIAS CONRAD
// Gut and wired-strung lutes, vihuela