The Theatre of Early Music is a Baroque instrumental ensemble based in Montreal. It was founded by Daniel Taylor in 2001. The Choir and Orchestra of the Theatre of Early Music (TEM) records exclusively for Sony Classical Masterworks. The Choir and Orchestra of the Theatre of Early Music is an ensemble of some of the world’s finest musicians, sharing a particular passion for early music. Its formation is the result of a search by instrumentalists and singers for opportunities that would allow devotion and dedication to enter into the creative process. The core of the TEM consists of an ensemble based in Canada that is primarily made up of young musicians. Their distinctive style, coupled with its artistic director Daniel Taylor’s expertise and enthusiasm, leads to captivating readings of magnificent but often neglected works. In various combinations, leading international musicians in the field perform on the platform provided by the Theatre of Early Music in concerts conducted by Daniel Taylor in its regular series in Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto, on tours around the world and on recordings. The choir and orchestra of the TEM appear in some thirty concerts every year, recently having performed on stages in France, Argentina, Brazil, England and China. . Last season, the TEM led successful North American tours which culminated with their debut at New York’s famous Carnegie Hall in November 2011. The 2012-2013 calendar includes collaborations with Dame Emma Kirkby, concerts of Handel’s Coronation Anthems and ancient German music, as well as tours of eastern Canada, the United States and South America. Guest artists performing with the TEM include Dame Emma Kirkby, Nancy Argenta, Karina Gauvin, Suzie Leblanc, Carolyn Sampson, Deborah York, Robin Blaze, James Bowman, Benjamin Butterfield, Charles Daniels, James Gilchrist, Michiel Schrey, Alexander Dobson, Michael George, Peter Harvey, Daniel Lichti and Stephen Varcoe. The TEM’s first recording with BIS Records, Leçons de Ténèbres by Couperin, featured Taylor and Blaze and was released in 2005. The disc was received with critic acclaim: "Beauty of this recording bows to no other." This disc was followed in February 2006 by another BIS Records album featuring an original program of works from the Renaissance entitled Love Bade Me Welcome. The program presented the actor Ralph Fiennes reciting poetry as well as duets with counter-tenors James Bowman and Daniel Taylor. Critics unanimously praised "the legendary counter-tenor James Bowman in the magical duets with remarkable young star Daniel Taylor." In 2009, the TEM also released Vivaldi’s Stabat Mater with BIS records, which also featured Bach's setting of Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater featuring Dame Emma Kirkby. The Choir and Orchestra of the Theatre of Early Music has released a dozen CDs so far, and now records exclusively for Sony Classical Masterworks. The best-selling debut disc on the Sony label entitled The Voice of Bach was praised in Gramophone Magazine as “serious music-making of the highest order”. The disc received five stars from both BBC Music Magazine and Classic Music CD, was featured on BBC’s “Desert Island Discs” and received acclaim worldwide including reviews from the Times (London), the Globe and Mail (Toronto), the New York Times, the Guardian (London) and La Scena Musicale (Montreal). The TEM’s latest Sony disc, Come Again Sweet Love, was also very well received. The TEM became a registered non-profit organization in 2002 and a charitable organization in August 2004. Quebec's Le Soleil described the Choir of the TEM conducted by Daniel Taylor in concert: “Listening to the 20 pure angelic voices had already moved many to tears. The mix of light but exact timbres conserves a texture that is lithe yet at times sumptuous. The text is sustained and respects the music of the language. Clear intonation and balance were in evidence: unity and cohesion particularly strong. Daniel Taylor directs as he sings, this is to say with an ease and economy of gestures. The result is a most moving ensemble that could not be more supple, more pleasing. Every moment spoke to the audience and answered perfectly, providing it seemed what the audience was searching for. At a concert entitled ‘The Path to Paradise’, apparently, many had found their path.”