The Breathtaking Collective

In 2014, Bruce began a project together with Czech soprano Hana Blažíková to explore the affinity of the cornetto and the human voice. The project was called Breathtaking: A Cornetto and a Voice Entwined. With the program that evolved from that project, Bruce and Hana recorded a CD for the Passacaille label and toured the world performing the program more than forty times in North America, Europe and Australia. In order to make the touring financially viable, they have paired with backup ensembles in Europe, the USA and Australia. They now call the pool of musicians involved in the project, The Breathtaking Collective, transforming the project Breathtaking into an ongoing ensemble. With this ensemble they have now launched a new project called On the Breath of Angels. To read about this new project or to read more about Breathtaking, please choose them from the “projects” navigation menu above.

The European Breathtaking Collective

Though there have been two ensembles in North America, and one in Australia backing up Hana and Bruce for the Breathtaking project, the principal ensemble is the original one in Europe, with which they have recorded the two CDs. Members of this group are: Veronika Skuplik and Catherine Aglibut, violin; Mieneke van der Velden, viola da gamba; Jakob Lindberg, theorbo; and Kris Verhelst, organ and harpsichord (and for the Breath of Angels program, Matthias Müller, lirone and viola da gamba).

The North American Breathtaking Collective

We have made two tours of Breathtaking in North America in 2016 and 1018, and will be embarking on a third, with the program On the Breath of Angels, in October 2020. On the first two tours, the team consisted of Monica Huggett and Tekla Cunningham, violins; Joanna Blendulf, viola da gamba; Stephen Stubbs; theorbo; and Michael Sponseller, organ and harpsichord.

In October 2020, we had planned a North American tour of On the Breath of angels. The team was to include Tekla Cunningham and Chloe Myers, violins; Joanna Blendulf, viola da gamba; Charlie Weaver, theorbo; and Michael Sponseller, organ and harpsichord. Unfortunately, due to the public health crisis, we have had to postpone this tour. We are working on dates in September and October 2022.

The Australian Breathtaking Collective - Latitude 37

For their tour of Australia in 2019, Hana and Bruce teamed up with the brilliant young Australian ensemble Latitude 37 (under the administrative umbrella of Van Diemen’s Band), comprised of Julia Fredersdorff, Laura Vaughan, and Donald Nicolson, and for this tour Lucinda Moon and Nick Pollock as well.