The Royal Viol

From the grandeur of Versailles to the intimate chambers of Köthen, experience how Louis XIV's patronage projected French culture across Europe, shaping the musical landscape for generations to come. Join us for an evening of Baroque splendor as we uncover the enduring legacy of the Ancien Régime through the music of Marin Marais, J.S. Bach, François Couperin, Johannes Schenck, and Jean-Baptiste Forqueray.

Arnie Tanimoto
Gold medalist and first-ever American laureate of the International Bach-Abel Competition (2018), Arnie Tanimoto has quickly established himself as one of the foremost viol players in the United States. He has performed and recorded in venues across North America and Europe with the likes of Barthold Kuijken, the Boston Early Music Festival Ensemble, and the Smithsonian Consort of Viols. Tanimoto is a core member of Mountainside Baroque and a founding member of the Academy of Sacred Drama. Alongside harpist Parker Ramsay, he codirects A Golden Wire. The first-ever viola da gamba major at the Juilliard School, Tanimoto was awarded a Frank Huntington Beebe Fund Fellowship and subsequently finished his studies at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis in Basel, Switzerland. He holds additional degrees from Oberlin Conservatory and the Eastman School of Music. Tanimoto serves on the faculty at Princeton University, as well as maintaining a private studio in New York City.

Ryan Cheng
Viola da gamba player and violinist Ryan Cheng has performed widely across the United States, Europe and Asia. Notable performances include the MAFestival Brugge with Juilliard415, American Bach Soloists, California Bach Society, the faculty of San Francisco Conservatory of Music (SFCM), at the Boston Early Music Festival, and he will be appearing with the Smithsonian Viol Consort and Nuova Pratica in 2024. He has won the Juilliard Historical Performance Concerto Competition and the SFCM Baroque Concerto Competition and participated in the 2022 Leipzig International Bach Competition. In addition to the Orbis Pictus Ensemble, Ryan is a part of The Fooles, a baroque ensemble dedicated to 17th century Italian repertoire, which won the Association des Centres Culturels de Rencontre residency at Thiré with Les Arts Florissants.

Kerry Heimann
Harpsichordist Kerry Heimann earned his doctoral degree in harpsichord and early music from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, with a minor in choral conducting and literature. A widely sought-after accompanist, conductor, and collaborator, Kerry has played at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and Kennedy Center and performed at festivals throughout Europe and North America such as the Spoleto Festival and the Festival de Lanaudière. He helped to found the Baroque Artists of Champaign-Urbana and regularly performs with the Bach Choir of Bethlehem. In addition, he serves as Operations Manager for Princeton University Concerts and as Director of Music and Organist for Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Trenton, NJ.