The ensemble Musicke & Mirth was founded by Irene Klein and Jane Achtman during the summer of 1997. The aim was to explore the unique and entertaining music for two viols. While not excluding the traditional and better-known French repertoire, the focus is on less known works, such as music for two lyra viols and the late German Galant style. Further musicians are added to the core group of two players when the repertoire requires it. The musicians perform on period instruments and from original scores, paying great attention to historical performance practice. The winning combination of authenticity paired with a unique performing flair has made the ensemble successful both in concert halls and at competitions. Musicke & Mirth won the third prize in the American Dorian/EMA Recording Competition in 1997, the second prize in the Premio Bonporti in Rovereto, Italy in 1998 and the second prize at the Van Wassenaer Concours in The Hague in 2000 Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.