Euskal Barrokensemble is a classical music ensemble that specializes in the performance of early music from the Basque Country and other regions of Spain. The ensemble was founded in 1992 by the Basque musician and composer Enrike Solinís, who remains its artistic director and principal performer. Solinís was born in Bilbao, Spain, in 1965, and began his musical studies at a young age. He studied guitar and lute at the Conservatory of Bilbao, and later pursued further studies in early music at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis in Switzerland. He has performed with many leading early music ensembles, including Hesperion XXI, La Capella Reial de Catalunya, and Le Concert des Nations. In founding Euskal Barrokensemble, Solinís sought to explore the rich musical traditions of his native Basque Country, which had been largely overlooked in the early music world. He assembled a group of musicians who shared his passion for this music, and began performing in concerts and festivals throughout Spain and Europe. The ensemble's repertoire includes music from the medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque periods, as well as traditional Basque folk music. They perform on a variety of instruments, including lutes, vihuelas, guitars, violas da gamba, and percussion. One of the ensemble's early highlights was their performance at the Festival de Música Antigua de Úbeda y Baeza in 1994, where they received critical acclaim for their innovative approach to early music. They went on to perform at many other festivals and venues throughout Europe, including the Festival de Música Antigua de Barcelona, the Festival de Música Antigua de Aranjuez, and the Festival de Música Antigua de Gijón. In 2000, the ensemble released their first album, "Euskal Barrokensemble," which featured music from the Basque Country and other regions of Spain. The album received widespread praise for its virtuosic performances and innovative arrangements, and helped to establish the ensemble as one of the leading early music groups in Spain. Since then, the ensemble has released several more albums, including "Beti Jai - La fiesta de los toros en el País Vasco" (2004), which explores the music and culture of bullfighting in the Basque Country, and "El Fuego" (2012), which features music inspired by the element of fire. In addition to their recordings, the ensemble has also been recognized for their live performances. They have received numerous awards and accolades, including the National Music Prize of the Basque Country in 2003, and the Euskadi Prize for Culture in 2012. One of the ensemble's most memorable performances was their collaboration with the Basque dance company Kukai Dantza in 2017. The two groups joined forces to create "Erritu," a multimedia performance that combined traditional Basque music and dance with contemporary technology and visual effects. The performance was a critical and commercial success, and was hailed as a groundbreaking example of the fusion of traditional and modern art forms. Today, Euskal Barrokensemble continues to be one of the most innovative and exciting early music ensembles in Spain. They have inspired a new generation of musicians to explore the rich musical traditions of the Basque Country and other regions of Spain, and have helped to bring this music to audiences around the world.

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