Maayan Licht

Anton Baba is an Australian-born Baroque cellist and viola da gamba specialist celebrated for his rich, expressive playing in historically informed performance. He began his classical cello training at the Eastman School of Music in the USA, then completed postgraduate studies in Baroque cello and viola da gamba at the Royal Conservatorium in The Hague, immersing himself in early music traditions.
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Anton has performed with some of Europe’s most respected period ensembles, including the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra and The Gabrieli Consort, bringing deep stylistic understanding and sensitivity to music of the 17th and 18th centuries.
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Since returning to Australia, he has been a regular member of ensembles such as Orchestra of the Antipodes, the Australian Romantic and Classical Orchestra, and the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra. His work with The Muffat Collective showcases his mastery of Baroque repertoire on both cello and viola da gamba.
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Beyond performance, Anton is a passionate educator and a founding member of the ACO Foundations team, where he fosters musical development and creativity in young learners.

Julia Fredersdorff is a Melbourne‑born Baroque violinist and a leading figure in historically informed performance in Australia and beyond. She first trained in Baroque violin at the Victorian College of the Arts before continuing her studies in the Netherlands at the Royal Conservatorium in The Hague with Enrico Gatti, immersing herself in early music traditions.

For nearly a decade based in Paris, Julia freelanced with some of Europe’s finest early music ensembles, including Les Talens Lyriques, Le Concert d’Astrée, Le Parlement de Musique, Ensemble Matheus, and Il Complesso Barocco, building an international performance career.

Now resident in Australia, she is the founder and Artistic Director of the Tasmanian Baroque ensemble Van Diemen’s Band, a group dedicated to expressive and stylistically informed performances of Baroque repertoire on period instruments. In addition to her leadership with VDB, she is a founding member of period chamber groups like Ironwood and the twice‑ARIA‑nominated trio Latitude 37, and performs regularly with ensembles such as the Orchestra of the Antipodes.

Julia has participated in nearly forty international recordings for prestigious classical labels and appears frequently at major arts festivals across Australia, New Zealand, and Europe. Her work as both performer and director reflects a deep commitment to bringing early music to life with creativity and scholarship.

Neal Peres Da Costa is an Australian harpsichordist, fortepianist, and organist, internationally recognised for his expertise in historical keyboard performance. His work focuses on bringing early music to life through informed, stylistically authentic interpretation.

As a performer, he appears regularly as a soloist and continuo player, collaborating with leading early music ensembles and orchestras. His performances are known for their clarity, expressive depth, and close attention to historical sources.

Alongside his performance career, he is a prominent scholar in historical performance practice. His research explores notation, improvisation, and expressive techniques used by composers and performers of the 18th and 19th centuries, shaping modern approaches to early keyboard music.

Neal Peres Da Costa is also a dedicated educator and professor at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, where he mentors emerging musicians and contributes significantly to the study and performance of early music worldwide.