Joel Frederiksen on fusing the songs of Leonard Cohen with music of the French Renaissance

July 09, 2025

Listen to an interview with the vocalist and lute player Joel Frederiksen. He’ll be performing in Indiana with the Ensemble Phoenix Munich on July 11th and 13th as part of the Indianapolis Early Music Festival.

Joel Frederiksen is internationally recognized for his interpretations of early music. For over 30 years, Frederiksen has dedicated his career to reviving and reimagining this repertoire. He has collaborated with many of the world’s great early music artists, including Dame Emma Kirkby and Jordi Savall. Frederiksen has toured extensively throughout Europe, and North America. He’s also the founder and artistic director of Ensemble Phoenix Munich, a group acclaimed for its historically informed interpretations of early music

But Frederiksen isn’t a strict traditionalist. In 2012, he gained notoriety for his album “Requiem for a Pink Moon: An Elizabethan Tribute to Nick Drake,” a project that blended the music of the British singer-songwriter Nick Drake, with the music from the English Renaissance. During his upcoming visit to Indianapolis, Frederiksen will perform music from his 2023 album “A Day with Suzanne, A Tribute to Leonard Cohen,” which features songs from the Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen fused with music of the French Renaissance.