Worcestershire Early Music

Happy New Year to you all! Our first concert of the new year takes place in a month’s time, on Sunday, 2nd February.

We’re delighted to be welcoming Sounds Historical to Worcester!

600 years! Hildegard to Haydn showcases a wide and exciting variety of instruments, composers and styles, (think rebec, gittern/Medieval lute/recorders /Medieval flutes/percussion/voice/theorbo/crumhorns/ renaissance lute/recorders, Renaissance & Baroque flutes/ viols) all carefully researched and arranged, to provide an accessible journey through the changes and developments of music and instruments across 600 years!

Sounds Historical is a wonderfully engaging group, who speak to the audiences, keeping the performances inclusive and interactive – including a game of ‘instrument’ bingo! Composers will include Hildegard von Bingen, Isaac, Alfonso X of Castile, Machaut, Dalza, Schlick, Attaignant, Susato, Cima, Simpson, de la Barre, Telemann, and Haydn.

Sounds Historical are:

Heidi Fardell recorders
Mary Tyers recorders and flute
Lynda Sayce flute and theorbo
Alison Kinder viols

Our November concert featuring Newe Vialles was a huge success

Take a look at this article published by Continuo Connect describing their programme

Feature | Old Spelling But Fresh Explorations | Continuo Connect

Henrik, Caroline and Lynda were well received……

Here are two views of the remarkable decoration on the Lewis viol of 1705, which Henrik played.

Our concert on Sunday October 6th was well received by a record audience….we nearly ran out of chairs! Thanks to Spinacino Consort for a stunning concert, and to the Marchus Fund for their support.

So we turn our attention to Sunday 3rd November when Newe Vialles will perform their programme Newe Vialles/Old viols. Henrik Persson, their director is no stranger to Worcestershire Early Music, he brings with him colleagues Caroline Ritchie and Lynda Sayce for a programme of music outlining the development of the genre of Viol Consort music

This concert is sponsored by The Music Reprieval Trust and the Elmley Foundation

Behind the scenes work goes on for Worcestershire Early Music even though the next concert seems ages away. We have recently been awarded a grant from the Marchus Fund, and one from the Music Reprieval Trust; these  together with our annual support from the Elmley Foundation and Worcester Arts Council will ensure our artists will get paid next season!  If you know of any other local funds or foundations which we might apply to in future, to give us the security we need, please let me know. (barbara.wem@gmail.com) As well as funding for our concert season, we have been granted some financial support for some Outreach work, which we have scheduled for  September. It might not surprise you to know that all of our committee and our trustees play instruments in various different organisations, so we have created two programmes of music (including works by Telemann, Handel, Richter and Loeillet) to be played on baroque flutes, with bass viol, and oboe, bassoon and recorder. We will play in residential settings for the elderly here in Worcester.  Some of us will also be playing in the bandstand at the Three Choirs Festival Village, on College Green, (weather permitting) on Friday 2nd August from 4.30pm. As well as the bandstand, the Village has a Festival Cafe and Bar, and the Guilds of Design Makers and artists exhibition, many of which have works for sale. Everyone is welcome to come and soak up the festival  atmosphere, and the cathedral is frequently open during the week for people to  attend for free, rehearsals to festival concerts. For more information visit http://3choirs.org So as you can see we at WEM continue to be busy throughout the summer break.   All of our upcoming concerts till next April are listed on the events page and tickets for the season are on the Eventbrite website where you can benefit from a season ticket which buys 4 tickets for the price of 3 ..http://eventbrite.co.uk/o/worcestershire-early-music-34176624357 Looking forward to seeing you somewhere soon.