Duo Dorado

Duo Dorado has been charming audiences since 1999. Hazel and David are two prize-winning early-music specialists who are passionate about the music of the baroque era. Slick, dynamic and accessible, Duo Dorado concerts frequently elicit standing ovations.

Hazel Brooks – violin, viola d’amore

Hazel studied at Clare College, Cambridge, the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Leipzig, and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, where she specialised in early music. Here she won the Christopher Kite Memorial Prize and the Bankers Trust Pyramid Award, and she was a finalist in the international competitions in York and Antwerp.

Hazel has given solo recitals in most major venues throughout the UK as well as in Germany, Russia and Spain. In addition to chamber music, she leads orchestras, appears as a concerto soloist, and has released two solo CDs.

Hazel also has  an interest in unusual instruments, especially the viola d’amore. She is in demand as a medieval-fiddle specialist throughout Europe and America, in particular touring and recording with duo Trobairitz, the Boston Camerata, USA, and the Camerata Mediterranea, a collaboration between Western and Moroccan musicians.

All her life, Hazel has been intrigued by things historical, and she spends much time in library archives, enjoying the process of turning dusty old manuscripts into living performances.  She holds an honorary research fellowship at the University of Southampton, investigating violin music from seventeenth-century England.

David Pollock – harpsichord

David studied at the Royal College and Royal Academy of Music. He was inspired to take up historical performance because of a longstanding love for the music of J. S. Bach, and soon came to specialise in the harpsichord, winning the Croft Early Music First Prize.

Since then he has been in demand as a recitalist and concerto soloist, appearing at prestigious venues and festivals across the UK and abroad. Notable recent projects have included the complete harpsichord concertos of J. S. Bach and the complete keyboard music of William Byrd.

Solo recordings include The French Harpsichord and O Mistris Myne:150 years of English virginals music. David is fascinated by the creative possibilities of basso continuo, with its potential for infinitely varied improvisatory colours, working with Duo Dorado, The Parnassian Ensemble, flautist Stephen Preston and others.

David is also interested in contemporary music and champions the harpsichord in this field. Many composers have written specially for him, including Colin Hand, Robert Page and Gavin Stevens. As the collection grows, David hopes to compile a modern- day ‘Virginals Book’ which would tie together his interests in early and modern music. David  teaches at the University of Chichester.

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After the ball was over

It was lovely to see so many of you at our Pride and Prejudice Ball in May… we were so encouraged by the positive feedback, that we pencilled in a date for a New Year Ball in mid January next year, as well as our usual May Ball.  So make a note in your diary for Saturday January 14th 2017 [Unfortunately the New Year Ball has now been cancelled] and Saturday May 13th 2017. Continue reading “After the ball was over”

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Croome Four Seasons project

We have been successful in attracting funding from the Arts Council, the Bransford Trust and Worcester Arts Council for our latest outreach project.

2016 sees the 300th anniversary of the birth of the celebrated 18th Century landscape gardener, Capability Brown. One of Brown’s first projects was Croome Court (National Trust) situated just outside Worcester. Continue reading “Croome Four Seasons project”

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