Promoting the enjoyment and understanding of music composed before 1800
We’re organising another come-and-sing-early-music day this year on Saturday 31 August, with specialist conductor/director Robert Howarth, and his singer wife Lisa Wilson. Don’t miss it! There’s further information on our Events page – we’ll be looking at some wonderful madrigals by Monteverdi, Gesualdo and Schütz.
On European Early Music Day (21st March) the Waites of Gloucester played in the beautiful great hall, to museum visitors. A collection of bagpipes, shawms, recorders, crumhorns, hurdy gurdy and flutes were played in various combinations. The music was chosen from sources with a Dutch connection and included works by Clemens non Papa and Susato.
On Make Music Day (June 21st) Merrie Noyse played to the museum visitors, again in the great hall. An array of instruments were introduced and played, and the audience were invited to sing in the chorus of one of their songs. An opportunity to have a try on the instruments was offered and the audience members engaged in playing and talking to the musicians at the end of the performance.
Thanks to everyone involved our festival this year was a great success. We attracted visitors from Spain, Dublin, Aberystwyth, Peterborough, Cheltenham and of course many from nearer to home. Our return to the Guildhall for the two evening concerts was well received and our new venture, the family concert proved popular.
The Musical and Amicables gave a glittering performance of Baroque trio sonatas (you can hear a clip on the Worcester Arts Council website). Fontanella recorder consort gave us a rich variety of music spanning from the fifteenth to 21st century, and the Emily Askew Band proved to be a fitting finale to our festival with their medieval music presented in a folk tradition.
