Promoting the enjoyment and understanding of music composed before 1800
Set up during the pandemic, St John’s Music Cafe, set out to address the needs of the community in combatting loneliness and isolation
Our outreach team were invited to play in March 2025…here they are playing before the tea and cake were served!
During September and October our trustees and some committee members have played 18th century trio sonatas in three residential settings in Worcester and Pershore. In taking our music out to those who are, for various reasons, unable to attend our concerts, we were fulfilling Worcestershire Early Music’s aims to extend our audience base, and additionally contributing to the health and wellbeing of our audiences who enjoyed the opportunity to listen to live music. We played works by Telemann, Handel, Quantz, Loeillet and Richter.
We are grateful to County Councillors Matt Jenkins and Andrew Green who supported this work from their Divisional Fund Budget.
Interactive workshops in day care centres and residential care homes are continuing in the Worcester area. Rosie, Brian and Barbara play and sing shanties, folk songs and dance tunes offering opportunities to join in singing the songs or on instruments.
We are grateful to Worcester County Councillors for their support from the Division Fund to enable these workshops to take place.
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.
