Song of the Birds – a Workshop for voices with Anita Datta

The natural world has been a source of musical inspiration to singers and composers across the centuries. Taking its Janequin’s playful Chant des Oyseaux as a point of departure, this workshop explores the wide-ranging influence of bird calls on the early choral repertoire. This will include Vautor’s Sweet Suffolk Owl, Casulana’s Vaghi Amorosi Augelli alongside more familiar reference points including La Claire Fontaine,  and Sumer is Icumen In (… seasonal!). The workshop also incorporates an invitation to try out bird-call inspired motifs within medieval and renaissance improvisational structures, in direct response to Janequin’s quirky paradigm.

Anita Datta is a Tutor new to MEMF. She is a conductor, soprano and organist from the East Riding of Yorkshire. Founder and Director of The Swan Consort, she is a specialist in music of the European Renaissance and Baroque. With The Swan Consort she has recently toured to Spain, and directed performances across the UK including for Ryedale Festival, Brighton Early Music Festival, and London Festival of Contemporary Church Music. She is currently pursuing further studies in Orchestral Conducting at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, in which capacity she made her debut conducting the orchestra of Welsh National Opera in June 2022. Drawing her musical knowledge together her academic expertise in Social Anthropology, she sits on the boards of English Touring Opera and the National Centre for Early Music, with special responsibilities for advising on Education, and Inclusivity and Relevance

Solihull Methodist Church is close to the centre of Solihull, at the junction of Blossomfield Rd and Station Approach.  It is right next to Solihull Railway Station, which is also served by buses. If coming by car, use postcode B91 1LG for your satnav; there is plenty of parking.  The hall is a separate building to the church and is clearly signed.

Booking is now open.