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DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260307T103000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260307T170000
DTSTAMP:20260421T201155
CREATED:20251014T174540Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260218T221535Z
UID:18171-1772879400-1772902800@memf.org.uk
SUMMARY:Schutz: Psalmen Davids workshop with Bill Carslake on 7th March 2026
DESCRIPTION:Come and celebrate one of music’s finest dramatists\, Heinrich Schütz\, in four of his great psalm settings in German. Whether Schütz was writing opera\, oratorio or these ‘Psalmen Davids’\, he prioritised character and intention\, and maintained a musical pacing that was close to life. His freedom in word-setting in German and Latin and his use of everyday speech rhythms were as liberating and far-reaching as in the work of his contemporary\, John Donne. His introduction of thorough-bass/’basso continuo’ created a musical double commentary – a tension between the sung text and its harmonic underlay. Yet he could be stark and ask the big\, bold question. His work transcended religious and national divides\, and his travels between Venice and Dresden brought the latest Italian urgency into Germany’s Lutheran church\, changing it for ever. Welcome to the German Baroque! We will be ‘going big’ with Zion Spricht\, and will also include the joyous Danket dem Herrenn. \nRepertoire: Zion Spricht swv 46\, Ich freue mich swv 122\, Ich danke den Herren swv 111\, Danket dem Herren swv 45 \n  \nThis workshop is for voices and instruments: \nContinuo:  Organ\, Harpsichord\, Theorbo/lute/chitarrone\, Cello/double bass. \nWinds:  Cornetti\, sackbuts\, Bassoons\,  Recorders/flutes\, Trumpets (great for Danket SWV 45\, where Schütz incorporated the court trumpet ensemble\, and for Zion Spricht swv 46\, but not for the other two – so it would be good if the trumpets could sing or play something else in those pieces). \nStrings: Violins\, Viola\, Violone \n \n  \nThe Tutor\, Bill Carslake\, composes music inspired by outdoor fieldwork collaborations. He conducts widely\, and he is passionate about eco sail. He has a lifelong fascination with Renaissance and Baroque choral music. His latest orchestral work\, Carrownagappul (2024) was commissioned for the 25th anniversary of Imperial College Sinfonietta – inspired by fieldwork in Galway\, Ireland in collaboration with photographer Tina Claffey. A Finzi Scholarship orchestral piece\, Mountain Hare (2022) was premiered by Farnborough Symphony Orchestra; and the travel essay Composing with Hares features in the Finzi Trust podcast series. Bill collaborated with poet Helen Mort on The Singing Glacier (2017) inspired by their climbing expedition in East Greenland – which has featured twice on BBC Radio 4. The current fieldwork project is The Sea of Trees\, a sailing voyage to the Faroe Islands to study phytoplankton and sea bird colonies. He is Co-founder of Guild of Ships Ltd – a platform for sailing ship companies that carry passengers and cargo by wind. \n  \nVenue: The Coton Centre is on the A315 Comberford Rd on the north edge of Tamworth. The post code B79 9AA will take you to Rawlett school but if approaching from the north on the A513 it is on the left before the school and from any other direction is the next turning after the school. There is ample free parking on site. \nLifts from Tamworth station\, a mile and a half away\, can be arranged if required – please get in touch with the organiser: Elizabeth Ashby  07892 715401 \nBooking extended to 24th February – click here.\n 
URL:http://memf.org.uk/event/schutz-psalmen-davids-workshop-with-bill-carslake-on-7th-march-2026/
LOCATION:Coton Centre\, Tamworth\, Church Comberford Road\, Tamworth\, B79 9AA\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:A440,brass,Continuo,Loud wind,Recorders,Strings,Voices
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260117T103000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260117T170000
DTSTAMP:20260421T201155
CREATED:20251014T173520Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260113T212237Z
UID:18166-1768645800-1768669200@memf.org.uk
SUMMARY:Palestrina: Missa Tu es Petrus a 18 with David Hatcher on 17th January 2026
DESCRIPTION:The Music: Palestrina’s six-voice motet Tu es Petrus\, setting a text from St Matthew in which the pun of Petrus meaning both Peter and rock\,was first published in his second book of motets in 1572. The same composer’s six-voice parody mass based on the motet was published by the Venetian printer Girolamo Scotto in 1601 in the Missarum Liber XII\, but other parody masses based on the same motet were already known. Orazio Benevoli’s sixteen-part (4 choirs each of 4 voices) has recently been recorded by I Fagiolini and this 18-part\, attributed (with some doubt) to Palestrina\, is the subject of this MEMF workshop. \nIt is written for three six-part choirs\, but combines the top and bottom parts of each choir in a number of passages to produce four-part choral textures that contrast beautifully with the full sections. \nSingers and players of brass\, curtals\, lower shawms (tenor and below)\, recorders\, bowed strings (viols and violin family) and plucked strings (lutes\, harps) and harpsichord & organs are all welcome. \n \nDavid Hatcher was born in Warwick and upon attaining the LTCL diploma two years after taking up music\, he went on to study viola da gamba with Charles Medlam and recorder with Philip Thorby at Trinity College of Music\, London. He began his career based in England\, touring America\, Israel\, France\, Germany and the Netherlands. \nHe has broadcast for both the BBC and independent radio and television. In 1987 he moved to Japan where he was to remain for the next 9 years\, taking an active part in that country’s flourishing early music scene. He has recorded with Evelyn Tubb\, The Consort of Musicke\, I Fagiolini\, Sprezzatura\, and the Japanese ensembles Chelys\, Ensemble Ecclesia and the Bach Collegium of Japan. \nDavid now lives in Leominster on the Welsh Marches and has appeared with Fretwork\, The Royal Shakespeare Theatre\, The Globe Theatre\, The Consort of Musicke\, Musica Antiqua of London\, The Corelli Orchestra\, The Harp Consort\, Glyndebourne Opera and many other period orchestras and ensembles. \nHe has taught on numerous summer schools\, including the Cambridge Early Music Summer School\, the Easter Early Music Course at Monmouth and Sastamala Gregoriana in Finland\, and is in demand as a tutor for many weekend and day courses. \nPast projects include performing in Damon Albarn’s opera ‘Dr Dee’ and performing and recording with I Fagiolini in their hugely successful interpretation of Striggio’s 40-voice mass. He performed in the inaugural season of the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse in 2014 and in the highly acclaimed production of The Knight of the Burning Pestle in 2014 & 2015. He is a founder member of The Linarol Consort of Viols\,  the UK’s only consort specialising in the earliest repertoire for that instrument. \n\n\n\nSt Nicholas Church\, Warwick. https://www.stnicholaswarwick.org.uk\nSt. Nicholas Church is located on the southern edge or Warwick – adjacent to St Nicholas Park and opposite the south entrance to the castle.\nThere is no church car park\, but the St Nicholas Park car park (CV34 4QY) is directly behind the church\, accessed via the A425 Banbury Road. This is a ‘pay and display’ car park 7 days a week. The full day charge is £8.00. Payment is by card or the RingGo App.Warwick station is less than 10 mins walk away. From the exit walk to the Coventry Road and turn right. At St John’s junction at the traffic lights\, cross straight ahead towards St John’s Museum. Turn right into St Nicholas Church Street – the church is on the left at the end of this road. \nWorkshop Organiser: Jonathan Spencer  07784 657563  jonathan-spencer@blueyonder.co.uk \nBooking is now closed
URL:http://memf.org.uk/event/workshop-for-voices-and-instruments-a440-with-david-hatcher-on-17th-january-2026/
LOCATION:St Nicholas Church\, Warwick
CATEGORIES:A440,brass,Continuo,Recorders,Strings,Voices
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20251018T103000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20251018T170000
DTSTAMP:20260421T201155
CREATED:20250304T143600Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250908T143601Z
UID:16297-1760783400-1760806800@memf.org.uk
SUMMARY:Vivaldi's Gloria with Tutor Ben England on 18th October 2025
DESCRIPTION:Come and sing the choruses from Vivaldi’s momentous Gloria in D major\, and learn about the fascinating history of this work – how it was lost for centuries before being rediscovered in the mid 20th century.  Ben England BEM\, acclaimed conductor and music educator will lead the day\, with support from an array of online resources to help singers learn the parts before they come. Pitch will be A415 (Baroque pitch). \nVivaldi’s celebrated Gloria was written for the Ospedale della Pietà in Venice around 1715. It is a perennially popular work and great fun to sing and play but it is perhaps more unusual to have the chance to work on it at the pitch for which it was intended\, which is also easier on the singers’ voices. This workshop will also give us a chance (in chorus or perhaps semi-chorus) to try out the lovely soprano and alto solos and duos.\nWe welcome applications from all voice parts.\nHave a look at Ben’s preparation materials on  www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIngS9V1Y4Lj-ovsbCMiW06Go1IqMsi7V \nSingers\, please read the following notes with care before applying.\nWe will be working from the Westermann score of the Gloria: https://koorpartij-oefening.nl/partituren/Partituur-Gloria-RV-589-Vivaldi.pdf\nThe vocal score runs to 90 pages\, so it is impractical to print vocal scores for all. You are welcome to download the vocal score to a tablet or print it yourself. The correct printed score is also available readily for a small cost: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Gloria-RV-589-Vocal-score/dp/1932419551\nIf you own a different edition of the vocal score\, these are mainly compatible\, except for the second movement (Et in Terra Pax). A substitute page 11 can be provided for the problems in the Ricordi edition. \nInstrumentalists: The Gloria is scored for oboe\, trumpet\, strings (of the violin family) and continuo. Winds are not used throughout so wind players may wish to sing in the other movements if they have a vocal score (spare scores will not be available – please read above). We welcome applications from violins\, violas\, cellos\, double bass/violone\, and one or two Baroque oboes or trumpets. Up to two recorder players may be accepted if they have C instruments (descants) at A415; they will be doubling or substituting the oboe and trumpet parts. One or two keyboard continuo players (one organ and one harpsichord)\, theorbo and bassoon are welcome to apply. The orchestral bass part is figured. \nInstrumental parts can be provided on the day or links can be sent out in advance. MEMF reserves the right to limit acceptance to preserve the orchestral balance. \nBen England is a new tutor to MEMF\, but our South West colleagues were very enthusiastic about this workshop:  https://swemf.org.uk/vivaldi-workshop-with-ben-england/.   Ben is an award-winning conductor\, educator and musical innovator based in Bristol. He has conducted choirs and orchestras across the UK and internationally and was awarded the British Empire Medal in 2020 for services to music and the community during the COVID-!9 pandemic. \nBen is the founder of Homechoir and co-founder of Choir of the Earth\, two pioneering online choirs that bring high-quality choral learning to singers around the world.  He is also Principal of Earth Choir Academy\, a non-profit organisation dedicated to music education and digital singing resources.  In recognition of his work\, he received the University of Bristol Alumni Award for Community Engagement and Impact in 2022. \nBen is known for his engaging and inclusive approach to music-making\, from Renaissance motets to large-scale symphonic works and in much in demand He has conducted major performances in venues such as Salzburg’s Mozarteum\, the Haydn Hall at Esterhazy and St Philip’s Cathedral in Atlanta\, and has worked with groups such as the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra\, Tenebrae and the Gesualdo Six.  His educational music work reaches tens of thousands of singers globally. \nAn award-winning Advanced Skills Teacher with a long and successful teaching career\, Ben has worked extensively across the education sector\, including city-wide as Vocal and Instrumental Manager for the Bristol Beacon and prominent roles with the University of the West of England and St George’s Bristol on the ground-breaking Sing for Happiness initiative. \nVenue   Dorridge Village Hall\, Grange Rd\, Dorridge\, Solihull B93 8QA\nhttps://dorridgevillagehall.org.uk/\nThe drive to the Hall can be found on the B4101 (Grange Road)\, on the left hand side heading away from Dorridge village centre\, just after the park. The What3Words location is ///sponge.flopping.wedding . Satnavs tend to misdirect you. Dorridge station is 0.6 miles away. \nWorkshop organiser is Jane Warren\, janeariadnesclew@gmail.com \nBooking is now open. Click here.\n  \n  \n 
URL:http://memf.org.uk/event/vivaldi-gloria-with-tutor-ben-england-on-18th-october-2025/
LOCATION:Dorridge Village Hall\, Grange Road\, Dorridge\, B93 8QA
CATEGORIES:A415,brass,Continuo,Recorders,Strings,Voices,woodwind
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20250927T103000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20250927T170000
DTSTAMP:20260421T201155
CREATED:20250304T142833Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250921T221022Z
UID:16295-1758969000-1758992400@memf.org.uk
SUMMARY:A celebration of  Andrea Gabrieli with Philip Thorby on 27th September 2025 + AGM
DESCRIPTION:The music\nThis workshop to mark the 540th anniversary of the death of Andrea Gabrieli will explore some of his 12-part works and\, depending on forces\, his 16-part Gloria. We welcome singers and the following instruments: cornetts\, sackbuts\, recorders. curtals. all strings and continuo. A=440 \nInstrumentalists please note that there will not be C-clefs for all the pieces\, and continuo players will be working from scores or figured bass parts. \nMusic will be provided on the day \nThere will be a short AGM at lunchtime. \n\n \nAndrea Gabrieli \nMarking the 540th anniversary of the death of Andrea Gabrieli\, pupil of Orlandus Lassus and Maestro di Cappella of St Marks in Venice. Andrea was much more than just the uncle of Giovanni! Even in his large-scale works\, Andrea’s music has an intimacy and subtlety which reflect his great teacher\, Lassus. \nWe will explore some of Andrea’s twelve-part works\, including the psalm setting Benedicam Dominum and Magnificat and the masterly hymn to music Cantiam di Dio\, and (if the forces are suitable) his immense\, four-choir\, sixteen-part Gloria. \n\n \nPhilip Thorby is a regular and popular tutor and we are delighted to welcome him back again – he is well known as one of the country’s leading performers and teachers in the field of Renaissance and Baroque music. He founded and directed the ensemble “Musica Antiqua of London” which was at the forefront of research-based performance of renaissance music\, a passion he is now exploring further with professional and amateur musicians in many different contexts\, including courses held each year in Venice and elsewhere. \nHe is Emeritus Fellow in Early Music at Trinity Laban Conservatoire\, London. \nPhilip is particularly well known to MEMF members\, having delivered many inspiring workshops. His series of 4 lectures on Venice in the early 1500s present a fascinating view of the city – with the lives of composers Ganassi and Willaert intertwined with notable names of the day. These lectures were delivered during the pandemic and can be found on our website. https://memf.org.uk/home/philip-thorby-lectures/ \nTimetable for the day \n10.00              Registration and drinks \n10.30              Morning session (with a short comfort break) \n1.00                Short AGM followed by lunch (bring your own or use local pubs and cafes) \n2.00                Afternoon session \n3.30 approx   Tea break \n4.00                Final session \n5.00                Finish \nVenue   Solihull Methodist Church\, Blossomfield Road\, Solihull\, B91 1LG \nSolihull Methodist Church Hall is situated close to the centre of Solihull in the West Midlands. It is right next to the town’s railway station\, at the junction of Blossomfield Road and Station Approach. There is a large car park\, including a number of dedicated disabled parking spaces\, with the car park entrance in Station Approach. As you enter the car park the Church Hall is ahead of you – we are not in the church on the left. If using a SatNav to direct you\, the postcode is B91 1LG. \nNB If approaching from the west along Blossomfield Road there is no left turn into Station Approach. Either go completely around the roundabout back the way you came and  turn immediately right into Station Approach\, or\, more easily take the first exit at the roundabout into Streetsbrook Road and then turn left into the other end of Station Approach at the traffic lights (by the Fire Station). \nhttps://www.solihull-methodist.org.uk/where-are-we/ \nNeither MEMF or the venue can accept any responsibility for property lost or damaged. \nBooking has now closed.
URL:http://memf.org.uk/event/workshop-for-voices-and-instruments-with-philip-thorby-on-27th-september-2025/
LOCATION:Solihull Methodist Church Hall\, Blosssomfield Road\, Solihull\, B91 1LG\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:A440,brass,Continuo,Loud wind,Recorders,Strings,Voices
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20250719T103000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20250719T170000
DTSTAMP:20260421T201155
CREATED:20250304T142326Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250609T195639Z
UID:16292-1752921000-1752944400@memf.org.uk
SUMMARY:A Musical Banquet - Schein's Banchetto Musicale - with Alison Kinder on 19th July 2025
DESCRIPTION:In this workshop for instruments we will cover three of the instrumental suites from Johann Hermann Schein’s Banchetto Musicale of 1617. It is suitable for recorders\, strings\, brass and reeds at pitch A=440. One keyboard continuo player would also be welcome. The workshop begins at 10.30 with refreshments from 10.00 \n \nThe Composer Johann Hermann Schein (1586-1630) was Thomaskantor in Leipzig from 1615 to 1630\, the post later held by J S Bach. He was one of the first composers to import the early Italian stylistic innovations into German music. Unlike his friend Heinrich Schütz\, he did not live a long or happy life. His wife died in childbirth; four of his five children died in infancy; he died in Leipzig at age 44\, having suffered from tuberculosis\, gout\, scurvy\, and a kidney disorder. \nSchein wrote sacred and secular music in approximately equal quantities\, mainly vocal; however\, today he is perhaps best known for his collection of instrumental suites called Banchetto Musicale (Musical Banquet)\, published in 1617.  The twenty suites each share the same format: Padouana\, Gagliarda\, and Courente\, all in five parts\, followed by an Allemande and Tripla in four parts. \nSchein does not specify the instrumentation\, and although he does say in the preface that he prefers to have viols included\, the style hints at early violin writing\, and is also reminiscent of the wind music of people like Bassano. Schein also says that in his next published work he will begin providing a written part for a keyboard\, so it might be appropriate to use continuo in the Banchetto Musicale. \n \n  \nThe Tutor Alison Kinder is a viol player with Chelys Consort of Viols and the Linarol Consort. She particularly enjoys working with viols and voices\, and is the viol player in the female polyphonic group Musica Secreta\, directed by Laurie Stras who ran a workshop for MEMF last year. Alison also enjoys a close exploration of the connection between music and dance with lutenist Lynda Sayce and two baroque dancers in Apollo’s Revels. More recently Alison has been playing with Sounds Historical\, presenting innovative programmes around the Midlands\, and is a co-founder of Banbury Early Music Festival. Alison runs the Rondo Viol Academy with colleague Jacqui Robertson-Wade\, and regularly leads Forum workshops as well as teaching on various Early Music courses and summer schools. Occasionally she is allowed out of the viol playing department and onto recorders and baroque violin! \n  \nThe Venue is Knowle Village Hall\, St. John’s Close\, Knowle\, Solihull\, B93 0NH\nhttps://knowlevillagehall.co.uk/ \nParking is pretty good around the village hall\, as it is surrounded on three sides by public car parks owned by the Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council and at the front of the building on the forecourt we can usually park four/five cars. The first two hours in the public car parks are free but for longer stays a fee is charged. \nThe Hall is 1.5 miles away from the M42 Junction 5 and approximately 3.5 miles to the east of Solihull town centre.  Nearby bus stops provide frequent transport links to Solihull Station and Dorridge Station. \nThe Organiser is Jane Warren please contact her by text if you need to\, on  07472 793531 \nBooking is now open please book here by 10th July.
URL:http://memf.org.uk/event/scheins-banchetto-musicale-a-workshop-with-alison-kinder-on-19th-july-2025/
LOCATION:Knowle Village Hall\, St John’s Close\, Knowle\, Solihull\, B93 0NN\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:A440,brass,Continuo,Loud wind,Recorders,Strings
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20241214T103000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20241214T170000
DTSTAMP:20260421T201155
CREATED:20240512T200655Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241106T212608Z
UID:10941-1734172200-1734195600@memf.org.uk
SUMMARY:Praetorius Christmas Workshop with Patrick Craig on 14th December 2024
DESCRIPTION:This workshop is for voices and any number of instruments – strings\, including viols\, wind and brass at pitch A440. \nThe German composer and music theorist Michael Praetorius (born Michael Schultze about 1571/2) was the son\, and brother\, of Lutheran pastors. After studying theology and philosophy in Frankfurt he later became organist and music director to the Duke of Brunswick\, where he stayed for over 20 years. After the death of his employer\, he travelled extensively in Germany working as music director in several north German courts where he met and worked with Schütz\, Schein & Scheidt. Praetorius considered himself a pioneer in the introduction of the new Italian Baroque style into Protestant Germany. \nWe will work on a selection of his pieces for the festive season. \nMusic will be provided on the day                   Instrumentalists please bring a named Music stand \n \nPatrick Craig is a countertenor who sang a thousand concerts with The Tallis Scholars while singing as a Vicar Choral at St Paul’s Cathedral where he has worked for almost thirty years. He has also recorded extensively as a member of The Cardinall’s Musick. He lectures on choral music for the Arts Society and conducts singing workshops for organisations across Europe. He is the founder Director of this country’s preeminent all-female professional choir Aurora Nova. \nTimetable for the Day \n10 am:           Registration and drinks\n10.30am;       Morning Session with a short break\n1 pm:             a free buffet lunch will be provided as part of a very generous  legacy left by the late Heather Holt\, our previous Treasurer – and much more.\n2pm:              Afternoon session\n3.30 approx   Tea\n4.00:              Final session\n5.00:              Finish \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nDirections   Dorridge Village Hall\, Grange Road\, Dorridge\,  B93 8QA has plenty of parking but there is height restricting barrier of 2m at the entrance\, If you need to travel in your pantechnicon please inform the organiser who will arrange for it to be open! \nWarning for sat nav users. The official postcode for the Village Hall B93 8QA may set your destination quite some distance from the Hall.\nThe What3Words location is ///sponge.flopping.wedding . \nFrom Dorridge centre on the B4101 (Grange Road) the turning to the Hall is the first left after Dorridge Park. If you get to the Railway pub you have gone too far!\nFrom Hockley Heath\, the driveway to the Hall is the first right after the Railway pub\, before the “Welcome to Dorridge” signs. \nPlease note: The M42 will be closed between junctions 6 & 7a the weekend of the workshop\, which will affect anyone travelling southbound on the M42.  Details of the closure and the diversions in place can be found here. \nDorridge Station (Chiltern Line) is about ½ mile away. Turn left out of the station and at the main road turn left under the railway bridge = Grange Road. The venue is on the left past the park. \nThe Organiser is Jonathan Spencer 07784 657563                              \nTo book click here\n 
URL:http://memf.org.uk/event/christmas-workshop-with-patrick-craig-on-14th-december-2024/
LOCATION:Dorridge Village Hall\, Grange Road\, Dorridge\, B93 8QA
CATEGORIES:A440,brass,Continuo,Loud wind,Recorders,Strings,Viols,Voices
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240914T103000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240914T170000
DTSTAMP:20260421T201155
CREATED:20240512T175927Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240805T135318Z
UID:10929-1726309800-1726333200@memf.org.uk
SUMMARY:Mateo Flecha's 'Ensalades' with Anita Datta on 14th September 2024
DESCRIPTION:Those of us who were able to attend Anita Datta’s ’s last MEMF workshop will know we are in for a treat! \nShe will explore with us three of the ‘Ensaladas’ of Mateo Flecha el Viejo (1481-1553). So-called for their eclectic mixing of languages and musical styles\, they depict allegorical dramas as a form of courtly and carnivalesque entertainment. Exploring the Ensaladas offers musicians liberty to play with sound and imagination\, creating rich and atmospheric depictions of life and politics in early modern Europe through delightful polyphony. \nRepertoire: La Guerra; El Jubilate; La Bomba and Riù Riù Chiù.  There’s a Spotify playlist here with performances of all the pieces to get a flavour of what we’ll be doing. \nThe workshop is for SATB voices and pretty much any instruments – melody (which can double any vocal line in their range) or continuo.  Especially welcome: sackbuts and cornets\, early percussion\, early Iberian instruments (e.g. Vihuela). There will be some percussion instruments at the workshop\, so anyone who would like to bang a drum or rattle a tambourine is welcome to come as a percussionist. Pitch: A=440 \nPlease note that Anita will need notice well in advance for instruments not in C so she can prepare parts. \n \nThe Tutor\, Anita Datta\, is a conductor and Early Music Specialist from East Yorkshire. She is the founder and artistic director of vocal ensemble The Swan Consort\, and with them has performed at major music festivals across the UK and Europe. Graduating from Sidney Sussex College\, Cambridge as an organ scholar (2014)\, she is frequently engaged as an organist and continuo player\, and has directed a number of early and contemporary operas. She is also a soprano\, Indian Classical musician\, and composer\, having recently delivered commissions for Multitude of Voyces and the BBC Singers. \nThe Venue   St Faith & St Laurence Church is on the junction of Balden Rd & Croftdown Rd in Harborne. There is a small amount of parking on site\, and plenty more street parking on Croftdown Road. \nThe MEMF AGM will be held during the lunch break at 1pm. \nOrganiser: Jonathan Spencer 07784 657563 or jonathan-spencer@blueyonder.co.uk \n  \nBooking is now open – click here for the booking form. \n  \n  \n 
URL:http://memf.org.uk/event/mateus-fletxas-ensalades-with-anita-datta-on-14th-september-2024/
LOCATION:St.Faith & St.Laurence Church Hall\, Balden Road\, Harborne\, Birmingham\, B32 2EL\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:A440,brass,Continuo,Loud wind,Recorders,Strings,Viols,Voices,woodwind
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240713T103000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240713T170000
DTSTAMP:20260421T201155
CREATED:20240512T173407Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240602T190344Z
UID:10927-1720866600-1720890000@memf.org.uk
SUMMARY:Music for the Dedication of St Gertrude's in Hamburg 1607 with David Hatcher on 13th July 2024
DESCRIPTION:This workshop is appropriate for players of strings (violin and viol families)\, sackbuts\, cornetts\, double reeds (yes\, crumhorns too\, if a quorum can be reached!)\, recorders\, lutes\, keyboards and of course\, voices. Pitch will be A440. \nWe shall be working on music by Michael and Hieronymus Praetorius\, Orlando di Lasso\, Pierre Bonhomme and their contemporaries that was performed during a service in 1607 for the dedication of the church of St. Gertrude in Hamburg. \n“… After that was sung the Introit In nomine Jesu in eight parts by Bandovius [Bonhomme]. Next followed the Missa super Deus misereatur nostri\, also in eight parts\, by the excellent composer Orlando [di Lasso]. Instead of the Sequence was sung Alleluia by Handl [Jacobus Gallus]\, composed for twelve parts\, but in three choirs. The first choir was sung by the boys and musicians in the chancel\, the second [was played] by cornetts and sackbuts\, the third by the organ… After that was sung Herr Gott dich loben wir\, which Hieronymus Praetorius\, our church organist\, has composed for sixteen parts in four choirs… Following that was also sung the Cantate [Domino] in eight parts\, by the same Hieronymus Praetorius\, by the choir\, organs\, cornetts\, and sackbuts all together. To conclude\, Sei Lob und Ehr mit hohem Preis was sung by the congregation\, choir\, organ\, and instruments.” \nHamburg\, 7 January\, 1609\, Lucas van Cöllen\, Pastor of St. Jacobi in that city. \nThe music is a fascinating snapshot of the German response to Monteverdi’s works in Italy\, including the Vespers of 1610\, showing considerable experimentation and inventiveness in the movement towards the baroque splendour of later years. \nThe tutor: David Hatcher is well known to MEMF regulars. David was born in Warwick and upon attaining the LTCL diploma two years after taking up music\, he went on to study viola da gamba with Charles Medlam and recorder with Philip Thorby at Trinity College of Music\, London. He began his career based in England\, touring America\, Israel\, France\, Germany and the Netherlands. He has broadcast for both the BBC and independent radio and television. In 1987 he moved to Japan where he was to remain for the next 9 years\, taking an active part in that country’s flourishing early music scene. He has recorded with Evelyn Tubb\, The Consort of Musicke\, I Fagiolini\, Sprezzatura\, and the Japanese ensembles Chelys\, Ensemble Ecclesia and the Bach Collegium of Japan. \nDavid now lives in Leominster on the Welsh Marches and has appeared with Fretwork\, The Royal Shakespeare Theatre\, The Globe Theatre\, The Consort of Musicke\, Musica Antiqua of London\, The Corelli Orchestra\, The Harp Consort\, Glyndebourne Opera and many other period orchestras and ensembles. \nHe has taught on numerous summer schools\, including the Cambridge Early Music Summer School\, the Easter Early Music Course at Monmouth and Sastamala Gregoriana in Finland\, and is in demand as a tutor for many weekend and day courses. \nPast projects include performing in Damon Albarn’s opera ‘Dr Dee’ and performing and recording with I Fagiolini in their hugely successful interpretation of Striggio’s 40-voice mass. He performed in the inaugural season of the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse in 2014 and in the highly acclaimed production of The Knight of the Burning Pestle in 2014 & 2015. He is a founder member of The Linarol Consort of Viols\,  the UK’s only consort specialising in the earliest repertoire for that instrument. \nKnowle Village Hall https://knowlevillagehall.co.uk is 1.5 miles away from the M42 Junction 5 and approximately 3.5 miles to the east of Solihull town centre.  Nearby bus stops provide frequent transport links to Solihull Station and Dorridge Station.\nThere is very limited parking on site but there are several carparks very close by – some only take payment with the PayByPhone app. \nBooking is now open – click here for the booking form.\n  \n 
URL:http://memf.org.uk/event/workshop-for-voices-and-instruments-with-david-hatcher-on-23th-july-2024/
LOCATION:Knowle Village Hall\, St John’s Close\, Knowle\, Solihull\, B93 0NN\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:A440,brass,Continuo,Loud wind,Recorders,Strings,Viols,Voices
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240622T103000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240622T170000
DTSTAMP:20260421T201155
CREATED:20231128T202012Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240608T134702Z
UID:8757-1719052200-1719075600@memf.org.uk
SUMMARY:Music by Marc'Antonio Ingegneri with Gareth Wilson on Saturday 22nd June 2024
DESCRIPTION:The workshop is suitable for singers of all voice types plus cornetts\, sackbuts\, dulcian/bassoon\, strings/viols\, theorbo\, organ/harpsichord and recorders\, A=440. \nIntroduction  The Cremonese composer Marc’Antonio Ingegneri (1535/36-92) is remembered chiefly as the teacher of Claudio Monteverdi while\, for well over 400 years\, his own achievements have been left to sit in the shadows. This workshop will look at the music Ingegneri wrote for the major events of the church year\, from Advent through to the Assumption\, allowing participants to experience the extraordinary range of moods achieved and musical techniques employed by a composer whose remaining output is comparatively small but extremely varied. \n  \n \nThe tutor Gareth Wilson is Director of Girton College Chapel Choir\, university of Cambridge\, where he is also an Affiliated Lecturer in the Faculty of Music\, is Director of Music at Christ Church Chelsea\, Academic Professor at the Royal College of Music\, and is an examiner for the Royal College of Organists. While his repertoire covers music spanning over 500 years\, his growing discography has focused upon neglected or unrecorded Renaissance polyphony with instruments. He has now recorded four volumes of music by Marc’Antonio Ingegneri\, all of which have entered the Specialist Classical Charts and have been met with critical praise. \nMusic will be provided on the day if you book by Friday 7th June \nInstrumentalists please bring a labelled music stand \n  \nVenue   St Phillip’s Church Centre\, Manor Road\, Dorridge\, B93 8DX \nTo get to the church\, drive along the B4101 from the Knowle direction into Dorridge and under a railway bridge.  There is a Sainsbury’s garage on the right after the bridge and you need to turn right after this onto Manor Road where the church is immediately on the right.  There is some parking at the church and free street parking by the church and nearby.\nThere is also a large public car park immediately behind the church. To get to it you turn right immediately after going under the railway bridge and before the Sainsbury’s garage.  This is a station over-spill park which is available on Saturdays at £5 for the day. There is a footpath at the back of the car park which takes you to the back door of the church so you do not need to walk all the way round by the road.\nThe station is 5 minutes walk away – 2 left turns then right into Manor Road \nTimetable for the Day \n10 am:           Registration and drinks\n10.30am;       Morning Session with a short break\n1 pm:             Lunch (bring your own or use pubs and cafés nearby)\n2pm:              Afternoon session\n3.30 approx   Tea\n4.00:              Final session\n5.00:              Finish. \nBooking has now closed.\n  \n 
URL:http://memf.org.uk/event/workshop-for-voices-and-instruments-with-gareth-wilson-on-saturday-22nd-june-2024/
LOCATION:St Philip’s Church Centre\, Dorridge\, B93 8DX
CATEGORIES:A440,brass,Continuo,Loud wind,Recorders,Strings,Viols,Voices
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240511T103000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240511T170000
DTSTAMP:20260421T201155
CREATED:20231128T183053Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240401T201044Z
UID:8743-1715423400-1715446800@memf.org.uk
SUMMARY:Music and Ritual in a C16th Florentine Convent with Laurie Stras on Saturday 11th May 2024
DESCRIPTION:This workshop is for upper voices\, all viols\, lower pitch recorders and dulcians. We would also welcome one or two continuo keyboard players (there will be one instrument provided). Instrumentalists may expect to be asked to sing or listen at times. \nInstrumentalists please bring a labelled music stand. \nThe Music \nThe Biffoli-Sostegni manuscript\, MS 27766 in the library of the Brussels Conservatoire\, is the only surviving manuscript of polyphonic repertoire from a sixteenth-century convent.  The two nuns named on its binding\, Clemenzia Sostegni and Agnoleta Biffoli\, lived at the convent of San Matteo in Arcetri\, which later became home to Suor Maria Celeste Galilei\, ‘Galileo’s Daughter’. \nThe manuscript contains 78 works for equal voices that would have adorned the convent’s worship at its most solemn feasts and for its daily devotions. This full day workshop will introduce you to this fascinating record of the musical lives of Florentine nuns at the end of the Renaissance\, exploring its song\, psalmody\, motets\, and imitation masses. \nMusic will be provided on the day\, or can be sent in advance as PDFs to download and print\, or read from a device. (If you want advance copies please let the organiser know as soon as you have booked.) \nLaurie Stras is Professor Emerita of Music at the University of Southampton and director of the ensemble Musica Secreta\, with whom she has made six critically acclaimed recordings of polyphony from the 15th to the 17th centuries. Her research focus over many years has been the music and musical activities of women in Renaissance Ferrara and Florence: she is currently preparing a Cambridge Element on the Biffoli-Sostegni manuscript\, and Musica Secreta have recently recorded this repertoire for a forthcoming album https://musicasecreta.org/ \nLaurie is an expert in the convent music of C16 Italy and has undertaken extensive research into the original sources\, music often written by women for women. \nThe Venue – The Angel Centre is located in central Worcester\, on the corner of The Butts and Angel Place. The entrance is at the side\, in Angel Place\, directly opposite the excellent Francini’s café (recommended for lunch.) Look out for the WEM banner by the door. There is no parking immediately outside\, but the Cattle Market car park (off the Butts) is a five-minute walk away\, up the hill\, and costs £6 per 24 hrs\, or Croft Road is slightly further (by the Racecourse) and slightly cheaper at £4. (Both carparks are Pay and display or Ringo\, post-coded WR1 3NZ and are accessed from Croft Road). \n \nClick here to open link \nWorcester Foregate Street station is very close by in the Main (Foregate) Street. \nNeither MEMF nor the venue can accept any responsibility for property lost or damaged. \n  \nTimetable for the day \n10.00            Registration and drinks \n10.30            Morning session (with a short break) \n1.15              Lunch break – bring your own or use local shops and cafes \n2.00              Afternoon session with tea break \n5.00              Finish \n  \nClick here for the booking form\nThis is a direct link\, rather than seeing the form on this page as mentioned below. Payment details are on the form.
URL:http://memf.org.uk/event/workshop-for-voices-with-laurie-stras-on-saturday-11th-may/
LOCATION:Angel Centre\, Worcester
CATEGORIES:A440,Continuo,Recorders,Viols,Voices
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20231202T103000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20231202T170000
DTSTAMP:20260421T201155
CREATED:20230612T135759Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231128T180022Z
UID:8272-1701513000-1701536400@memf.org.uk
SUMMARY:Angels and Shepherds: Christmas workshop with Philip Thorby on Saturday 2nd December 2023
DESCRIPTION:Angelus ad Pastores \nThis year we have invited Philip to tutor our pre-Christmas workshop. Philip has found some wonderful music on the theme of Angels and Shepherds in the Christmas story. There will be music by Christoph Buehl\, Hans Leo Hassler\, Johann Hermann Schein and Agostini Soderini. \nThe angels are generally\, well\, angelic\, but the shepherds are revealed as zither-strumming\, boisterous and (as depicted by Schein) initially very grumpy at being woken up by the heavenly host. \nThe workshop will be for voices\, violins\, viols\, cornetts\, sackbuts\, curtals\, recorders and continuo. The pitch will be A440. Tenor viol players/violas please note that most  pieces have octave-treble rather than alto clef parts. \nInstrumentalists please bring a labelled music stand. \n\n \nPhilip Thorby is one of our most popular and respected tutors. He specialises in early Italian Music. Many people will have seen his wonderful Zoom lectures during the lockdown period\, which are still available to watch on this website. \n  \n  \n  \nVenue is Solihull Methodist Church\, next to the Railway station SatNav B91 1LG. There is a large car park with the entrance in Station Approach. \nNB: If approaching from the west along Blossomfield Road\, please note that recent road layout changes mean there is no left turn into Station Approach. Either go completely around the roundabout and then turn right into Station Approach\, or take the first exit at the roundabout into Streetsbrook Road and then turn left into the opposite end of Station Approach at the traffic lights. \nBooking is now closed.
URL:http://memf.org.uk/event/christmas-workshop-for-voices-and-instruments-with-philip-thorby/
LOCATION:Solihull Methodist Church\, Bossomfield Road\,\, Solihull\, B91 1LD\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:A440,brass,Continuo,Loud wind,Recorders,Strings,Viols,Voices,woodwind
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20230909T103000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20230910T170000
DTSTAMP:20260421T201155
CREATED:20221203T202546Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230831T163320Z
UID:7525-1694255400-1694365200@memf.org.uk
SUMMARY:William Byrd weekend- two workshops 9th & 10th September with Alison Kinder & Helen Charlston (9th only)  + AGM
DESCRIPTION:To mark the 400th anniversary of William Byrd’s death we present two individual workshops this weekend and a short concert on Saturday at 5.30 pm. \nThe MEMF  AGM will take place in the lunch break on the Sunday. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSaturday 9th September 2023\nPsalms\, Songs and Sonnets of 1588\nwith Tutors Alison Kinder and Helen Charlston \nThis workshop is the first of MEMF’s celebratory Byrd weekend and will focus on small-scale pieces for voices and instruments. This day is for viols\, low recorders (especially basses\, great- and contra- basses) and voices\, and will focus on pieces from the ‘Psalms\, Songs and Sonnets’ of 1588. Pitch A=440 \nThe Music is likely to include Blessed Is He\, All As A Sea\, Though Amaryllis Dance\, but will be chosen to best suit the forces available once applications have closed. We will spend time all together\, but also have access to a couple of breakout rooms where instrumentalists will be able to work on a consort song with Helen singing. The day will finish with an informal mini-concert to include pieces we have worked on. \nIn addition\, you are invited to submit for performance at the mini concert a piece of Byrd (or Weelkes) prepared in advance\, for any forces (so a viol fantasy\, consort song\, madrigal…).  Please email Jill Davies (daviesmusic@btinternet.com) before 6 September if you would like to offer a piece for the concert.  Friends and relatives are welcome to attend at 5.30 pm. \nSunday 10th September 2023\nWilliam Byrd on a Grand Scale\nThe Sunday workshop is for everyone – Singers\, viols\, recorders\, brass\, double reeds\, anything at pitch A=440 – and will be Tutored by Alison Kinder. Everyone is welcome singing or playing as we celebrate this masterful composer. \nThe Music\nByrd – The Great Service (Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis)\nByrd – Domine Quis Habitabit a9\nWe thought that as Thomas Weelkes shares Byrd’s anniversary\, we ought to allow him a piece as well!  So we will include a Weelkes anthem – either ‘Hosanna to the Son of David’\, or ‘O Lord Arise’ \nMusic will be provided on the day.        Instrumentalists please bring a labelled music stand \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nTheTutors \n \nSince winning the London Handel Singing Competition in 2018\, Helen Charlston has crafted a place for herself at the forefront of the classical music scene in the UK and abroad. A founder participant of the Rising Star of the Enlightenment programme\, she regularly works alongside the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. She is a BBC New Generation Artist (2021-23) and recently won the 2023 BBC Music Magazine Vocal Awards.\nhttps://www.helencharlston.com/ \n  \n  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAlison Kinder is a viol player with Chelys Consort of Viols\, who this year released a recording of consort songs and instrumental music by William Byrd with Helen singing. Alison is a regular tutor for the various early music fora and on courses including the Easter Early Music Course and NORVIS. She is also a member of the Linarol Consort\, who play on a set of viols copied from the earliest surviving viol\, made in Italy by Francesco Linarolo in about 1540. Alison has a love of working with singers\, and one of her favourite places to be is as the viol player for the female polyphonic ensemble Musica Secreta.\nhttps://www.alisonkinder.co.uk/\nhttps://linarolconsort.com/ \n\n\n\nVenue: Knowle Village Hall is 1.5 miles away from the M42 Junction 5 and approximately 3.5 miles to the east of Solihull town centre.  Nearby bus stops provide frequent transport links to Solihull Station and Dorridge Station. \n  \nBooking is now open – please scroll down\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n 
URL:http://memf.org.uk/event/william-byrd-two-days-with-alison-kinder-9th-10th-september-20123/
LOCATION:Knowle Village Hall\, St John’s Close\, Knowle\, Solihull\, B93 0NN\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:A440,brass,Continuo,Loud wind,Recorders,Strings,Viols,Voices
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20230603T103000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20230603T170000
DTSTAMP:20260421T201155
CREATED:20221203T201818Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230508T181043Z
UID:7523-1685788200-1685811600@memf.org.uk
SUMMARY:Sweelink and Scheidt with George Parris on 3rd June 2023
DESCRIPTION:We are delighted to welcome George Parris having had to cancel his planned workshop in the Spring. \nThis workshop  celebrates the figurehead of the Netherlands’ ‘golden age’: Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck (1562-1621). Primarily known as the organist of the city’s Oude Kerk — where his improvisations earned him the nickname among his contemporaries as the Orpheus of Amsterdam — Sweelinck was prolific across other genres including chansons\, madrigals\, and motets. In this workshop we will combine instruments and voices to perform one of his crowning glories\, the 5-part Magnificat\, along with one of his 153 settings of the Pseaumes of the Genevan Psalter in which Sweelinck mixes grand sacred gestures with colourful madrigalian writing. \n \n  \nForemost among Sweelinck’s many pupils was Samuel Scheidt (1587-1684) from Halle\, a key figure in late-Renaissance/early-Baroque music\, who studied with Sweelinck between 1608-9. The Orpheus of Amsterdam’s influence is still prevalent in one of Scheidt’s most sublime motets for eight voices\, Christ lag in Todesbanden\, from 1620. It will be a day of glorious music and hopefully some new discoveries for everyone\, both musically and linguistically! \nThe workshop is for double SATB choir\, strings/viols\, cornetti\, sackbutts\, 2 x chamber organs and theorbo (A=440) \nGeorge Parris grew up in deepest South Warwickshire and now works as a professional singer\, the Founder and Artistic Director of The Carice Singers (named after Elgar’s daughter)\, an Associate Conductor of Ex Cathedra and one of the Co-Artistic Directors of the Aurore Renaissance Music Festival in Helsinki\, Finland. He has degrees in Music from the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford and studied Conducting at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki between 2017-2020. As a singer he has been trained in early music and ensemble singing\, performed contemporary choral works with the Helsinki Chamber Choir and has appeared as a soloist alongside the Helsinki and Finnish Baroque Orchestras in works by Stradella\, Purcell and Gilles. \nSolihull 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. \nRefreshments are served from 10 am. \nBooking is now open.
URL:http://memf.org.uk/event/sweelink-and-scheidt-with-george-parris-on-3rd-june-2023/
LOCATION:Solihull Methodist Church Hall\, Blosssomfield Road\, Solihull\, B91 1LG\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:A440,Continuo,Loud wind,Strings,Voices,woodwind
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20221217T100000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20221217T170000
DTSTAMP:20260421T201155
CREATED:20220910T145220Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20221106T190707Z
UID:6917-1671271200-1671296400@memf.org.uk
SUMMARY:Benevoli Mass for four choirs c 1650 with Robert Hollingworth
DESCRIPTION:Expect a wonderful day with one of our favourite Tutors to get you in the spirit of Christmas! Robert has not told us which of Benevoli’s four masses we will be singing – he is still editing them! This is an opportunity to discover a really important figure – a lost link if you like – in the world of multi-choir music in the mid-seventeenth century: ORAZIO BENEVOLI.  We will get to know a newly edited mass for four choirs and this time (unlike so much Venetian music) the choirs are manageable by all voices so plenty of male voices please \nWe will also be singing Sweelinck’s Hodie Christus Natus Est to get us in the Christmas spirit and there will be mince pies! \nPitch =A440 suitable for strings\, recorders\, cornetts\,  sackbuts and dulcians doubling the choral parts\, and continuo including theorbo and bass instruments. \nRobert founded I Fagiolini in 1986 and has spent much of his life thinking around how to present music of a different time and context to contemporary audiences.  He has presented all the group’s signature projects but also directed the English Concert\, Academy of Ancient Music\, BBC Concert Orchestra and some of the world’s finest chamber choirs including Accentus\, NDR Chor\, BBC Singers\, RIAS Kammerchor\, Capella Cracoviensis\, VOCES8 and the Danish National Vocal Ensemble. He succeeds Mark Deller as Artistic Director for the Stour Music festival from 2020\, and is Reader in Music at the University of York where he directs ‘The 24’ and runs an MA in Solo-Voice Ensemble Singing.  During lockdown he created and presented ‘Sing The Score’ on Youtube and the podcast ‘Choral Chihuahua’ with Eamonn Dougan and Harry Christophers.  He likes Monteverdi and Monty Python.   \nBooking is now open..
URL:http://memf.org.uk/event/benevoli-mass-for-four-choirs-c-1650-with-robert-hollingworth/
LOCATION:St Philip’s Church Centre\, Dorridge\, B93 8DX
CATEGORIES:A440,brass,Continuo,Recorders,Strings,Voices
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20221022T100000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20221022T170000
DTSTAMP:20260421T201155
CREATED:20220815T193121Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220913T202255Z
UID:6613-1666432800-1666458000@memf.org.uk
SUMMARY:Songs of Love and Death - the music of Leonhard Lechner Athesinus with Philip Thorby
DESCRIPTION:Philip Thorby is one of our most popular tutors and has again found some wonderful music by a composer most of us will have never heard of. This year it is a one day workshop so that members who could previously never commit to a whole weekend can take part. \nAll singers and the following instruments are welcome – recorders\, cornetts\, sackbuts\, curtals\, viols\, violins and continuo (with figured bass). Pitch will be A=440. \nThe fees are £20 for MEMF and other EMF members\, £25 for others. \nMusic will be provided on the day. Instrumentalists please bring a labelled music stand. \nThe Music \nThe German composer Leonhard Lechner Athesinus was born in the Italian Tyrol and was a gifted boy soprano who went on to sing tenor and study composition with Orlando di Lasso. The influence of the master is evident in the pupil\, but Lechner is very much his own man\, as demonstrated in the wonderful pieces Philip has chosen for our workshop. These include a six-part setting of a section of the funeral sentences\, a fifteen-part three-choir setting of Laudate Dominum\, and the masterly and splendid 24-part setting of a Latin verse commissioned for a wedding. In keeping with the German practice of the time the singers will be supported by many varied instrumental sounds. \nDirections to Solihull School \nBy road – leave the M42 at junction 5 and onto the A41 towards Solihull. Take the first left turning towards Solihull town centre. \nTurn right at the roundabout and continue towards Solihull town centre along the Warwick Road B 4025.The school entrance is on the right at the second set of traffic lights. There is plenty of parking in front of the chapel. The David Turnbull Music Centre is a short walk beyond the car park. The barrier will be unlocked so that instrumentalists can drive to the centre to drop off instruments. \nSolihull railway centre is approximately a 1km walk through the town. \nBooking is now open.
URL:http://memf.org.uk/event/workshop-for-voices-and-instruments-with-philip-thorby/
LOCATION:Solihull School
CATEGORIES:Continuo,Loud wind,Recorders,Strings,Viols,Voices
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20220716T100000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20220716T170000
DTSTAMP:20260421T201155
CREATED:20220301T125412Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220614T142739Z
UID:4573-1657965600-1657990800@memf.org.uk
SUMMARY:Not Mortals but Angels - Convent polyphony from the 13th-16th centuries - with Tutor Prof Laurie Stras
DESCRIPTION:MUSIC \nThis one-day workshop will look at music from the convents of Europe\, drawn from medieval and renaissance manuscripts and prints. We will cover a range of styles and practices\, from simple harmonisations to complex imitative polyphony\, in songs\, antiphons\, mass movements\, and motets. Depending on voices available\, sources will include manuscripts from the Bologna library\, the Brenzoni-Maffei manuscript from Verona\, the Biffoli-Sostegni manuscript from San Matteo in Arcetri (convent home of Galileo’s daughter)\, and motets attributed to Suor Leonora d’Este – including repertoire that has fed into Musica Secreta’s newest project\, Mother Sister Daughter.  All female voices\, from high soprano to low tenor\, are very welcome\, along with soft instruments  (including viol\, theorbo and recorder players of any gender). A keyboard player would be a welcome addition\, too! \n \nTUTOR \nLaurie Stras is Emeritus Professor of Music at the University of Southampton and the director of Musica Secreta (co-directed with Deborah Roberts from 2002-2021). Stras and Musica Secreta have been at the forefront of research and performance of music written for and by women in the Renaissance. They have made numerous acclaimed recordings\, the latest of which\, Mother\, Sister\, Daughter\, is released in June 2022. Her book\, Women and Music in Sixteenth-Century Ferrara (CUP\, 2018)\, won the prestigious Otto Kinkeldey Award from the American Musicological Society in 2019. \nBooking will open in a few days.
URL:http://memf.org.uk/event/nuns-with-tutor-prof-laurie-stras/
LOCATION:St.Faith & St.Laurence Church Hall\, Balden Road\, Harborne\, Birmingham\, B32 2EL\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Continuo,Recorders,Viols,Voices
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20220521T100000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20220521T170000
DTSTAMP:20260421T201155
CREATED:20220212T193746Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220414T202311Z
UID:4530-1653127200-1653152400@memf.org.uk
SUMMARY:Music by Rosenmüller with Tutor William Carslake
DESCRIPTION:Johann Christian Rosenmüller\n \nFollowing his early career in Leipzig\, Rosenmüller spent over twenty years in Venice where he was Maestro di Coro at the Ospedale della Pieta (like Vivaldi after him).  At the end of his career he returned to Germany and settled in Wolfenbuttel.  There is a fine blend of Italian and German styles in these appealing and approachable pieces of sacred music which  show the influence of both Corelli and Schütz.  Before emigrating to Italy in the late 1650’s Rosenmüller had already been there briefly in 1645/46 and the trip had a decisive influence on his style.  This can be heard in his two famous collections of 1648 and 1652/3\, the Kern Spruchen (Core Sayings) and Andere Kern Spruchen (other Core Sayings).  The word painting is evocative and the  sudden turns of harmony can take you by surprise!  If you don’t yet know him you’re in for a treat. \nWe will be studying   “Siehe an die Werke Gottes”\, “Lauda Jerusalem”\, “Also hat Gott” and a Magnificat \nThis is a workshop for Voices and the following Instruments: \nOne harpsichord and one chamber organ (or electronic organ) at A415  or two harpsichords at A415 and one or two theorbos.  All keyboard and theorbo players need to be comfortable reading figured bass. \nStrings with baroque set ups\, or modern instruments with gut strings and baroque bows: violins\, violas or tenor/bass viols\, baroque cellos. \nSackbuts\, cornets\, curtals and recorders are welcome. \nBill Carslake \n \nBill studied singing with David Lowe at Cambridge and Peter Alexander Wilson at Royal Scottish Academy of Music\, and orchestral conducting with Martyn Brabbins\, Jorma Panula and Ilya Musin. He was a busy bass-baritone before he decided to focus exclusively on conducting and composing. He composes music inspired by outdoor places such as Greenland and is a 2018/19 Finzi Scholar for his current composition project about Mountain Hares. He is Artistic Director of Farnborough Symphony Orchestra and Imperial College Sinfonietta and was Music Director for the Royal Ballet’s Elizabeth in 2018 and 2016. He is passionate about Renaissance and Baroque music and directs programmes for EMF forums\, Lacock Choral Courses and Benslow Music.  He is a Trustee of the Elgar Foundation. \nMusic will be provided on the day. \nInstrumentalists please bring a labelled music stand. \nPlease book below and then scroll down to make sure you have succeeded.
URL:http://memf.org.uk/event/rosenmuller-with-tutor-will-carslake/
LOCATION:St Philip’s Church Centre\, Dorridge\, B93 8DX
CATEGORIES:A415,brass,Continuo,Loud wind,Recorders,Strings,Voices
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20220402T100000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20220402T170000
DTSTAMP:20260421T201155
CREATED:20220224T154510Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220323T172020Z
UID:4559-1648893600-1648918800@memf.org.uk
SUMMARY:Purcell: Choruses from Dido and Aeneas with Tutor George Parris - CANCELLED
DESCRIPTION:Sadly we have had to cancel this workshop – the small number of people who had booked were not suficient for the workshop to be practical. \nWe are sorry for this\, and hope to book George Parris for another workshop in the future. \n 
URL:http://memf.org.uk/event/purcell-choruses-from-dido-and-aeneas-with-tutor-george-parris/
CATEGORIES:Continuo,Strings,Voices
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