Sweelink and Scheidt with George Parris on 3rd June 2023

We are delighted to welcome George Parris having had to cancel his planned workshop in the Spring.

This 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.

Foremost 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!

The workshop is for double SATB choir, strings/viols, cornetti, sackbutts, 2 x chamber organs and theorbo (A=440)

George 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.

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.

Refreshments are served from 10 am.

Booking is now open.