Midlands Early Music Forum

Praetorius Christmas Workshop with Patrick Craig on 14th December 2024
2024-12-14 10:30 - 17:00 (Europe/London) | Dorridge Village Hall, Grange Road, Dorridge, B93 8QA
This workshop is for voices and any number of instruments – strings, including viols, wind and brass at pitch A440.
The 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.
We will work on a selection of his pieces for the festive season.
Music will be provided on the day Instrumentalists please bring a named Music stand

Patrick 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.
Timetable for the Day
10 am: Registration and drinks
10.30am; Morning Session with a short break
1 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.
2pm: Afternoon session
3.30 approx Tea
4.00: Final session
5.00: Finish

Directions 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!
Warning for sat nav users. The official postcode for the Village Hall B93 8QA may set your destination quite some distance from the Hall.
The What3Words location is ///sponge.flopping.wedding .
From 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!
From Hockley Heath, the driveway to the Hall is the first right after the Railway pub, before the “Welcome to Dorridge” signs.
Please 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.
Dorridge 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.
The Organiser is Jonathan Spencer 07784 657563
To book click here

Tribus Miraculis - workshop with Stephanie Dyer 11th January 2025
2025-01-11 10:30 - 17:00 | Solihull Methodist Church Hall, Blosssomfield Road, Solihull, B91 1LG, United Kingdom
Tribus Miraculis – Music for a Saturday after Epiphany
This workshop is for all voices and instruments and Renaissance wind instruments – cornetts curtals, recorders, sackbuts and shawms – are particularly welcome.
String players are also warmly invited to participate plus one continuo player, or others who come with their own instrument. A=440

The music we will be playing is in multi parts:
a12 – Jacob Handl – Tribus miraculis
a8 – Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina – Surge illuminare
a8 – Caspar Vincentius – Gloria tibi
a12 – Hans Leo Hassler – Jubilate Deo

Music will be provided on the day
Instrumentalists please bring a labelled music stand

The Tutor Virtuoso historical trombonist Stephanie Dyer enjoys an international career as Early musician, modern performer and educator. Born and raised in Cardiff, Stephanie studied at King’s College, Cambridge, Royal Academy of Music, London and Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, Switzerland. She performs with world-renowned historic brass group His Majestys Sagbutts & Cornetts, of which she has been a member since 2016. Stephanie’s performance activities are diverse: equally at home in the theatre and recording studio as on the concert platform, she is trombonist and Cover Conductor for Disney’s Aladdin the Musical (UK/Ireland Tour, 2023–25), and is part of the 2024 Songs of Praise Christmas Special, to be broadcast Sunday 22nd December on BBC One.

A devoted teacher, Stephanie is Baroque Trombone professor at RAM, teaches trombone at the University of Cambridge and is a passionate workshop leader in the UK and internationally, including for the regional Early Music Fora (2021–), Beauchamp Adult Early Music Course (2024–); International Early Music Summer School, ?cinawka Górna (Poland, 2017–), Warsaw Sackbut & Cornett Festival (2021–); and for Alta Capella Vianensis (the Netherlands, 2022–).

Timetable for the day
10.00 Registration and drinks
10.30 Morning session (with a short break)
1.00 Lunch (bring your own)
2.00 Afternoon session
3.30 approx Tea break
4.00 Final session
5.00 Finish
The Venue 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 and is well served by buses. There is a large car park with the entrance in Station Approach. If coming by car, use postcode B91 1LG for your satnav.
NB. If approaching from the west along Blossomfield Road, please note that 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.
Book here by 3rd January 2025
Workshop Organiser is Jill Davies – 07721 317030 or daviesmusic@btinternet.com

From Mexico with Tears: Lamentations by Padilla and López Capillas with George Parris on 12th April 2025
2025-04-12 10:30 - 17:00 | St.Faith & St.Laurence Church Hall, Balden Road, Harborne, Birmingham, B32 2EL, United Kingdom
We welcome back George Parris to tutor this workshop, for voices and all instruments at A440 pitch.
We will explore two settings of the Lamentations of Jeremiah by outstanding composers: Juan Gutierrez de Padilla
(c. 1590-1664) and Francisco López Capillas (1608-1674). Both composers worked at the magnificent cathedral in Puebla, Mexico, where the music-loving Bishop Juan Palafox y Mendoza presided over the richest establishment of the Spanish Empire outside Spain. Their music represents a high point in the Spanish manner of sacred polyphony, exhibiting a use of voices and a tonal instability that is both remarkable and highly expressive.
Juan Gutierrez de Padilla was born in Málaga, in Old Spain, and was appointed maestro at Cádiz Cathedral in around 1616. He next appears at the Cathedral in Puebla in 1622 where he later became maestro and would spend the rest of his life.
Francisco López Capillas was born in Mexico City where he sang in the Cathedral choir and studied theology at the University. By 1641, he is found working as organist, cantor, and assistant to Juan Gutierrez de Padilla at Puebla Cathedral, but he later returned to Mexico City where he became maestro of the Catedral de México in 1654.
George Parris read Music at Cambridge University, following by a Master’s Degree at Oxford University, and then studied choral conducting and ensemble singing at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki. In 2011 he founded The Carice Singers, now a professional vocal ensemble, and works across Europe as a singer, chorus master, and conductor. His work is varied and far-reaching, from being Artistic Director of the Aurore Renaissance Music Festival in Helsinki, performing vocal works by Kaija Saariaho and Luciano Berio, and mentoring the next generation of choral composers on schemes for Cheltenham Music Festival, Spitalfields Music Festival, and the Three Choirs Festival.
Timetable for the day
10.00 Registration and drinks – PLEASE BRING YOUR OWN MUG
10.30 Morning session (with a short break)
1.00 Lunch (bring your own /or use local pubs and cafes)
2.00 Afternoon session
3.30 approx Tea break
4.00 Final session
5.00 Finish
Venue St Faith & St Laurence Church is very visible at the junction of Balden Rd & Croftdown Rd in Harborne, Birmingham, B32 2EL . There is a small amount of parking next to the church, and plenty more street parking on Croftdown Road.
The organiser is Jonathan Spencer. If, having booked, you need to cancel, please let him know on 07784 657563
Booking is now open- book here.

A Musical Banquet - Schein's Banchetto Musicale - with Alison Kinder on 19th July 2025
2025-07-19 10:30 - 17:00 | Knowle Village Hall, St John’s Close, Knowle, Solihull, B93 0NN, United Kingdom
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

The 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.
Schein 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.
Schein 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.

The 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!

The Venue is Knowle Village Hall, St. John’s Close, Knowle, Solihull, B93 0NH
https://knowlevillagehall.co.uk/
Parking 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.
The 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.
The Organiser is Jane Warren please contact her by text if you need to, on 07472 793531
Booking is now open please book here by 10th July.

A celebration of Andrea Gabrieli with Philip Thorby on 27th September 2025 + AGM
2025-09-27 10:30 - 17:00 | Solihull Methodist Church Hall, Blosssomfield Road, Solihull, B91 1LG, United Kingdom
The music
This 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
Instrumentalists 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.
Music will be provided on the day
There will be a short AGM at lunchtime.

Andrea Gabrieli
Marking 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.
We 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.

Philip 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.
He is Emeritus Fellow in Early Music at Trinity Laban Conservatoire, London.
Philip 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/
Timetable for the day
10.00 Registration and drinks
10.30 Morning session (with a short comfort break)
1.00 Short AGM followed by lunch (bring your own or use local pubs and cafes)
2.00 Afternoon session
3.30 approx Tea break
4.00 Final session
5.00 Finish
Venue Solihull Methodist Church, Blossomfield Road, Solihull, B91 1LG
Solihull 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.
NB 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).
https://www.solihull-methodist.org.uk/where-are-we/
Neither MEMF or the venue can accept any responsibility for property lost or damaged.
Booking has now closed.

Workshop for Voices and Instruments with Robert Hollingworth on 6th December 2025
2025-12-06 10:30 - 17:00 | Solihull Methodist Church Hall, Blosssomfield Road, Solihull, B91 1LG, United Kingdom
We welcome back Robert Hollingworth who last came to MEMF three years ago, just before his Benevoli project began with I Fagiolini. Their third and final Benevoli album of mid-17th century multi-choir masses from Rome is already recorded (released next spring) and includes a wonderfully flowing three-choir mass, Missa Angelus Domini. Based on a lost original, the mass is fast moving at times with delightful detail and reduced voices sections for the Christe and ‘Et resurrexit’. It’s for three equal choirs (SATB) but can happily take instrumental doubling on strings, recorders, cornetts/sackbuts and bass dulcians (but not double reeds generally). Come and uncover a work of quality and a real pleasure to sing and play.

Robert Hollingworth founded I Fagiolini in 1986 and has since spent much of his life thinking about how audiences receive music, instead of just how performers want to deliver it. Aside from his work with I Fagiolini, he is a conductor, broadcaster, educator, editor and festival director. Robert has conducted orchestras including the English Concert, Academy of Ancient Music, BBC Concert Orchestra, Irish Baroque Orchestra and directed some of the world’s finest chamber choirs including Accentus, NDR Chor, RIAS Kammerchor (Berlin), Netherlands Chamber Choir, National Chamber Choir of Ireland, BBC Singers, Danish National Vocal Ensemble and Capella Cracoviensis. Robert is Artistic Director for Stour Music Festival and the new ‘Fairest Isle Festival’ on the Isle of Wight.
At the University of York, Robert directs two choirs and the UK’s only MA in Solo-Voice Ensemble Singing, now in its 13th year. He has written and presented programmes on BBC Radio 3 and more recently created over 30 episodes of the YouTube choral series SingTheScore as well as co-founding and presenting the UK’s top choral podcast series, Choral Chihuahua, with Eamonn Dougan and Nicholas Mulroy, now in its twelfth season. Both are made by Polyphonic Films (Greg Browning). Robert Hollingworth is managed worldwide by Percius.
The venue, Solihull Methodist Church Hall, is close to the centre of Solihull, easily accessible from junction 5 of the M42. It is right next to the town’s railway station, which is also served by buses, 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. If using a SatNav to direct you, the postcode is B91 1LG. The Hall is a separate building to the church.
The day includes a free lunch thanks to a generous bequest from our former Treasurer, Heather Holt.
The organiser is Jonathan Spencer 07784 657563
Booking has now closed

Palestrina: Missa Tu es Petrus a 18 with David Hatcher on 17th January 2026
2026-01-17 10:30 - 17:00 | St Nicholas Church, Warwick
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.
It 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.
Singers 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.

David 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.
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.
David 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.
He 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.
Past 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.

St Nicholas Church, Warwick. https://www.stnicholaswarwick.org.uk
St. Nicholas Church is located on the southern edge or Warwick – adjacent to St Nicholas Park and opposite the south entrance to the castle.
There 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.
Workshop Organiser: Jonathan Spencer 07784 657563 jonathan-spencer@blueyonder.co.uk
Booking is now closed

Schutz: Psalmen Davids workshop with Bill Carslake on 7th March 2026
2026-03-07 10:30 - 17:00 | Coton Centre, Tamworth, Church Comberford Road, Tamworth, B79 9AA, United Kingdom
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.
Repertoire: Zion Spricht swv 46, Ich freue mich swv 122, Ich danke den Herren swv 111, Danket dem Herren swv 45

This workshop is for voices and instruments:
Continuo: Organ, Harpsichord, Theorbo/lute/chitarrone, Cello/double bass.
Winds: 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).
Strings: Violins, Viola, Violone

The 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.

Venue: 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.
Lifts 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
Booking extended to 24th February – click here.

!A la Batalla! with Greg Skidmore and Sue Addison on 2nd May 2026
2026-05-02 10:30 - 17:00 | Swallowbeck Methodist Church, Lincoln
The Music for this workshop will comprise Sections from Victoria Missa Pro Victoria and Guerrero’s Missa de la Batalla Escoutez and Spanish Music reflecting battle songs. Singers and instrumentalists will rehearse separately in the morning and together in the afternoon, in preparation for a sing/play through at the end of the day.
10.00 Registration and drinks
10.30 Morning session with short break
1.15 Lunch (bring your own)
2.00 Afternoon session
4.00 (approx) Tea
4.30 Sing/playthrough
5.00 Finish
The Tutors
Born in Canada, Greg Skidmore arrived in England as an undergraduate at Royal Holloway College, University of London. After graduating with First Class Honours in Music, his post-graduate Choral Scholarship at Wells Cathedral led him to Lay Clerkships at Gloucester Cathedral and Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford. He now lives in London and pursues a varied career as a consort, choral, and solo oratorio singer alongside his growing commitments as a conductor and workshop leader.
Greg is one of the UK’s leading consort and choral singers, having appeared with The Tallis Scholars, The Sixteen, The Cardinall’s Musick, I Fagiolini, Tenebrae and The Gabrieli Consort
More recently he was appointed Musical Director of The Lacock Scholars and has performed throughout the UK with them, including ongoing engagements at Westminster Abbey.
He has given workshops and masterclasses in the UK, France, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia in association with The Sixteen, I Fagiolini, and on his own.
Sue Addison is recognised as one of the world’s leading exponents of historic trombones. She currently plays principal trombone with The Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century, Academy of Ancient Music, The Sixteen and the Gabrieli Consort. Her experience ranges from being a full time member of the City of Birmingham Orchestra under the direction of Sir Simon Rattle, to recording for the BBC Comedy ‘The Two Ronnies’. She is a founder member of His Majestys Sagbutts & Cornetts and of The Orchestra of The Age of Enlightenment. She is currently Professor of Baroque trombone at the Royal College of Music, Birmingham Conservatoire, Royal Northern College, and Trinity Laban.
Venue
Swallowbeck Methodist Church, 472 Newark Rd, Lincoln LN6 8RZ
The church has a small car park only at the front so if anyone has mobility problems let me know and I will keep a space for you.
Otherwise the dentist next door has a car park at the back of the building. Drive in and you will see the signs directing you to the car park. Parking well should allow at least 20 cars to park in there. They do have a surgery on that day so there may be people walking from the car park. There is also street parking opposite.
The railway and bus station hub is a good walk away from the venue but it is on a bus route.

Workshop Organiser is Wendy Leonard 07540 560656
Book by 18th April here

The Colossal Baroque with Dr Stephen Bullamore on Sat 20th June 2026
2026-06-20 10:30 - 16:30 | St Mary Magdalene Church, Newark-on-Trent
Experience the wonder of the Colossal Baroque in the magnificent church of St Mary Magdalene, Newark. This workshop day will be led by Dr Stephen Bullamore, Director of Music, Newark Parish Church. We will be exploring poly-choral works (with instruments) by Schütz, Biber and Benevoli, concluding with the famous In ecclesiis by Giovanni Gabrieli. These works require huge forces, of up to 32 parts.
The workshop is for voices and instruments at A=440
Continuo: Organ, Harpsichord, Theorbo/lute/chitarrone (several players welcome)
Winds: Cornetti, Sackbuts, Curtals, Recorders and appropriate period instruments.
Strings: Violins, Violas, Cellos, Violone, Viols
Also trumpets and timpani for Biber
Working with the recently restored building, we will be able to spatially separate the groups of singers and instrumentalists creating a rarely-experienced soundscape.
Music to be performed will be:

Saul, Saul, was verfolgst du mich? Heinrich Schütz (Dresden)
Dixit Dominus a 25 Orazio Benevoli (Rome)
Vesperae a 32 (extracts) Heinrich Biber (Salzburg)
In Ecclesiis – Giovanni Gabrieli (Venice)

The Tutor, Dr Stephen Bullamore is Director of Music (Master of the Song School) at St Mary Magdalene church, Newark. Here he oversees one of the last remaining Parish Church Choral Foundation, made possible by the bequest of Thomas Magnus in the 1530s. He previously held posts at Guildford and Lincoln Cathedrals and was Director of Music at Waltham Abbey for the best part of a decade.
For ten years Stephen was Musical Director of the North Herts Guild of Singers. He is Musical Director of the Leicester Philharmonic Choir and of Bingham & District Choral Society; he previously was Musical Director of Barnet Choral Society. Between these groups he has conducted much of the choral repertoire, including Bach’s major works, several Handel oratorios, Ethel Smyth’s monumental Mass in D and Elgar’s three concert length choral works.
He holds a doctorate in Editorial Musicology (“The Sacred music of John Weldon, 1676-1736”) and has contributed to Grove Online. In recent years he has been drawn to crafting arrangements of pre-existing tunes to suit modern performance demands.
Timetable for the Day
10 am: Registration and drinks
10.30am; Morning Session with a short break
12.45 pm: Lunch (bring your own)
1.45 pm: Afternoon session
2.55 approx Tea break
4.30: Finish – . Church closes at 5pm
Venue: St Mary Magdalene Church, Church Walk, Newark, Nottinghamshire, NG24 1JS https://www.stmnewark.org
The church is located in the centre of this historic town with cafes and market adjoining. We have the use of this magnificent and recently restored medieval church, in particular the nave and extended crossing. The Magnus Room, at the west end, will be available for personal belongings and space for lunch and breaks. The church will be open to visitors during the day.
There is no on-site parking but there is a facility to ‘drop off’ instruments.
Public parking nearby (prices may not be accurate)

St Marks Place, Lombard Street, NG24 1XP – NCP Multi-storey, can be pre-booked, £8 for the day. Closest.
London Road / Balderton Gate Car Park NG24 1TN
Lovers Lane Car Park, 12 Lovers Lane NG24 1JD Height restriction 7ft 6Riverside
Arena Outer Town Car Park( off the A46), 22 Great North Road NG24 1BN. Height restriction 7ft 6. A scenic 10 min walk over the river, past the castle into the town centre. £3.70

There are two train stations: Newark Northgate on the LNER East Coast main line, 15 mins walk away, and Newark Castle on the East Midlands line, 10 mins walk away.
Workshop Organisers Jill Davies daviesmusic@btinternet.com 07721 317030 and John Lock.
Booking is now open, click here to book by Monday 8th June.

Pentecostal Polychoral Music with Mark Wilson on 12th September
2026-09-12 10:30 - 17:00 | Oddfellows Hall, Stafford
Details to follow.
Booking will open in August.

Workshop for Voices and Instruments with Philip Thorby on 14th November 2026
2026-11-14 10:30 - 17:00 | Solihull Methodist Church Hall, Blosssomfield Road, Solihull, B91 1LG, United Kingdom
We welcome back Philip Thorby to lead this workshop in Solihull.
Details tba

Workshop for voices and instruments with Alison Kinder on December 5th 2026
2026-12-05 10:30 - 17:00 | Dorridge Village Hall, Grange Road, Dorridge, B93 8QA
We welcome back Alison Kinder to lead this workshop. Details tba.
