The Colossal Baroque with Dr Stephen Bullamore on Sat 20th June 2026
2026-06-20 10:30 - 16:30 (Europe/London) | 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
2026-09-12 10:30 - 17:00 | The Oddfellows Hall, Stafford
This workshop is for voices and all instruments and continuo. It is ‘a delve into the interplay between singers and instrumentalists in music recently rediscovered.’
Some of the pieces featured are new to modern performance. Repertoire to include (if forces allow):
Romero – Yn Devotione
Massaino – Dum Essent Discipuli
Osculati – Hodie Completi Sunt
1 x surprise piece!

Mark Wilson is a tutor new to MEMF but not to those who have attended the Stafford Music Festival in the last two years. He graduated from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire in 2019 with First Class Honours, having been awarded two scholarships to study. He specialises in historical bassoons and studied both dulcian and baroque bassoon with Andrew Watts and Ursula Leveaux.
Aside from his work with the English Wind Consort and his own baroque group, Ensemble La Notte, Mark also freelances as a period bassoonist with many UK-based early music ensembles, including the Academy of Ancient Music, the Musical and Amicable Society, Instruments of Time and Truth, and the Oxford Bach Soloists.
Mark also has a strong background in the world of choral music and for several years sung with the choirs of Worcester and Birmingham Cathedrals. In 2022 he was pleased to undertake the role of Director of Music at Pembroke College, Oxford University. He also founded and directs the alumni choir of Oxford University, Standish Consort.

The workshop will run from 10.30 till 5 with registration at 10.00, lunch 1-2 (bring your own or use local pubs and cafes) and tea approx 3pm.
The venue – The Oddfellows Hall Stafford (https://www.oddfellows.co.uk/branches/mid-staffordshire-district-branch/) – is a recently-modernised, church hall style building in Greengate Street in the centre of Stafford. The hall is a first-floor space with stairs and lift for access; it is comfortable, light and spacious.
The hall is less than ten minutes’ walk from Stafford railway station.
Details of town car parks can be found here. If you are bringing an instrument that will be difficult to carry from a car park to the venue, please contact the Organiser directly.
The Organiser is Tim Boardman 07794 837396.
Booking will open very soon.

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.
