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DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20220205T100000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20220205T170000
DTSTAMP:20260404T053547
CREATED:20211010T204723Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220111T152106Z
UID:3852-1644055200-1644080400@memf.org.uk
SUMMARY:The Gabrieli Times Table with Tutor Alison Kinder
DESCRIPTION:This will be an innovative multi choir day of music by Giovanni Gabrieli\, with Tutor Ali Kinder\, increasing the choir numbers as we go from 6 parts\, to 8 parts (two choirs)\, to 12 parts (three choirs) and 14 parts (three choirs) \nWe welcome all singers and instrumentalists (strings\, recorders\, reeds and brass all welcome) Pitch A=440. Fees for MEMF and other EMF members is £18\, non-members £23. \n  \nGiovanni Gabrieli\nNephew of the great Andrea Gabrieli and student of Orlando Lassus\, Giovanni Gabrieli held the posts of both principal organist and principal composer at the basilica of St Mark’s in Venice. This workshop will look at four pieces from his vast output\, two with sacred texts and two secular. As well as being beautiful music\, it will hopefully be fun to witness the expansion of our ensemble into ever increasing numbers of parts during the day! \n  \nAlison Kinder read Music at Oxford and then studied viol with Alison Crum at Trinity College of Music\, being awarded the college’s Silver Medal for Early Music Studies. Her love is of viols in all shapes and sizes\, from soundpost-less Renaissance instruments to 7-string baroque basses. Alison is an enthusiastic teacher both privately and on courses\, and she runs the Rondo Viol Academy with fellow teacher and player Jacqui Robertson-Wade \n  \nBooking now open – please scroll down
URL:https://memf.org.uk/event/the-gabrieli-times-table-with-tutor-alison-kinder/
LOCATION:Dorridge Village Hall\, Grange Road\, Dorridge\, B93 8QA
CATEGORIES:A440,brass,Recorders,Strings,Viols,Voices,woodwind
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20220305T100000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20220305T170000
DTSTAMP:20260404T053547
CREATED:20220115T210510Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220212T193340Z
UID:4352-1646474400-1646499600@memf.org.uk
SUMMARY:Communion Motets with David Allinson
DESCRIPTION:This workshop in Warwick is for all voices. David will introduce us to Motets by Victoria\, Morales and – if numbers and voice parts allow – Palestrina\, Guerrero\, et al. \nMusic will be provided on the day. \nDavid is one of our most popular and inspiring Tutors. He is a freelance musician based in Canterbury and has spent his musical career teaching\, lecturing and conducting. He has taught and lectured at Universities in Oxford\, Bristol and eventually Canterbury Christ Church University where he was Director of Music. Three years ago he returned to freelancing and now Tutors at workshops and Summer Schools all over the country and abroad. He has conducted choirs since he was a teenager and now regularly conducts two choirs – The Renaissance Singers and Cantores – and regularly guest conducts other Early Music groups. During Lockdown he mastered the art of lecturing on Zoom and as well as doing many excellent online workshops he instituted Friday lunchtime talks on Facebook in his own inimitable style. \nPlease book below
URL:https://memf.org.uk/event/communion-motets-with-david-allinson/
LOCATION:Solihull Methodist Church\, Blossomfield Road\, Solihull\, B91 1LG\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Voices
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20220402T100000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20220402T170000
DTSTAMP:20260404T053547
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:https://memf.org.uk/event/purcell-choruses-from-dido-and-aeneas-with-tutor-george-parris/
CATEGORIES:Continuo,Strings,Voices
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20220521T100000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20220521T170000
DTSTAMP:20260404T053547
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:https://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
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20220618T100000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20220618T170000
DTSTAMP:20260404T053547
CREATED:20220301T124705Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220523T085322Z
UID:4571-1655546400-1655571600@memf.org.uk
SUMMARY:Wot No Bars 2  with Tutor David Hatcher
DESCRIPTION:A second workshop for singers reading from facsimile\, following on from the highly successful one 2 years ago. Beginners welcome! \n  \nWe’ll be looking at Isaac’s Missa Virgo Prudentissima a6\, from the beautiful BSB Mus. Ms. C. Isaac had already composed the piece by the beginning of the century as it was almost certainly one performed by the joint choirs of the Emperor Maximilian I and of his son\, Philip the Fair\, when they met in Innsbruck to hold funeral rites for Maximilian’s brother-in-law\, Hermes Sforza of Milan\, on 26th September 1503. Each choir sang in turn during two consecutive services. At the first\, the Burgundian choir performed Pierre de la Rue’s requiem mass and at the second\, Maximilian’s choir (probably) sang the Missa Virgo Prudentissima. The lavish copy in Mus. Ms. C was a gift from Duke Wilhelm IV of Bavaria to the Palsgrave of Neuberg and contains both Isaac’s mass and de la Rue’s Requiem. \nThe void mensural notation is extremely clear and will present all the usual (surmountable) challenges\, including perfect and imperfect tempus\, colouration\, a selection of ligatures and\, of course\, text placement – all of which will be very ably explained by David! It should be a challenging but very rewarding day; the sense of achievement from managing to sing from music as it was notated over 500 years ago makes it well worth the effort. \n  \nTutor \nDavid Hatcher is well known to MEMF and other EMFs. He studied viola da gamba with Charles Medlam and recorder with Philip Thorby at Trinity College of Music\, London and began his career based in England\, touring to 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 nine years\, taking an active part in that country’s flourishing early music scene. \nHe now lives in Leominster and has appeared with many other period orchestras and ensembles. He has taught regularly on summer schools and is in demand as a tutor for many weekend and day courses. He has taken part in a number of large-scale projects\, including Damon Albarn’s opera “Dr Dee”\, “The World Encompassed” (Fretwork) and performing and recording with I Fagiolini in their hugely succesful interpretation of Striggio’s 40-voice mass. David is a member of the Linarol Consort of Viols\, specialising in early 16th century consort music. \nBooking is now open. \n 
URL:https://memf.org.uk/event/wot-no-bars-2-with-tutor-david-hatcher/
LOCATION:Solihull Methodist Church Hall\, Blosssomfield Road\, Solihull\, B91 1LG\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Voices
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20220716T100000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20220716T170000
DTSTAMP:20260404T053547
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:https://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
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20220917T100000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20220917T170000
DTSTAMP:20260404T053547
CREATED:20220301T130626Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220904T201155Z
UID:4578-1663408800-1663434000@memf.org.uk
SUMMARY:Schütz and his World - with Tutor Gawain Glenton
DESCRIPTION:This workshop will focus on the works of Heinrich Schütz and his brilliant German 17th-century contemporaries. \nSchütz is regarded today as the leading German composer before Bach\, but there is still much we can learn about his life and world (for example his first name: he only ever signed himself Henrich). Born in Thuringia in 1582\, he received early training at the court of Moritz von Hessen-Kassel before being allowed to study for three years in Venice with Giovanni Gabrieli. This sparked in Schütz a life-long desire to incorporate the sounds and styles of Venetian music into German musical life\, a project he would take to great heights during his long tenure as kapellmeister at the court of the Elector of Saxony in Dresden. \nSchütz was not the only German composer to be inspired in this way. Michael Praetorius also wrote highly Italianate music despite never travelling south of the alps (thanks to the explosion in Venetian music printing he could educate himself in the latest styles via imported printed editions). Hans Leo Hassler meanwhile made the journey to Venice a decade before Schütz\, also studying with Gabrieli. \nMore broadly\, Schütz was just one of many gifted German kapellmeister composers who produced music of great skill and emotional depth in the appalling backdrop of the Thirty Years War which ran from 1618-48. We will also explore large-scale works by some of these\, including Hammerschmidt\, Staden and Berger. \nWe invite singers and players of renaissance strings (from the viol and violin families) and winds (in particular cornetts\, sackbuts and dulcians). Pitch A=440. Music will be provided\, but players must bring your own music stand. \n \n  \nThe Tutor – Gawain Glenton is a specialist cornetto player whose work as a soloist and an ensemble musician takes him all over the world and is a member and co-director of  the English Cornett and Sackbut Ensemble. \n  \n  \nThe Venue: St Mary’s Church is in St Mary’s Place situated just off the main street (Greengate Street) accessible on foot by the side of Boots Chemist or the Ancient High House. Road access (drop-off only) off Earl Street. \nSTOP PRESS: THERE IS A TRAIN STRIKE SCHEDULED FOR THIS DAY SO PLEASE CHECK BEFORE TRAVELLING. If you have no other way to get there please get in touch with Tim Boardman on 07794 837396 and he will try and help. \nFrom Stafford Station (five minutes walk): turn left then immediately right over the river bridge\, straight on through pedestrian area between Stafford College and law courts into St Mary’s Place. Regular direct trains from Birmingham New St. \nPlease note that the church does not have its own car park. We have arranged for a limited number of parking spaces in the church close\, for those bringing bulky instruments or those with limited mobility. Please telephone or message Tim Boardman if you would like to make use of one of these spaces\, and please try to car-share where possible. Tim’s mobile: 07794 837396. \nDetails of town car parks can be found at https://www.staffordbc.gov.uk/car-parking-in-stafford. The website includes a link to a map. Note that some car parks are pay-by-phone only. \nBooking is now open.
URL:https://memf.org.uk/event/schutz-and-his-world-with-tutor-gawain-glenton/
LOCATION:Collegiate Church of St  Mary’s \, Stafford
CATEGORIES:A440,Loud wind,Recorders,Strings,Viols,Voices,woodwind
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20221022T100000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20221022T170000
DTSTAMP:20260404T053547
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:https://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:20221112T100000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20221112T170000
DTSTAMP:20260404T053547
CREATED:20220815T192155Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20221002T200322Z
UID:6610-1668247200-1668272400@memf.org.uk
SUMMARY:Song of the Birds - a Workshop for voices with Anita Datta
DESCRIPTION:  \nThe natural world has been a source of musical inspiration to singers and composers across the centuries. Taking its Janequin’s playful Chant des Oyseaux as a point of departure\, this workshop explores the wide-ranging influence of bird calls on the early choral repertoire. This will include Vautor’s Sweet Suffolk Owl\, Casulana’s Vaghi Amorosi Augelli alongside more familiar reference points including La Claire Fontaine\,  and Sumer is Icumen In (… seasonal!). The workshop also incorporates an invitation to try out bird-call inspired motifs within medieval and renaissance improvisational structures\, in direct response to Janequin’s quirky paradigm. \nAnita Datta is a Tutor new to MEMF. She is a conductor\, soprano and organist from the East Riding of Yorkshire. Founder and Director of The Swan Consort\, she is a specialist in music of the European Renaissance and Baroque. With The Swan Consort she has recently toured to Spain\, and directed performances across the UK including for Ryedale Festival\, Brighton Early Music Festival\, and London Festival of Contemporary Church Music. She is currently pursuing further studies in Orchestral Conducting at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama\, in which capacity she made her debut conducting the orchestra of Welsh National Opera in June 2022. Drawing her musical knowledge together her academic expertise in Social Anthropology\, she sits on the boards of English Touring Opera and the National Centre for Early Music\, with special responsibilities for advising on Education\, and Inclusivity and Relevance \n  \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. \nBooking is now open.
URL:https://memf.org.uk/event/madrigals-based-on-bird-song/
LOCATION:Solihull Methodist Church Hall\, Blosssomfield Road\, Solihull\, B91 1LG\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Voices
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20221217T100000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20221217T170000
DTSTAMP:20260404T053547
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:https://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:20230121T100000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20230121T170000
DTSTAMP:20260404T053547
CREATED:20221203T185307Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20221212T180551Z
UID:7506-1674295200-1674320400@memf.org.uk
SUMMARY:English Catholic Composers in Exile with David Allinson on 21st January 2023
DESCRIPTION:“How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a strange Land?” \nThis should be a marvellous day of music which ranges from bombast to pathos\, from protest to serenity. Seasoned tutor David Allinson will set the music in context and shepherd us through. \nWilliam Byrd was not alone among church musicians in holding to the Catholic faith in Elizabethan and Jacobean England\, at a time when it was increasingly perilous to do so. But several of his most talented contemporaries chose to leave England and work in exile. Peter Philips settled in Flanders\, becoming a priest; Richard Dering worked in Brussels at a convent of English nuns. Perhaps liberated from native tradition\, their music doesn’t feel particularly English; they absorbed the latest Italian style. \nByrd stayed in England and his talent shone openly\, even as he endured an internal exile of faith. The Latin-texted music of his mid-career seems to articulate the anxiety and anger of recusant Catholics\, whereas his last works serve the community’s need for liturgical music that may be used in secret domestic contexts. And always with Byrd\, there is a scintillating level of inspiration\, mixing native tradition with the latest continental innovations. \nOur programme focuses principally on Byrd’s music – 2023 is\, after all\, the year in which we celebrate the 400th anniversary of his death – but we set him in wider context as a Catholic composer by sampling a Marian motet by Peter Philips (Ave Regina caelorum) and an Italianate motet by Richard Dering (Factum est silentium). As we will be singing in the beautiful Collegiate Church of Saint Mary\, Stafford\, much of the programme is Marian\, with Byrd’s Salve Regina\, Ave Maria and other pieces. \nThe planned repertoire needs lots of Tenors in particular (and some can-do singer flexibility about awkward ranges!)\, so please sign up in good time. \nVenue   St Mary’s Collegiate Church\, St Mary’s Place\, Stafford\, ST16 2AP \nSt Mary’s is situated just off the main street (Greengate Street) accessible on foot by the side of Boots Chemist or the Ancient High House. Road access (drop-off only) off Earl Street. From Stafford Station (five minutes walk): turn left then immediately right over the river bridge\, straight on through pedestrian area between Stafford College and law courts into St Mary’s Place. Regular direct trains from Birmingham New St. \nPlease note that the church does not have its own car park. We have arranged for a limited number of parking spaces in the church close\, for those with limited mobility. Please telephone or message Tim Boardman if you would like to make use of one of these spaces\, and please try to car-share where possible. Tim’s mobile: 07794 837396. \nDetails of town car parks can be found here . The website includes a link to a map. Note that some car parks are pay-by-phone only. \nNeither MEMF nor the venue can accept any responsibility for property lost or damaged. \nTutor   David is a specialist in early music choral works who has led workshops for every regional EMF in England\, as well as EMF Scotland. He is a regular and popular tutor for MEMF workshops. \n  \nScroll down to book your place
URL:https://memf.org.uk/event/english-catholic-composers-in-exile-with-david-allinson-on-21st-january-2023/
LOCATION:Collegiate Church of St  Mary’s \, Stafford
CATEGORIES:Voices
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20230225T100000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20230225T170000
DTSTAMP:20260404T053547
CREATED:20221203T185542Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230120T195311Z
UID:7510-1677319200-1677344400@memf.org.uk
SUMMARY:The Noodle Factory  with Paula Chateauneuf on 25th February 2023
DESCRIPTION:The Noodle Factory is a gentle introduction to the art of improvisation\, ornamentation and decoration in the manner of the great 16th- and 17th-century Improvisation Masters. \nSome people think one needs to be born with an ‘Improvisation Gene’ to be able to extemporise\, but this couldn’t be further from the truth.  All that’s required is to learn some basic techniques which can be ‘plugged in’ to a given situation.  16th- and 17th-century writers recognised this\, and their fascinating improvisation manuals contain all the materials you could ever need or want to learn to improvise\, and expand your ear and musical imagination.  This workshop will be a taster session for anyone who would like to try their hand at doing some early improvisation – it’s very informal and no prior improvisation or early music experience is necessary to take part.  However this course is designed to be inclusive – more experienced improvisers are also welcome and will benefit just as much. \nThe day will consist of various sessions during which different aspects of early improvisation will be covered\, starting with a brief introduction to each subject.  We’ll explore the materials in 16th- and 17th-century manuals and how to use them practically\, and then apply those techniques to learn to extemporize on ground basses\, create variations on popular tunes\, and add your own graces and ornamentation to pre-composed pieces.  There will be both solo and ensemble opportunities.  Improvisation enhances\, intensifies\, and ‘seasons’ performances\, and helps you to make a piece your own.  Singers and instrumentalists are welcome (Pitch A+440) – come along and dip your toe in the water! \nThe Tutor: Paula Chateauneuf’s playing has been described as “one of the most exciting things on the pre-classical concert circuit”.  A Fulbright Scholar to London\, she soon established herself there as one of early music’s leading soloists and ensemble players and became the linchpin of numerous groups including the Gabrieli Consort\, New London Consort and Sinfonye.  She has also performed with the Academy of Ancient Music\, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment\, English Concert\, His Majestys Sagbutts and Cornetts\, Handel and Haydn Society\, Avison Ensemble\, De Nederlandse Bachvereniging\, and Jordi Savall’s Le Concert des Nations. \nPaula’s repertoire spans medieval music to the baroque\, with particular expertise in early improvisation and the music of early 17th-century Italy.  Her knowledge and skill in the art of basso continuo has made her one of the most sought-after accompanists in early music\, resulting in fruitful collaborations with many leading singers.  Her wealth of experience in early opera has led to involvement as both repetiteur and continuo player for numerous international opera houses\, including Bayerische Staatsoper\, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino\, Royal Opera House\, English National Opera\, and Glyndebourne Festival Opera. \nVenue Dorridge Village Hall is at the end of a driveway (with a height barrier) off the B4101 between Dorridge and Hockley Heath and is easy to reach from the M42.. The satnav is not pinpoint accurate so when you get near look for :the following: \nFrom Hockley Heath\, the driveway to the Hall is the first right after the Railway pub\, before the “Welcome to Dorridge” signs and the start of the built-up area. \nFrom Dorridge centre\, the driveway to the Hall is the first left after Dorridge Park. If you get to the Railway pub you have gone too far. \nBooking is now open until 17th February – scroll down for the booking form.
URL:https://memf.org.uk/event/improvisation-with-paula-chateauneuf-on-25th-february-2023/
LOCATION:Dorridge Village Hall\, Grange Road\, Dorridge\, B93 8QA
CATEGORIES:A440,brass,Loud wind,Recorders,Strings,Voices,woodwind
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20230325T100000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20230325T170000
DTSTAMP:20260404T053547
CREATED:20221203T200520Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230318T141506Z
UID:7517-1679738400-1679763600@memf.org.uk
SUMMARY:The Music of Robert Parsons with Bill Carslake on March 25th 2023
DESCRIPTION:BOOKING IS NOW CLOSED AS THE MUSIC HAS BEEN PRINTED. \nThe composer Robert Parsons \nParsons\, you who were so great in the springtime of life\, how great you would have been in the autumn\, had death not come. This Latin epitaph by the copyist\, Robert Dow\, is from a collection of partbooks produced in the 1580s\, a decade or so after Parsons’ death. Robert Parsons (c. 1535-1572) is remembered today as a masterful life cut short when he drowned in the Trent. His music provides a remarkable link between the opulence of late 15th century composers such as those in the Eton Choirbook (e.g.\, Cornysh\, Browne) and the emotional precision of artists like Shakespeare and Tomkins (who was born in the year Parsons died). It’s as if Parsons channelled his grandparents and grandchildren all at once. We will be singing the following pieces: O bone Jesu sings the soaring lines of Roman Catholic England before Henry VIII’s birth; Retribue is a detailed discussion of faith from the fraught period after Henry’s death; and Ave Maria is so pure and timeless that it is almost an icon for the ear. \nThe Tutor\, William Carslake\, studied orchestral conducting with Martyn Brabbins\, Jorma Panula and Ilya Musin\, and singing with David Lowe and Peter Alexander Wilson. He was a busy bass-baritone soloist before he decided to focus exclusively on conducting and composing. He has since held two composing residencies at Banff Centre\, Canada. He composes music inspired by outdoor places such as Greenland\, the Cairngorms and\, currently\, peatlands in Ireland. He has composed for the Finzi Trust and Imperial College Sinfonietta\, and is currently writing for Orchestra of the Swan. He is Artistic Director of Farnborough Symphony Orchestra and co-directs the Farnborough Young Composers’ Competition. He was Music Director for the Royal Ballet’s Elizabeth in 2016 and 2018. He enjoys directing programmes for EMF forums and Lacock Courses. \nThe 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. \nPlease let the organiser know if you are travelling by train and require picking up from the station which is 1 1/2 miles from the venue. \n 
URL:https://memf.org.uk/event/workshop-for-voices-with-bill-carslake/
LOCATION:Coton Centre\, Tamworth\, Church Comberford Road\, Tamworth\, B79 9AA\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Voices
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20230520T103000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20230520T170000
DTSTAMP:20260404T053547
CREATED:20221203T201141Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230513T174749Z
UID:7520-1684578600-1684602000@memf.org.uk
SUMMARY:The Sacred Music of Giovanni Battista Casali in C18 Rome with Peter Leech on 20th May 2023
DESCRIPTION:EXPLORING GIOVANNI BATTISTA CASALI (1715-1792) \nRome in the eighteenth century\, far from being the backwater described in many scholarly narratives\, was a cosmopolitan melting pot of cultural influences from all over Europe\, where the palaces and private chapels of Cardinals from widespread lands resonated to the sound of instrumental and vocal music composed by the city’s numerous permanent or itinerant maestri. Likewise\, Rome’s churches resounded with contemporary concertato choral settings in addition to the stile antico repertory perpetuated in the Sistine Chapel and papal basilicas. Depending on where they were employed\, church composers had to be adept with many different techniques\, whether in the form of imitative Palestrinian polyphony (though with much longer and more daring melodic constructs than would have been acceptable in the late 1500s)\, grand polychoral designs (often with orchestral accompaniment)\, or quasi-operatic\, multi-movement masses akin to those performed in other European Catholic capitals such as Vienna\, Madrid and Lisbon. \nIn the anglophone world\, most of the church composers active in Rome after the death of Alessandro Scarlatti (1725) are unknown\, unresearched and unperformed. Their music manuscripts languish in thousands of volumes held by Rome’s music archives\, just waiting to be explored. One such composer is Giovanni Battista Casali\, maestro at S Giovanni in Laterano and the Chiesa Nuova (with additional connections to many other churches) who is mentioned by countless scholars as a leading mid-century composer\, teacher\, and organist\, yet few of his works are known (even in Rome today)\, other than a handful of motets and one or two masses. In the S Giovanni archives alone there are over 500 works attributed to him. \nThis workshop will explore a variety of settings by Casali\, including unaccompanied motets for Lent and Advent\, concertato Vespers psalms for organ and basso continuo (often with virtuoso solo content) and polychoral works. It will be a showcase of the breadth and depth of Casali’s contribution to sacred music in Rome\, a field in which the workshop leader Peter Leech has been immersed for the better part of 20 years. \nWe will be performing with voices and bass instruments. \n \nPeter Leech is a musician with diverse skills and interests\, including late sixteenth-century continental polyphony\, Catholic court musicians in seventeenth-century England\, early Russian Orthodox church music\, seventeenth-century instrumental music and the music of late Georgian and early nineteenth-century English composers. He has over 30 years experience as a choral and orchestral conductor\, composer and musicologist.  www.peterleech.com \nThe Venue   Barnt Green is on the B4120 off the A441 Birmingham to Redditch road and close to junction 2 of the M42. There is limited parking at the church\, but plenty of street parking. Refreshments served from 10.00. \nThe station is a five minute walk away. \nBooking is now open – see below.
URL:https://memf.org.uk/event/music-from-rome-with-peter-leech-on-20th-may-2023/
LOCATION:Barnt Green Church Hall\, The Parish Centre\, Sandhills Road\, Barnt Green\, Birmingham\, B45 8NR\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:A440,Strings,Voices
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20230603T103000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20230603T170000
DTSTAMP:20260404T053547
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:https://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:20230715T103000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20230715T170000
DTSTAMP:20260404T053547
CREATED:20230212T193306Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230629T134512Z
UID:8012-1689417000-1689440400@memf.org.uk
SUMMARY:Treasures from the Baldwin Commonplace Book with Rory McCleery on 15th July 2023
DESCRIPTION:Treasures from the Baldwin Commonplace book \nJohn Baldwin (c.1560 – 1615) is one of the lesser-known but hugely important figures in the history of the music of Elizabethan England. A singer (at both St George’s Windsor and as a Gentleman of the Chapel Royal) and composer\, Baldwin was also a professional music copyist responsible for My Ladye Nevells Booke\, a compendium of William Byrd’s keyboard music\, as well as the compilation or completion of a number of important manuscripts of vocal and consort music. \nChief among these is Baldwin’s idiosyncratic ‘Commonplace’ book – now housed in the British Library\, it seems to be a repository for Baldwin’s personal favourite pieces\, written out\, unusually for the time\, for the most part in score and without texts. Works by all of the great composers of the age – along with many by less familiar figures – can be found\, as well as madrigals by Marenzio and historic pre-Reformation pieces. \nWe will be singing a selection of these\, including masterpieces by Byrd (Tristitia et anxietas) and Tallis (Loquebantur variis linguis)\, fantastic pieces by William Mundy and Nathaniel Giles\, a Marenzio madrigal and works by earlier composers\, as well as something by Baldwin himself! \n \nRory McCleery is a popular Tutor whom we welcome back to MEMF. He is an award-winning Scottish conductor\, countertenor & musicologist. Internationally renowned for his compelling interpretations of a wide range of repertoire\, he is particularly associated with the choral music of the Renaissance and Baroque\, and is also increasingly known for his affinity with the music of contemporary British composers. Rory has appeared at prestigious venues including the Wigmore Hall and BBC Proms and has directed choirs and led masterclasses\, study days and workshops in the USA\, Spain\, Germany\, France and Italy. He features regularly on radio and television\, including the recent BBC2 series ‘Art That Made Us’. \nRory is Founder & Artistic Director of The Marian Consort\, with whom he performs internationally\, including a recent televised tour of Japan. Rory has an extensive discography with The Marian Consort on both Delphian and Linn Records\, including many first recordings of both new and historic music which have garnered a variety of accolades and awards including the Diapason D’Or\, Presto Classical Album of the Year and the Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik. When not researching and conducting\, Rory is also active as a countertenor\, performing as a soloist with ensembles including The Dunedin Consort\, English Consort and Ensemble 1604. \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 are available  from the station which is 1 1/2 miles from the venue. \nRefreshments are served from 10 am. \nBooking is now open until 7th July. \n 
URL:https://memf.org.uk/event/vocal-workshop-with-rory-mcleery-at-coton-centre-tamworth-on-15th-july/
LOCATION:Coton Centre\, Tamworth\, Church Comberford Road\, Tamworth\, B79 9AA\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Voices
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20230909T103000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20230910T170000
DTSTAMP:20260404T053547
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:https://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:20230923T103000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20230923T170000
DTSTAMP:20260404T053547
CREATED:20230814T115749Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230814T120111Z
UID:8431-1695465000-1695488400@memf.org.uk
SUMMARY:Baroque String Workshop with Oliver Webber 23rd September 2023
DESCRIPTION:A journey from England to Germany and Italy for violins\, violas\, cellos\, double bass/violone\, viols and theorbo.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe composers on the menu for today’s workshop represent a variety of styles of the late Baroque period. Johann Christoph Pez (1664-1716)\, a German composer from Munich\, was heavily influenced by the French style of Jean-Baptiste Lully. His Suite in D minor is a perfect example of Lully’s style. Henry Purcell (1659-1695) remains one of the greatest English composers. The instrumental pieces in his semi-operas\, such as King Arthur\, offer a delightful variety of quintessentially English dances. Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) is famous for having written literally hundreds of concertos for solo instruments. Perhaps less well known are his concertos for strings\, with no solo instrument\, in which he delights in the rich sonorities of the string orchestra. Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767) was one of the most prolific and eclectic composers of the late Baroque. He wrote for many different combinations of instruments incorporating French and Italian styles as well as folk traditions from eastern Europe. We will be playing the Lustige Suite which is largely French in conception with an overture and a suite of dances\, but with a few distinctive quirks of its own. \nMusic will be provided.   Please bring a labelled music stand and your own mug \n \nThe Tutor: Oliver Webber is a baroque violinist from London with three decades of experience in the field. He is the director of the Monteverdi string band\, specialists in ensemble music of the 17th century\, and appears regularly with the London Handel Players and the Gonzaga Band. Among  other posts\, he has been a principal player and occasional guest leader of Gabrieli (Consort) for around 20 years\, in the process helping the orchestra explore aspects of historical performance such as all gut stringing and use of the French bow hold. He teaches baroque violin and viola at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama where he also runs classes on ornamentation for instrumentalists and singers. He complements his teaching and performing with research\, editing\, translation and string making. In his spare time he enjoys cycling\, watching cricket\, and reading about European late antiquity. \n  \n  \nVenue   St. Nicholas Church\, St. Nicholas Church Street\, Warwick CV34 4JD 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 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 maximum charge is £7.00. Payment is by card or the RingGo App. \nWarwick 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. \nNeither MEMF or the venue can accept any responsibility for property lost or damaged \n  \nBooking is now open – please scroll down.
URL:https://memf.org.uk/event/baroque-string-workshop-with-oliver-webber-23rd-september-2023/
LOCATION:Solihull Methodist Church\, Blossomfield Road\, Solihull\, B91 1LG\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:A415,Strings
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20231007T103000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20231007T170000
DTSTAMP:20260404T053547
CREATED:20221203T202912Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230831T120413Z
UID:7527-1696674600-1696698000@memf.org.uk
SUMMARY:Mysterious Motets from 1539 with Patrick Allies
DESCRIPTION:Assembled in Catholic Milan\, these five-part Latin motets took a mysterious journey across the Alps in the 1530s and were published in Protestant Strasbourg. The collection features a range of composers of the day\, from the well-known (Jacques Arcadelt) to the extremely obscure (Simon Ferrariensis). \nThe five motets chosen for this workshop represent the breadth of compositional styles and moods in the volume\, from Johannes Lupi’s stirring Ascension motet Apparens Christus to the Marian devotion of Maistre Jhan’s Pater noster-Ave Maria. \n \nPatrick Allies is Artistic Director of the London-based vocal ensemble Siglo de Oro\, with whom he has made five acclaimed recordings of Renaissance music with Delphian Records. Under Patrick’s direction\, the group has taken up invitations to perform in Belgium\, the Netherlands\, Germany\, Finland\, Malta and the USA. Closer to home\, Patrick and Siglo de Oro have performed several times at Wigmore Hall. \nPatrick is currently Musical Director of The Ripieno Choir and Conductor of Imperial College Chamber Choir. Most recently\, Patrick has spent a term as Acting Director of Music at King’s College London\, conducting the chapel choir. He is currently a member of the REMArkables\, the professional development scheme of the European Early Music Network. \nAlongside his work as a conductor\, Patrick is a DPhil student in music at the University of Oxford\, where he has taught at St Peter’s College. Patrick’s research\, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council\, involves fifteenth-century choirs and their performance spaces. \nThe Venue St Faith & St Laurence Church is on the corner of Croftdown Rd and Court Oak Road in Harborne.  There is a small carpark in the church grounds (the approach is from Croftdown Rd but you have to be heading westwards to get into it).  On-street parking is also available in Croftdown Rd.\nBuses run regularly from Birmingham City Centre to stops within a few minutes of the church. \nBooking is now open.
URL:https://memf.org.uk/event/mysterious-motets-from-1539-with-patrick-allies/
LOCATION:St.Faith & St.Laurence Church Hall\, Balden Road\, Harborne\, Birmingham\, B32 2EL\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Voices
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20231104T103000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20231104T170000
DTSTAMP:20260404T053547
CREATED:20221203T203334Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230924T195112Z
UID:7529-1699093800-1699117200@memf.org.uk
SUMMARY:What About Weelkes?! - workshop with Will Dawes and Katie Bank on 4th November 2023
DESCRIPTION:2023 has seen a huge outpouring of love for one of Britain’s finest ever composers – William Byrd. However\, 1623 also saw the death of another really very fine\, and almost certainly more fun\, or at least more emotionally obvious composer\, Thomas Weelkes. Stories abound as to his behaviour\, and his music has some quite extraordinary texts and backgrounds. So with that in mind\, we ask you – what about Weelkes? The session will including singing (led by Will Dawes) and historical background and context (led by Dr Katie Bank). \nThe music will include’ When David Heard’\, ‘O Care Thou Wilt Despatch’\, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David’\, ‘Death Hath Deprived Me’\, ‘O Lord Arise’\, ‘Thule the Period’\, and ‘As Vesta Was’. \n \nKatie Bank is Leverhulme Early Career Fellow in the Department of History at the University of Birmingham. She has written a book on English recreational music called Knowledge Building in Early Modern English Music (Routledge\, 2021) as well as academic articles in journals such as Early Music and Renaissance Studies. She is webmaster and creator of ByrdCentral.com\, a collaborative educational initiative between academics\, teachers\, and musicians celebrating the quatercentenary of Byrd’s death\, but she mostly writes about Weelkes. Katie is an avid choral singer and collaborates regularly with ensembles around the United Kingdom. \nWill Dawes is a Choral Director and Baritone. He is Director of Chapel Music at Somerville College\, Oxford\, where he directs the only auditioned non-liturgical college choir in the University. He has directed the BBC Singers and the Eric Whitacre Singers as well as workshop days for Stile Antico and almost all the Early Music Forums in the UK. He was the founding Director of Music of Frideswide Voices\, Oxford’s first group of 7-13 year-old girl choristers in over 500 years. For 16 years\, he was a member of the triple-GRAMMY-nominated early-music ensemble Stile Antico and has also sung with some of the foremost choral ensembles in the UK including The Sixteen\, The Cardinall’s Musick\, Ora\, Magnificat\, Gabrieli Consort\, Polyphony\, and London Voices. He has twice curated a performance of the complete Latin works of William Byrd in 24 hours\, both taking place in the church of St Mary Magdalen\, Oxford\, where he is Director of Music. \nVenue   Dorridge Village Hall http://www.dorridgevillagehall.org/ is at the end of a driveway (with a height barrier) off the B4101 between Dorridge and Hockley Heath and is easy to reach from the M42. The satnav is not pinpoint accurate so when you get near look for the following: \nFrom Hockley Heath\, the driveway to the Hall is the first right after the Railway pub\, before the “Welcome to Dorridge” signs and the start of the built-up area. \nFrom Dorridge centre\, the driveway to the Hall is the first left after Dorridge Park. If you get to the Railway pub you have gone too far. \nDorridge train station is approximately 10 minutes’ walk away. Directions can be provided on request. \n  \nBooking is now open – please scroll down for the Booking Form. Book by Saturday 28th October
URL:https://memf.org.uk/event/thomas-weelkes-with-tutors-will-dawes-and-katie-banks-on-4th-november-2023/
LOCATION:Dorridge Village Hall\, Grange Road\, Dorridge\, B93 8QA
CATEGORIES:Voices
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20231202T103000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20231202T170000
DTSTAMP:20260404T053547
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:https://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:20240113T103000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240113T170000
DTSTAMP:20260404T053547
CREATED:20231018T194701Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240102T151227Z
UID:8626-1705141800-1705165200@memf.org.uk
SUMMARY:The Battle of Lepanto: workshop with Tutor Gawain Glenton on 13th January 2024
DESCRIPTION:The Battle of Lepanto took place on October 7th\, 1571. This colossal naval battle pitted the combined forces of Europe’s Catholic states (under the overall command of Don Juan of Austria) against the Ottoman Empire and resulted in a major defeat of the Ottoman fleet. Galleys came from Spain\, Genoa\, The Papal States\, Savoy\, Tuscany and elsewhere. The Venetians were the dominant presence however\, providing more than twice as many galleys as any other member of the Holy League. \nFor Venetians the battle of Lepanto became the defining military victory of the era and was celebrated for decades to come – in part because a decisive victory of this magnitude was rather unexpected. It was used as a major propaganda coup and was self-consciously built into the Venetian myth. \nThe focus of the annual celebrations was a procession (or andata) to the church of Santa Giustina culminating in a Mass of thanksgiving. Several Venetian composers wrote large-scale music for this event\, including Giovanni Croce\, Andrea Gabrieli\, Claudio Merulo and Giovanni Bassano. This workshop will explore this fascinating aspect of Venetian musical culture. \nThis workshop is for singers of all voice types\, plus cornetts\, sackbuts\, dulcians and string instruments. Recorder players are welcome\, but should be prepared to also sing and/or play a different instrument. A = 440. \nThe Tutor Gawain Glenton is a specialist cornetto player whose work as a soloist and an ensemble musician takes him all over the world. He is a member and co-director of the English Cornett and Sackbut Ensemble and also a popular workshop Tutor. \nMusic will be provided on the day. \n  \n  \nThe Venue Trinity Church (www.trinitychurchstafford.org.uk) ST16 2BZ\, is a spacious modern building in Stafford town centre. The main church space\, where the workshop will take place\, is on the first floor; a lift is available. The church website includes a link to a map. The church is a ten-minute walk from Stafford railway station. \nDetails of town car parks can be found here and here. Note that some car parks are pay-by-phone only. The church has a small number of parking spaces (about 8); these will be available for those bringing bulky instruments or those with limited mobility. Please telephone or message Tim Boardman if you would like to make use of one of these spaces\, and please try to car-share where possible. Tim’s mobile: 07794 837396. \nPlease note: There are extensive roadworks and diversions in operation around Stafford centre that will continue well into 2024. If you wish to use the long stay Doxey Road car park (no. 13a on the Borough Council map) it is currently accessible from Chell Road by car\, but may not be on the 13th. From the A34 north of the town centre follow the new link road (Pans Road) signposted Telford A518. At the first roundabout take the first exit into the car park\, by Sainsbury’s. Currently\,Trinity Church can be accessed via Chell Road/Broad Street. If there are any changes in the interim affecting access to the church\, I shall post an update on this page. \nNB There is also a small independent car park on Mount Street\, immediately behind Trinity Church: SIP Car Parks Limited Sheridan Centre Mount Street Stafford ST16 2BZ. Charge is £5 for the day. It does tend to fill up quite early\, but may be worth a try as it is cheap and convenient. \nBooking is now open – please scroll down for the booking form.
URL:https://memf.org.uk/event/the-battle-of-lepanto-workshop-with-tutor-gawain-glenton-on-13th-january-2024/
LOCATION:Trinity Church\,Stafford
CATEGORIES:A440,brass,Loud wind,Recorders,Strings,Voices
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240217T103000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240217T170000
DTSTAMP:20260404T053547
CREATED:20231018T194916Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240109T210844Z
UID:8628-1708165800-1708189200@memf.org.uk
SUMMARY:The Garden of Love – Anthems from the Song of Songs : Vocal workshop with tutor Sally Dunkley on 17th February 2024
DESCRIPTION:The Music: The sensuous love poetry of the biblical Song of Songs has long proved an inspiration to composers and found its way into use in the Catholic church mainly by way of metaphorical reference to the Virgin Mary. \nOur workshop day features settings of Song of Songs texts by 16th-century composers from various European countries. Some are well known names\, such as Palestrina and Gibbons\, while others are rarer discoveries – Clemens non Papa and Vincenzo Bertolusi. All are delightful to sing. \nThe Tutor\, Sally Dunkley\,  has enjoyed a long career as a professional consort singer\, as a student in the Clerkes of Oxenford\, then with the Sixteen from its very first concert\, and the Tallis Scholars too. She started making performing editions when few were readily available; some are now published by Oxford University Press (series ‘Musica Dei donum’) and the Church Music Society. She is delighted to share her experience through workshops\, summer schools and talks – this is her second visit to MEMF. \nThe workshop is from 10.30 to 5pm with refreshments at 10am\, lunch 1-2 (bring your own or use shops nearby) and a tea-break. \nDirections to  St Philip’s church Centre –  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 are plenty of disabled parking places at the church and some free street parking by the church and nearby.  There 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 for £5 for the day\, payable through PayByPhone.  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. \n  \nBooking is now open – please scroll down for the booking form.
URL:https://memf.org.uk/event/songs-from-the-song-of-songs-workshop-with-tutor-sally-dunkley-17th-february-2024/
LOCATION:St Philip’s Church Centre\, Dorridge\, B93 8DX
CATEGORIES:Voices
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240420T103000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240420T170000
DTSTAMP:20260404T053547
CREATED:20231128T182745Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240417T114328Z
UID:8740-1713609000-1713632400@memf.org.uk
SUMMARY:The Triumphs of Oriana with Tutor Giles Underwood on 20th April 2024
DESCRIPTION:The Triumphs of Oriana – a workshop for voices. \nIn 1601 Thomas Morley published a collection of madrigals in honour of Queen Elizabeth. There were 25 pieces in the publication from 23 different composers. All the works ended with the lines: \nThen sang the shepherds and nymphs of Diana: \nLong live fair Oriana. \nThis day of singing will include a selection of these 5- and 6-part madrigals\, written by some of the foremost composers of the day; Morley himself\, Mundy\, Tomkins and Farmer as well as some writers who are less well known. These pieces are full of joy\, movement and soloistic writing\, being consort pieces\, not choral. They were intended to be sung in drawing rooms across the land\, and use commonplace pastoral imagery as well as more elevated language\, all for the glory of the Queen. \n \n  \nGiles Underwood has a varied career as a bass-baritone\, voice teacher\, vocal coach and conductor. He is Professor of Singing at The Royal Academy of Music\, having previously held a professorship at The Guildhall School of Music and Drama (GSMD). He studied Biology at Oxford before going on to postgraduate and opera studies at GSMD under Professor Susan McCulloch. He runs a successful teaching practice in Oxford and taught in Cambridge from 2004-13. Since 2013\, he has been Director of Music at University College\, Oxford\, where he runs the Chapel Choir and the two ensembles in residence – Martlet Voices and The Martlet Ensemble. These groups give student musicians the opportunity to work alongside professional performers in rehearsal and concert. He is a tutor for the Cambridge Early Music Summer School and Chorworks at Duke University in North Carolina. \nGiles has sung with many of the UK’s leading vocal ensembles\, most notably I Fagiolini\, Contrapunctus\, Magnificat and Gallicantus. He has been a soloist for The Academy of Ancient Music\, The Gabrieli Consort and The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. He has performed a variety of operatic roles\, including Don Giovanni\, Conte Almaviva (Le nozze di Figaro)\, Marcello (La bohéme) and Tarquinius (The Rape of Lucretia). In recital\, he has sung English and Swedish song for Oxford Lieder\, Wolf and Schumann in Wigmore Hall and Strauss in the Purcell Room. \nThe 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 it is the next turning after the school. There is ample free parking on site.\nLifts can be arranged from the station which is 1 1/2 miles from the venue. Please contact the organiser after you have booked \nBooking is now closed. \nLink to Booking Form \n  \n 
URL:https://memf.org.uk/event/workshop-for-voices-with-giles-underwood-on-20th-april/
LOCATION:Coton Centre\, Tamworth\, Church Comberford Road\, Tamworth\, B79 9AA\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Voices
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240511T103000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240511T170000
DTSTAMP:20260404T053547
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:https://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:20240622T103000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240622T170000
DTSTAMP:20260404T053547
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:https://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:20240713T103000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240713T170000
DTSTAMP:20260404T053547
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:https://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:20240914T103000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240914T170000
DTSTAMP:20260404T053547
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:https://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:20241012T103000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20241012T170000
DTSTAMP:20260404T053547
CREATED:20240803T143714Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240907T180343Z
UID:13308-1728729000-1728752400@memf.org.uk
SUMMARY:The Sacred Music of Henry Purcell (1659 - 1695) with Simon Harper
DESCRIPTION:This is a workshop for singers and one keyboard player\, exploring some of the sacred anthems by Henry Purcell\, regarded as one of England’s greatest composers of the Baroque period. \nAlthough Purcell wrote prolifically for the theatre throughout much of his life\, as organist of both the Chapel Royal and Westminster Abbey he is remembered just as much as a master of choral composition\, with his characteristic expressive textures and harmonies. \nThis workshop will focus on a selection of anthems for full choir in four\, five and eight parts\, including one of Purcell’s finest works I was glad\, a setting of verses from Psalm 122\, composed for the coronation of James II in 1685; the funeral sentences performed at Queen Mary’s funeral in 1965\, as well as Purcell’s own funeral later the same year; and some shorter motets including the exquisite eight-voice setting of Hear my prayer\, O Lord\, full of Purcell’s characteristic expressive harmonic dissonances. \nMusic will be provided on the day \n \nThe tutor Simon Harper is a freelance singer\, conductor and teacher. He read Music at the University of York\, studied choral conducting with Paul Spicer\, and was a member of the prestigious Genesis Sixteen scheme. As a Tenor Lay Clerk in Hereford Cathedral Choir\, Simon has sung in live BBC broadcasts\, participated in tours of the USA\, performed in the Sistine Chapel\, and sung at international events in Normandy to commemorate both the 75th and 80th anniversaries of D-Day. \nSimon’s busy schedule as a choral conductor includes the directorships of Hereford Chamber Choir\, Cotswolds-based Cantores Chamber Choir\, Ledbury Choral Society\, and Kington Choral Society. He has worked with professional orchestras –  the Central England Camerata\, period instrument ensemble The Musical and Amicable Society\, and internationally renowned viol consort Fretwork. He has conducted premieres of works by composers including Kerensa Briggs\, Liz Dilnot Johnson and Robert Peate at the Three Choirs Festival and the Hay Festival. Simon also teaches singing and A Level Music at schools in Malvern and Worcester. \n  \nThe venue is the Angel Centre in Worcester Town Centre. There are plenty of car parks in Worcester\, but the nearest all day ones are the Cattlemarket and Croft Road about 5 minutes walk away up the hill. It is also close to Worcester Foregate station. \n  \nBooking is now open –  the booking form is here \nBook by Friday 4th October \nOrganiser: Jill Davies  daviesmusic@btinternet.com  \nMobile on the day: 07721 317030 \n  \n 
URL:https://memf.org.uk/event/music-by-purcell-with-simon-harper/
LOCATION:Angel Centre\, Worcester
CATEGORIES:Voices
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20241109T100000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20241109T170000
DTSTAMP:20260404T053547
CREATED:20240729T204422Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241023T172929Z
UID:13139-1731146400-1731171600@memf.org.uk
SUMMARY:Music from England\, Italy and Germany - Baroque String Workshop at A=415
DESCRIPTION:This Baroque string workshop is for violins\, violas\, cellos\, double bass/violone\, viols and continuo – to include theorbo.           A=415 \nMusic to be played will be: \nJohn Blow (1649-1708) Chaconne for strings. John Blow was an English composer and organist who started his musical life as a chorister at the Chapel Royal where he became ‘proficient in music’. Obtaining a Doctor of Music\, he later had a distinguished career as composer and organist at St Pauls Cathedral\, Westminster Abbey\, where one of his pupils was Henry Purcell\, and the Chapel Royal. Although most of Blow’s music was choral\, he wrote some instrumental music\, one of which is the Chaconne. \nArchangelo Corelli (1653-1713) Concerto Grosso in Fmajor Op 6 no 2.  Archangelo Corelli was an Italian virtuoso violinist and composer whose music was key in the development of the modern genres of sonata and concerto\, and the importance of the violin. His concerti grossi are regarded as the epitome of the style and Opus 6 is a collection of 12 concerti of which we shall play no 2 \nJohann Christoph Pez (1664-1716) Suite in E minor. Johann Christoph Pez (1664-1716) was a German composer from Munich. One of his early employers offered him the chance to study music with the leading Italian composer\, Corelli\, in Rome. From there he returned to Germany\, working to improve the various court orchestras where he was employed as Kapellmeister. After returning to Italy to study composition and violin\, he finally settled in Germany where he enjoyed a successful career Like many of his contemporaries\, Pez was heavily influenced by the French style and was one of many imitators of Jean-Baptiste Lully. \nLudovico Viadana (1560? – 1627) La Fiorentina. Ludovico Grossi da Viadana was an Italian composer\, teacher and Franciscan friar who held various posts as Director of Music in several Cathedrals. He is known mainly as the first significant figure to make use of the newly developed technique of figured bass\, one of the musical devices which was to define the end of the Renaissance and beginning of the Baroque era in music. \nMusic will be provided on the day. Please bring a labelled music stand. \n The tutor\, Oliver Webber is a London based Baroque violinist with three decades of experience in the field. He is director of the Monteverdi String Band\, specialists in 17th century ensemble music. He also appears regularly with the London Handel Players and the Gonzaga Band\, with whom he has recently been coaching students at Stavanger University. In the orchestral world\, amongst various other posts\, he has been a principal player and occasional guest leader of the Gabrieli Consort for around 20 years\, in the process helping the orchestra explore aspects of historical performance such as all gut stringing and use of the French bow hold. He teaches baroque violin and viola at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama\, where he also runs classes on ornamentation for instrumentalists and singers. He complements his teaching and performing with research\, editing\, translation and string making. \n  \n  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nVenue   Please note that this has changed from St Nicholas Church\, Warwick as the heating is broken. It will now take place in Solihull Methodist Church\, Blossomfield Road\, Solihull\, B91 1LG. It is close to the centre of Solihull at the junction of Blossomfield Road and Station Approach (no left turn from Blossomfield Road). There is a large car park accessed from Station Approach. – it is right next to the Railway Station and well served by buses.Neither MEMF or the venue can accept any responsibility for property lost or damaged.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nOrganiser: Sheila Koch 07931 237076 or sheilakochuk@gmail.com \n  \nBooking is now open – book here by 19th October 2024\n  \n  \n  \n 
URL:https://memf.org.uk/event/baroque-string-workshop-at-a415/
LOCATION:Solihull Methodist Church\, Blossomfield Road\, Solihull\, B91 1LG\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:A415,Strings
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