Here for your convenience you can find a list of events in our region not organised by MEMF which may be of interest to you. Whilst we have made every effort to be accurate, we suggest that you check details on the websites or phone numbers provided.
If you are aware of an event which is not listed here, please contact the Newsletter Editor
You might like to also visit the brilliant Early Music Website at https://earlymusicdiary.org.uk where you will find nationwide events organized into categories to assist your search.
And the Continuo Foundation’s new digital hub – a comprehensive concert finder of early music events (by region) across the UK – is at https://www.continuoconnect
Diary of Events in the Midlands
# Denotes an online event
Recent additions in Red
NOVEMBER
Thurs 21: Graun, Fischer, Locatelli & JS Bach – RBC Baroque Orchestra. 7pm in the Recital Hall, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. https://www.bcu.ac.uk/conservatoire
Thurs 21: Soft Notes and Gently Rais’d – Northwick Baroque (trio sonatas and cantatas). 12.30-1.30 at St Matthias, Malvern Link, WR14 1LX followed by a baked potato lunch.
Sat 23: Robert Parsons – Beyond Ave Maria : SWEMF workshop for singers with David Allinson. 10-4.30 in St Peter’s Church, Leckhampton, Cheltenham. FULL FOR ALTOS www.swemf.org.uk
Sat 23: Come and Sing Handel’s Messiah with Christopher Monks of Armonico in Holy Trinity Church, Leamington Spa. Registration and Rehearsal from 12, Performance at 4.30. Box Office 01926 334418 or www.armonico.org.uk
Turs 28: Midwinter Revels – GreenMatthews (modern day balladeers). 7.30 in Tamworth Castle.
DECEMBER
Sun 01: Bach’s Mass in B Minor – Ex Cathedra. 4pm in Birmingham Town Hall. https://excathedra.co.uk
Thurs 05: Handel’s Messiah – Armonico. 7.30 in St.Mary’s Church, Warwick. www.armonico.org.uk
Fri 06: Handel’s Messiah – Armonico. 7.30 in Malvern Theatres. www.armonico.org.uk
Fri 06: Handel’s Messiah – City of Birmingham Choir. 7pm in Symphony Hall, Birmingham. https://www.citychoir.org.uk
Fri 06: Messiah part I + baroque festive favourites (Bach, Corelli, Charpentier) – Eboracum Baroque. 7pm in Great Malvern Priory. https://eboracumbaroque.co.uk
Ex Cathedra Christmas Music by Candlelight https://excathedra.co.uk
- Thurs 05: 7.30 pm in Hereford Cathedral
- Sat 07: 7pm in St James the Greater, Leicester
- Tues 10: 7pm in Lichfield Cathedral
- Weds 11: 7pm in St Mary’s Church, Moseley
- Sat 14: 7pm in St Peter’s Church, Wolverhampton
- Tues 17: 7pm in Coventry Cathedral
- Thurs 19: 7pm in St Paul’s Church, Birmingham
- Fri 20: 7pm in St Paul’s Church, Birmingham
- Sat 21: 4pm in St Paul’s Church, Birmingham
Sat 07: Handel’s Messiah (part 1) and Bach:Watchet auf – Collegium Warwick with Beauchamp Sinfonietta. 7.30 in St Mary’s Church, Warwick. www.stmaryswarwick.org.uk
Mon 09: # Live From London Christmas season begins featuring Voces8 and Scholars, Apollo5, BBC Singers, Zero8, Ralf Schnell (piano), a family concert and I Fagiolini. Most programmes comprise a mixture of ancient and modern songs except for I Fagiolini who are reprising their Angels and Demons programme. vailable until January 6th. Sadly only Season tickets @£72.50 are available.
Tues 10: Handel’s Messiah – Southwell Minster Chorale and the Musical and Amicable Society. 7.30 in Southwell Minster. https://www.southwellminster.org
Sat 14: The Sixteen at Christmas, carols and medieval sounds. 7.45 in St John the Evangelist, Oxford.https://thesixteen.com
Sat 14: Vivaldi Beatus Vir & Magnificat + excepts from Handel’s Messiah – Stour Singers and musicians from the RBC. 7.30 in St Edmund’s Church, Shipston-on-Stour. www.stoursingers.org.uk
Sat 14: Gaudete: songs, tunes and carols from Yuletide past – GreenMatthews. 7.30 in the Midland Arts Centre, Birmingham. www.macbirmingham.co.uk
Sun 15: Corelli: Christmas Concerto, Handel & Telemann: Suite for viola da Gamba, (soloist Clare Horacek) – Warwickshire Baroque. 3pm in Stoneleigh Abbey, Kenilworth, CV8 2LF. Book at 01926 858535
Mon 16: Handel’s Messiah – Coventry Cathedral Chorus. 7pm in Coventry Cathedral. https://www.coventrycathedralchorus.com
Tues 17: Carols by Candlelight – Armonico. 7.30 in St Mary’s, Warwick. www.armonico.org.uk
Tues 17: Handel’s Messiah – Warwick & Kenilworth Choral Society. Time St Nicholas’ Church, Kenilworth. http://wkcs.org.uk
Fri 20: Bach’s Christmas Oratorio – Fiori Musicali chamber choir & orchestra. 6pm in Northampton Cathedral www.fiori-musicali.com
Sat 21: Carols by Candlelight – Armonico. 7.30 in St Mary’s, Warwick. www.armonico.org.uk
JANUARY 2025
Sat 18: Play and Sing Bach: St John Passion with Spires Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus. 10am – 5.30 in King Henry VIII Hall. Coventry. https://www.spiresmusic.org
Fri 24: Supersize Polyphony 2 – Armonico. 7.30 in Malvern Theatres.www.armonico.org.uk
Sat 25: Supersize Polyphony 2 – Armonico. 7.30 in St Mary’s Warwick. www.armonico.org.uk
FEBRUARY 2025
Sat 01: Come and Sing Handel’s Coronation Anthems – with Birmingham Bach Choir. 2-6 pm in Selly Oak Methodist Church. https://birmingham.bachchoir.com
Sun 02: 600 Years! Hildegard to Haydn – Sounds Historical (Mary Tyers, Ali Kinder, Heidi Fardell and Lynda Sace on all sorts of instruments). 3.30pm in the Angel Centre, Worcester, WR1 3QN. https://www.earlymusicworcs.org
Tues 25: Exploring the Blossoming and Transformation of the Italian Madrigal – Monteverdi String Band. 7.30 in St Mary’s Church, Warwick. www.leamintonmusic.org
#Online Music and Talks
Continuo Connect is the Continuo Foundation‘s digital initiative, and along with early music concert listings round the country and artist profiles, it has editorial features on early music and musicians. On their website, click on Features for interviews, playlists and insightful essays and sign up for the twice monthly Newsletter
Early Music Sources – a reminder of the wonderful series of illustrated talks by Elam Rotem, the latest being about Early Basso Continuo, to be found on YouTube at https://www.earlymusicsources.com/youtube
Sands Film studio is a Theatre, Cinema and Music Room. They developed live streaming during the Pandemic and have continued with a mixture of live and online concerts, many of them Early Music, films and theatre. All performances are free, but donations are requested. Sign up to their mailing list at https://www.sandsfilms.co.uk/cinema-club.html
The Following have many videos on YouTube:
Stile Antico – https://www.youtube.com/user/stileantico
Armonico Consort https://ondemand.armonico.org.uk
The Gesualdo Six https://www.thegesualdosix.co.uk/videos/
I Fagiolini https://www.youtube.com/c/IFagiolini/videos
Fretwork Viol Consort https://www.fretwork.co.uk/audio-video
The Academy of Ancient Music https://aam.co.uk/watch/
Wigmore Hall has an archive of live streamed concerts at https://wigmore-hall.org.uk/watch-listen/forthcoming-live-streams Occasionally new ones appear on a Monday morning if you’re signed up. Free but donations requested.
City Lit offers an extensive programme of online music history and music appreciation courses with a focus on Western classical music, Folk, Jazz, Rock and Pop, also many singing courses, There are new topics each year, some of them Early Music: https://www.citylit.ac.uk
Choral Chihuahua regular new episodes since the last Newsletter of chats between Robert Hollingworth and Eamonn Dougan and recently Nicholas Mulroy, about an hour long. Find the latest (and previous) episodes at https://play.acast.com/s/choral-chihuahua. Free but donations requested.